DREADFUL FIRE IN DUNEDIN.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1544, 25 January 1887, Page 3

DREADFUL FIRE IN DUNEDIN.

FOUR LIVES LOST AND £150,000 ; WOBTB OF jDAMAGE DONE. DUKEDIN, Jan. 23, Shortly after one o'clock this afternoon, ; a fire, which assumed very large proportions, broke out in tbe large factory of the Duaedin Iron and Wood ware Uom- ■ papy. The premises, which cover about v two acres of grouori in a square block, and extend from Princes streel to Bond street, .having alpo a third frontage to Manor ■' street, were burnt down about ten years ago, when belonging to Guthrie and Larnacb'B Woodware Company. They were ■ then rebuilt on a much more extensive scale, the large furniture warehouse and offices being four storeys high. The fire i," appears to have broken out close to the . engine-houpe, arid spreading rapidly through the highly inflammable material . in the factory, which was full of all the ■■■ lvfcest and improved machinery, soon had ' "everything there in reins, and after born* ing about half an hour, tbe walls fell with a fearful crash into tbe street. The Fire t- :• Brigade were wording hard to cope with the body of flames, which were fearful in ' the centre of the building, and as there was a stout brick wall between the offices and the factory, if; was thought they might gave the latter. The flames steadily gained, as the bonding was 10 extensive ' - that very little water could be got to reach the centre, where a large fire was ' raging. The wind had carried the fire from the direction of th 9 eoginc- ■ 7J»OUW, where it fjrst started, but when it. got hold of the offices the f)times worked their way back again to the Bond Blreet frontage. Water y-M poured Von to (he Are steadily,

and a large quantity of furniture was removed from the showrooms and warehouse, but as most '/f it was lowered by ropes from the windows it suffered severely. There was a tremendous crowd present, and as an alarm of powder being on the premises was raised, they were running about wildly, although never interfering with the salvage work. There was a considerable quantity of cartridges in the building, and these could be hoard popping off in a regular fusillade, but the roar of the fire and the falling roofs and walls drowned it. Two or three heavy explosions of powder took place but did no damage. How the fire originated is a mystery, There ia a night watchman, but he is not on duty on Sunday during; the daytime> and as he left everything safe about eight o'clock this morning it is difficult to account for the fire starting when and where it did. The Iron and Wood ware Company is practically the Bank of New Zealand, and the loss is estimated at fully ;£15»,000, of which about £75,000 is covered by insurance divided among nearly every company doing busiuesi here. All sorts of wild rumors are current as to firemen being injured when the walls kept falling, but so far as could be ascertained only one was hurt Fireman McFarlane, who had his leg broken. Several others received u severe cuts, wounds, or bruises by falling glass, timber, &e., but they kept hard at work. It was with some difficulty, the fire wiis kept from jumping across Princes street, but the buildings there were kept soaked with water. There is no.,daoger, of the fire extending now, unless a; ; fierce gale springs up, but it will bum for many hours yet. It is almost certain that loss of life has; occurred. When the staircase at the back of the furniture ; department fell there were a number Of people in the building, and at least four of them were penned by the falling debris, and it h«s been found impossible to get them out". Qnejof these is a young man, named Esquailant, another I is named Miller, and the third is a" sailor whose name is unk.iowu. There >.ro tons of debris on top of the material above these persons, who are atill alive. Superhuman efforts are being made to rescue them, and it is possible they tnay be got out alive. Dr Brown is close to young Esquailant,.who, has piteously requested, him to give chlbrotorm- to him, or in some other way f to put him out of his misery. Mr Genderson,. the Manager, was near the,,spot when-the stairs fell and narrowly escaped. ... Later. In connection with the fire at the Wood ware Company's premises, two of those buried were rescued alive aud two were dead. It appears when the finst fall took place, one man, Wallace, a sea* faring man, was buried up to the waist. A number were engaged trying to rescue him by prising up the things covering him when the whole,two floors above gave way, andpinnsd three more. One was A Miller, carter in the employ of the Company ; the other wasE- Esquailant, a young man, who is the son of a bookbinder in Dunedin; the fourth is uuknown. It took five hours', hard work among great heat and smoke before tbs bodies were recovered. Esquailant and Wallace were alive, Miller and the other dead. Wallace died about 10.30. He was a sailor on board the ship Waimate, and was 27 years of age. Esquailant died a few minutes afterwards. Drs. Brown, Fergusson, and Macintyre (Timaru) were on the scene for five houts to render service in the dangerous position. They administered chloroform to Esquailant and Wallace. The men and doctors who were working to relieve them did so at the risk: of their own lives, aud the way they worked was admirable. The fire is still burning, and will do so for days. The furniture warehouse is still standing, but gutted* LATER PARTICULARS. Dunedin, J-ui. 24. Shortly after three o'clock the fall of the upper floors of the ironmongery department and their ponderous contents caused a sad loss of life. The basement of this department was used as a store, and it could be entered from the basement adjoining by a low arched opening some eight feet or so in width. A number of people entered this way and made their way upstairs, passing out articles within reach. Esquailant and Wallace were among the volunteers, and so was Miller. The party also included Mr Pearaon (of the Railway Fire Brigade), several members of the Fire Brigade Salvage Corps, and Mr Donaldson, of the Naval Brigade. Mr "McKonzie, seeing the unsafe Btate of matters in tfee hardware department, called upon the workers to desist and most did so. One or two of the hindermost delayed,to pass out and a rack of shovels which stood just inside the archway between the hardware and furniture departments fell at the moment, striking some of them. This was the first catastrophe that occumd. The strain to which the floors above were subiected was tremendous. The topmost, with its content?, had fallen upon the one below, and that upon the next one, and so on until at this juncture the whole fell with one great crash into the basement. Thoße on the right Bide of the archway on the basement of. the furniture department escaped, most of them unhurt, but fell back horror-stricken and enveloped in smoke and fragments of the ssrw. They bad barely time to recover themselves when a cry for help informed them that one or more men lay buried beneath the burning mass, and returning to the spot the body of a sailor (Wai* lace) was seen half exposed, the lower limbs only, to the waist, being covered, He was conscious and implored tbem to release him. He lay just inside the archway to the right-hand side jammed against the wall in a peculiar attitude and evidently in great pain. Disregard ing the imminent dangar, for only a portion of the upper floors had as yet fallen, several men set fearlpsßly about the task of rescue. Pearson, Donaldr son and one or two firemen directed a hose at the burning heap aad saved the man from instant death by fire, while a few others made attempts to extricate him. Constable Chisholra had hold of him'by the arms and Millar and others were trying to prize the weight off the prostrate man with a crowbar and piece of tfmber, which they nsed lever wise, wheo a seeppd and more fatal fall occurred, burying several of the rescuing party, Immediately the smoke and confusion cleared aW»y a nomber'of people returned to th« scene

ami ( urn) the condition of affiirs inten- ; sifie ' ■-.- 'Wallace's body was still half -exposed, and a little; distance away, and to tlie left-band f of tlia archway, part of the headV and obe shoulder of Esqualant was to be seen. He, like Wallace, was conscious, and appeared to miffer even mor« terribly. . Of Miller and the other dead body which was afterwards recovered nothing was to be Been. None of the debris fell outside the archway, and when the second crash came Bridger and Wallace sprang from the wood ware into the furniture warehouse, but a pieoe of the material that fell struck Mr Bridger on the ankle. The manager, Mr Henderson, says tm cannot conceive any _way in which the fire originated accidentally. Everything was RHfo when the premises were left on Saturday afternoon. The night watchman is not on duty on Sunday, but the other watchman wns down at ten o'clock ori Suoday morning, and found everything right then, and he was on his way to pay another visit of inspection when the firebell rang. One of the clerks walked dovn from church at halfpast twelve, and called at the factory office to get a book, and there was no sign of fire. The fire must ha%e originated in the back part, near Bond street. The boiler and engine-house were separated from the factory by a strong brick wall, and there was nothing of an infhmmable nature in these rooms, ail waste and oil being locked up in the safe. One resu't of the destruction of the property will be that about 150 hands (the beat workmen the Company had) will bo thrown out of employment. Andrew Miller, who lost his life, was an old and respected servant Of the Company, and had for years bnen the head carter. He leaves a wifi and eight children. Mr Donaldson, of the Naval Brigade, relating the 'occurrence, says: " There were ten or twelve persons, including two constables, in the basement of the hardware store' when we heard the flooring above giving way and called to them to run. Most of them ran out in time, but on turning the corner we heard Wallace cry out fir help. We weut back to him and helped a fireman and others to play a bose on the spot. Others got hold of a bit of wood Bnd were using it as a lever. 1 heard Miller sing out, • For God's sake give us a hand,' and we could see the man half ,out. of the ruins. At this moment a second fall occurred, burying the rescuers, and going-back 1 also saw fclsquilant'a bead.. H« spoke and was asking for water from time to time. Constable iChisholin nays he had hold of Wallace after the first fall and was trying' to drag him out. Ho was sensible and said there was something gripping his feet and legs. [ was bending down over him when I heard a cry, and someone dragged me back by the clothes just in time. The seuond fall came just in.front of me and the fragments struck me on the head and shoulders, It was a narrow escape. In a .very few minutes willing hands were upon the spot, and some eight or ten men, stripped to their shirts and trousers began the work of dig-, ging out. The first man carried out upon a streteher was a, member of the salvage corps, named Gallaway, who had received a nasty contusion and injuries about the head. He was presently able to regain hi 3 feet and walked away unassisted. The situation of Esquailant and Wallace during these weary hours was inexpressibly shocking. Wal'ace spoke from time to time and bore up very pluckily, but was evidently suffering intensely. Esqualiant was even in greater pain and murmured to those arouad to put him out of his misery. He also begged for chloroform, and this Dr Brown sent for and administered a large quantity to him. Still he was conscious for the greater part. His father and brother were amongst the onlookers, as proving the danger that attended the work, the rescue party was once driven from the spot by a fall of part of the Bond street wall, which enveloped the basement in smoke and dust. A little after six o'clock Wallace was freed, but his condition was terrible. Half of them were now engaged in digging for bodies on the right hand side of the arohway eight or nine feet from where Esqualant lay. As they worked on bent knees a man was presently uncovered arid immediately beneath this lay the head of another dead man, crushed, with the face downward, Half an hour's more work and these dug out proved to be the bodies of Millar and a man name unknown. The bodies were terribly blackened, and disfigured. At half-past seven the work of freeing Esqualant was accomplished. He had been jammed between the upright support of the staircase, and about a dozen or mote grates had fallen upon him. The lower portion of the body was practically lifeless when extricated. Esqualant was employed at Coulls and Cullings' establishment. The first man received into Hospital was suffering from rather a bad cut on the wrist, but af+eir the wound was dressed he left the institution for hie home. This waa in the eady part of the afternoon. Soon afterwards a man named E, B. McFarlane was , admitted with a fracture of the leg, and severe bruises about the ankle. The fracture wbb reduced by Dr Maunsol, who was in attendance. -At half past six the ambulance waggon returned with a man very badly burned about the body and legs. It wassome time before his name was ascertained, but he turned out to be Wallace, a seaman, 30 years of uge. Dr Msunßell attended, and there seemed at that time some Blight change of his recovery. The ambulance about an hour afterwards returned with young Esqualant. On being removed to the wards it was seen that his change of recovery was extremely slight and on an examination of his injuries the case seemed hopeless. Nearly every stitch of clothing was burnt off, and hie boots and the portions of bis shirt that remained had to be cut off with scissors, His face and body were fear? fully burned, aud presented u ghastly sight. He appeared conscious, and evidently suffered no pain in his extremities, which wtre quite dead. At half-past ten Wallace breathed his last and Esqualant died a few minutes later. Great precaution had been made in case of a possible outbreak of fire. The walls were built as eloEely as possible, and where openings were 1 required iron doors had been made. Perforfte'l iron pipes were' fixed the roof of each department, and through these water or stea'ii could be so, as to fo'iye the whole plapo flooded. Night and riay watphmep were formerly employed, foai recently, owing to a retrenchment, policy,

the services "' !i« d»y watchman were dispensed v. ia.. ■ It i* g".uera"y understood Hi at. t!n building •• as nut insured for half its value, the iDSiir.rice companies not caring to take heavy rnks on such buildings.. The total amount'of ineur .nces is at i'od to be about £75,000. The , value of the property destroyed is estimHted at between £150,000 and £200,000. The only definite information obtainable is that the South British Company's lines amounted to £2OOO, the National's netloßS is £IOOO, the United Insurance Company's £I7OO, and New Zealand Company's £ISOO.