DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1381, 20 August 1885, Page 2

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.

On last Tuesday evening - , between 7 and 8 o'clock, the Spur Hutt Hotel, Waitohi, was completely destroyed by fire. Mr James Woods, the licensee of the hotel, was away from home at the time attending a meeting of the Blue Ribbon Army, held in the Waitohi Schoolroom, and only Mrs Woods and her three children were in the house. Two of the children had been sent to bed upstairs, ami the infant was left in a perambulator near the kitchen fire. A short time after Mr Woods had left the house Mrs Woods, who was in the sitting room n«ar the bar, realised that something was burning by the smell she experienced. She at once run to the kitchen and found the chimney in flames, and also the blanket and shawl in which the baby had been wrapped. She immediately ran the perambulator containing the buby out on the road, after having removed the clothes, and then went upstairs and brought down the other two children, only in time to save their lives, for immediately after the staircase caught fire and was soon connnmed. Mrs Woods ihen called for assistance, and soon after £> neighbor, Mr McClintock, came to her assistance. Mr McCiintock made an effort to save some of the furniture, and succeeded in getting out a rocking-chair, a table, and a couch. He next went to save some valuable lamps, but was caught by the fire, so rapidly did it spread, and he only escaped by breaking out through one of the windows, He then made all possible haste to the scliolmom and gavg tlie alarm, and the whole audience at the meeting rushed immediately to the scene of the fire, but arrived too late to save anything. The whole building was by this time in flames, and all efforts to save anything proved fruitless. The fire had also spread to tho stable arid storeroom some distance away, the roof of which was in flames, and energetic steps were Uken to s;ve some of its contents. Tho boat from the lire prevented entrance being obtained through the doors, and so the weatherboards at the back were broken into, and a cask of beer and some potatoes and oats were saved. Mr Woods, at great personal risk, was able to get a saddle and bridle whish was in the stnb'e. The stable was not altogether destroyed, a fact which i* due in a creat measure to Mr E. O'Neil, who I jumped up on the roof and continued pouring buckets of water on the fire till lie succeeded in extinguishing it. So great was the heat that the pu.np handle became so hot that no one could hold it, but notwithstanding this a young man named J. Scott stuck to ir, by getting some clothing between his hands an) the handle, and pumped away till the fire in the stable was extinguished. Mr Woods desires to specially mention Messrs O'Neil and Scntt, and also to express his thanks to all who assisted in putting down the fire. The result of the fire was that tie' building was completely demolished in less than an hour, und that not an article of clothing was saved. Mr Woods and his family came into Temuka yesterday. Mrs Woods had to borrow some articles of dress to enable her to come to town, and the children had not even a boot to their feet till they arrived in town. Besides Mr Woods' other losses there was between £ls and £l6 in the house, and th i was consumed also. The furniture was insured for £IOO in the New Zealand Insurance office and £75 in the Victoria Insurance office, making in all £175. Mr

Woods estimates his loss at about £IOO. The hotel belongs to Mr A. 0. Gilmore, of Fairlie Creek, but we are not sure whether it was insured or not. It is reported that it was insured for £SOO, but in what Office has not transpired.