DESTRUCTIVE AND FATAL FIRE.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 83, 15 January 1872, Page 3

DESTRUCTIVE AND FATAL FIRE.

PRINCE OE WALES THEATRE

AND TWELVE HOUSES DESTROYED,

ONE MAN KILLED AND SEVERAL OTHERS SERIOUSLY INJURED.

(From the Sydney Eceninrj Earn, Jan. 6.) We have to record to-day the occurrence of one of tho most extensive and destructive fires that ever took place in Sydney. If appears that at about half-past 3 o’clock this morning some of the residcn.ts in the vicinity of the corner of King and Castle-reagh-streets, and especially t hose near the Prince of Wales Theatre, were alarmed by cries of lire ; but as there were few people in the streets at that hour—being the time when the city is wrapped in the most profound slumber —it was at first difficult to ascertain what had occasioned the alarm, or where the fire had commenced. Owing to these circumstances, the lire had attained a most destructive stage before any considerable number of persons had reached the scene of the conflagration. When they did so, it was found that the Prince of Wales Theatre was burning so fiercely that not the slightest hope of saving it remained. T 1 ic theatre was erected in 1861, on I he spot on which, on the 3rd of October, 1860, its predecessor had been destroyed by a similar calamity. The walls of the new theatre were of great thickness — three feet throughout —and were sixty feet high, and when built, every precaution was taken to make the structure as free as possible from all liability of danger from fire. The building was surrounded on all sides by closely packed hotels, shops, and private bous.es, ranging from Messrs Hardy and Mitchell’s bakery establishment and flour mills, in Kingstreet, round the corner, and into Castle-reagh-street, as far as Brougham-place. This block included—almost in contact with the burning structure about eighteen or twenty separate houses. From the great height of the burning building —towering far above all the surrounding houses, and burning with a fierceness that nothing could stop —it was at once seen much danger to life as well as property existed, not only from fire, hut. from the fact that the rending and totte ring walls would inevitably soon fall ai id crush all within their reach. Shortly after 4 o’clock, the d anger from the tottering walls became imminent, and by half-past 4, sonic of the crowd had become sufficiently alarmed by the impending danger to keep away from Kingstreet, in which direction it was anticipated that the first part of the burning building would be precipitated. Many persons, however, were so thoughtless, and others, from having only just arrived on the spot half awake, so ignorant of what was impending, that the street could not he kept clear, especially from tho constant accession of new arrivals, What now took place is thus stated by an eye-witness : The crowd was now fast increasing and blocking up the thoroughfares round the theatre. In King-street a great number of people bad most carelessly placed themselves in the street, and occupied the pathway on the south side, so th at it was a mercy that numbers were not killed when the burning building - fell. Fears were entertained that the south wall would fall from the first, by the known action of intense beat on brick walls, and by the force of the mighty lurid flames which were then leaping upwards towards the sky, shedding a frightful glare upon the entire city, and reddening the sky far and wide, 'flic flames were most brilliant, and presented a truly magnificent, although a pitiable spectacle. Occasionally, as the lire reached Sonic | more highly inflammable substance in the burning mass, the flames shot up through the dense column of ascending smoke, and seemed more like electric flashes than ordinary frames. The hissing and roar of the terrible combustion taking place within the theatre was awful, and this, with the natural apprehensions engendered for human life, from the impossibility of preventing people from I occupying dangerous positions in the i streets, and the consequent uncertainty as i to whether numbers might not be iml mediately sacrificed before one’s eyes, j combined to produce a melancholy feel- ! ing, which seemed to be generally particii pated in by the crowd. Shortly after the : roof had fallen in, the southern wall bei gau to show signs of bulging outwards, : and loud cries of ‘ Take care ' Keep | clear;’ rang through the air. The people j at last became alarmed, and all began to ; get away as fast as j ossible, and a few ' moments all but a few were out of danger, : if we except the firemen, who, true to their duty, continued to play unon the j roofs of the adjoining houses. At last tlicie was a err, ‘ It is falling,’ and in a moment afterwards the great lofty wall toppled over with a tremendous crash, carrying with it, in its downward couse, several houses on the north side of Kingstreet. Hundred of tons of bricks and

mortar, heavy joists, and other materials, fell in one mass on these houses, so that they all went down like a castle of cards. At this juncture, the excitement was great, for no one could tell bow many persons might have been buried beneath the fallen mass. Suddenly there was an OHtcrv for cabs, and one poor fellow was suddenly placed in a cab, and driven off to the Infirmary ; and immediately afterwards two other wounded men were pulled out and taken to the same place. The danger to life ended with the falling of the south wall, although the fire was still raging furiously, and had now taken possession of the roof of Messrs Hardy and Mitchell’s flour mills, which together with the interior fittings of the theatre, served to increase the flames. Great fears were now entertained that that the fire would extend to the houses on the north side of the burning building, towards Brougham place—and the apprehensions were soon realised. The buildings on this side of the burning theatre were densely crowded together, and from the fact that the terrified inhabitants when roused from their slumbers were unable to do anything more than escape with their lives, their consternation and inability to save their property may be easily imagined. These houses were for the most part, shingled, and being very combustible, fell a rapid prey to the flames. The only wonder is that only some seven or eight of them were burned.

From the testimony of all who were present when the fire occurred, there seems good reason to believe that the conflagration originated in the property-room of the theatre. It appears that the wife of the watchman, Philip Lo Gcrt, who sleeps under the property-room, was awoke by something falling from above ; her impression was that it was a live goose used in the pantomime that was making the disturbance. She rose and opened the door, when she experienced a smell ns if chemicals were burning. She was proceeding to alarm herhusband when a youth named Henry Petherick, who had been engaged selling pantomime hooks during tlie preceding evening, and who, under the stage, ran in and told her the theatre was on fire. He had been awoke by the flames. Airs Le Gert ran up the gallery passage crying out, “The house is on fire.” At this time Le Gcrt was in the front part of the theatre ; he took up a lamp and saw flames issuing from the property room. He then opened the gates and jointly with his wife, who had awakened Mrs Iloarc, of Castlercagh-strect, alarmed the neighbours. Petherick ran over to Air Camb, but could not make any one hear ; lie then ran along Gastlc-reagh-street, and met No. 2 Volunteer Fire Engine driving to the spot. None of the men connected with the Volunteer Companies or Fire Brigade have, wc believe, sustained any injury ; but wc regret to say that four men were taken to tho Infirmary, more or less injured, viz. : Air Coates, earthenware dealer, South Head Road, about twenty-eight years of age, fatally wounded. He had been engaged during the lire on tho private engine of Alessrs Fanning, Griffiths and Co. Henry Vaughan, about twenty-one years of age. lie was assisting at one of the engines ; dangerously wounded. Charles Toss, of Castlereagh-strcet, aged eighteen years, also dangerously wounded, having a cut across the forehead. Alichacl Murray, of 1!*, brougham-street, slightly burnt.

At half-past 12 to-day, I lie house surgeon of the Infirmary informed us that the unfortunate Ah- Coates was dead. Tho melancholy report created great sympathy throughout the city. The houses destroyed in King-street, hv the falling the southern wall, were the shops occupied by Alessrs Fisher, eugrauer ; Roam and Co., vendors of iced drinks; P. Lardelli, confectioner, Are. : and Emerson’s oyster saloon. Air Lorinicr’s, tobacconist’s shop, is so much injured that it will have to he pulled down. The Duke of Edinburgh Hotel has had its roof demolished, and is otherwise injured. These premises are the property of Captain Griffin, now in England, and arc insured in flic United Insurance Company for £2,600. The block extending from the Duke of Edinburgh to the corner of King street has sustained little damage. Messrs Hardie and Mitchell's Hour mill, immediately at the rear of the theatre, caught lire about half an hour after the flames broke through the roof of the theatre, and in consequence of there being about 100 tons of flour and wheat in stock the lire was burning rather fiercely up to 1 o’clock to-day. The building itself is totally destroyed, but the machinery and the boilers will probably be lit for use again.

In Brougham-place, seven four-roomed houses are destroyed, or greatly damaged. A number of persons who had been in a public-house in the neighbourhood, as soon as the alarm was given, hastened to the Prince Imperial Hotel, and commenced removing the furniture. Aluch damage was done by the hasty removal of the property. The billiard room of Mr Louis Andreoli, publican, of Castlereagh-strcet, and which abuts on the property-room, room was completely demolished. Air Lyons, the upholsterer, had a large quantity of straw and bedding material, &c.. on his premises. If these had caught lire nothing could have saved the entire block from destruction. All - IL Thomas, of tho Queen’s lintel, while throwing water on the roof got severely burnt.

At this time the (lames were so intense, that the whole city was lit vividly up, and the fire was perceived from the North Shore. Air W. Dintl, the lessee of the theatre, seeing the direction in which the fire was, came over to Sydney to line! his property a prey to the flames. Air J. J. Bartlett, co-lessee of Air Diinl ; when lie arrived, he found the large doors leading to the dress circle burning. He rushed into the office and saved a valuable quantity of hooks, papers, and agreements, hut, could not obtain assistance. It is slated that the wardrobe of the lessees was worth £2.500. One hundred and twenty people have been suddouly thrown out of the means of earning their living, by this catastrophe, and many of them have lost their all. The principal losers are Alessrs Holloway, Rainfunl, Charles Young, Ifasker, Simms, APKellar, Power, Alisses Carey, Dixon, and APKeowu. Alessrs Holloway and Rainfunl had valuable property, which cannot be replaced, and Air Bartlett lost a valuable collection of autograph letters from Yfalter Alontgomery, Charles Alalthews,and other celebrities. Mr AY. J. AA’ilson lost all his sketches, and Air Rcnno his panorama of the European War, and other mechanical apparatus that was worth about £BOO. All - AA’alter Ilicc, leader of the orchestra, lost £l5O worth of music, and as there was to he an afternoon performance of the pantomime, the members had all left their instruments behind them.

The total losses of the orchestral performers are estimated at about £230. Mr Dind was not insured for a penny.

The building itself is the property of the family of the late Robert- Fitzgerald, Esq., and is considered to be worth £IB,OOO or £IO,OOO. It was uninsured. Inquiry has been made in the course of the day by a man named O’Brien, who says bis brother is missing. Captain APLerie dispatched a policeman to the Infirmary to ascertain if he was one of the sufferers admitted ; but no person of that name or description could be identified.

A surmise being entertained that it was possible some persons in the crowd might have been cngulplied in the ruins of tho fallen shops in King-street, bis Worship the Alayor set a gang of men on to clear out the rubbish at an early hour in the forenoon. At the time of our going to press the search was progressing, but no evidence of human loss had been obtained.

GAS EXPLOSION

About noon to-day, an accident occurred to a man named Keating, while working in the shop occupied by Air Ward, tobacconist, King-street, opposite the sccno of the recent lire. From what wc can learn, it appears that Keating was engaged in connecting a gaspipe with the meter, when, owing to some of the escaped gas becoming ignited by a candle which Keating was using, the meter exploded.