GREAT GEYSERS OF FLAME.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 December 1918, Page 5

GREAT GEYSERS OF FLAME.

DAMAGE ABOUT £il7tyDo& , ' Sydney, Oct. SB. By a fire at Pyrmant tiw Mtoedi i sugar store of the Colonial Sagw fining Co. was destroyed. He .total damage is estimated at £170,000. The ■ fire was remarkable for the velocity ' with which it spread and for th# mag-< i nificently picturesque spectacle it prtH vided. It was the biggest fin that Sydney Ihias had for years. It was a! few minute® after 1 a.m. when one of the watchmen employed at the works , saw flames issuing from the top floss., of th<! store—which is of seven storeys- ? —Mid gave the alarm. From the time ' at \rhidh] he notified the brigade until the Pyrmont detachment arrived at the fire at 9.15 the whole building, about). SOO feet by 150 feet, was alight. Even tlu} roof had. been completely! through iiwl feed fallen in, the tops of tbo \rO-ijS in consequence had become loor.oned. and thousands of bricks fell into the cwiirn of the volcano within. Loads vf liriclrs "ell outward also, And' \ jtmny of the firemen had narrow escapes from injury. Tflie fire a fv.lt turn-out i'rom 10 stations—we» (t-ble to f.ttccl- tlio flames from three , ciiteu, cad *» the store is situated not fn.r from the P\Tniont Bay wharf, sea . water van .:sod. The fact, however, that the tiilo vras very low handicapped tlkn me:*, win! sbii'.e of the pumps drew mud. f The fire float Pluvius was also ycqu'ii.iiioricd, and this, with the brigade r'otor::, coon had an exceedingly strong of water running through hundreds of hose:,. The fire was not evtinguisted ur.til 4 o'clock. All that row standu ol' the store are the remaini'lj.; portions of the four walls, and thesa are leaning at #n eagla of almost 75 degree?. Tl'.3 fire blazed furiously. Sugnr Si most tafkraivble. It burns ' like lar, «.r>d tlio stores contained! ■ large quantities of sugar, some idea may be gained of the density of ths flames. When the roof fell in, and in? it 3 fall raked t'he flames, these leaped' to a great height. As the five seized; big Stacks mid bins of sugar, immense geysers of flame shot intoNthe air, and then after the fashion of a rocket, bvoke into myriads of sparks and spray. There /was not a puff of wind. The flames leapt directly unward, illuminating t'he sky for miles, and casting brilliant reflections into the water. The walls burst with explosions, which were heard a long distance olf. From the effect 'of the breaking geysers the moon, was colored a beautiful dark blue, and the stars above and around it were paled and surrounded wit'di reddish and blue tints. The atmosphere was permeate with the odour of burnt sugar.