THE FIRE IN AUCKLAND.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1856, 4 July 1874, Page 3

THE FIRE IN AUCKLAND.

jWe give the following additional parti, culars of. the,'fire atMivG.W.jOwen's storefromryesterday's Cross :t-v : - MrG. W. Owen's •stocky which con-' sisted of general storesi and. a large, quantity of oil, was very far' from being fully insured. • Great exertions were'iused'by .several gentlemen present at, the fire,on .the:roofs; in landing up buckets of : waterj and helping ito extinguish the flames,; most prominent among whom we, .noticed I Messrs'Henderson',' Philson 1 ,: Wrigley,. 'Quintall,' Pigott;•Zieven,'' Pierce, veney; Culpan;-'Jaggar,' and Matthews'; i and also a number of sailors fromH.M.S.'Blanche,' were indefatigable in their exertions, especially theiMaster-at-Arms. '■ Th'o total amount of loss sustained may be : computed at between £5,000 and £6,000. The goods and' books.in' the/fdllowing; , stores -'• adjoining' that- were. ..re--moved across the' street/-Mt must haves .suffered considerable- from'' the' hurried manner in which the ; reraoval was j effected:-Harbour Board offices, Arnold,' ;Hines, and Co., the Australian Mutual' Provident pffices,. ;,Bay' of: islands; Coal Company's' ['[J. ,'A.' ;Gilfillan)J'.Mr" ;Allender]B:('o'ffice; |^inter!s : i; ipffice,, : Moore and Oo'.j' and Solomon and Mar-1 getfc'sstore.: AJittle;damageoccurredin; the! upper:'Storey,of;.M.essrs:.Owen and : Graham's, through; leakagei >Tlle spoutiriglfrom the gutter on the roof of these stores was plugged up,and a small-.sea ;r of' yater'was k'ept : 'in''the-gutter'allround theiroof, which effectually-'extinguished' ill burning, matter as, it fell on. the roof, and slid : down tha,"sra|to's .ifltb ihe lr ■water;'' •Jlid vdamage doiieV^^rhow.e.ver,■. estimating jii;." J ■to f£loo. Had 'the ; th'is,,'fir,m caught; the destructioriipf property ,w.ould : havp- ; been'.v6ry' : great',.'as. thereiarp: rin-' ■siiraric'ea 1 effected -vupbhi'the-stock ii ;df- : ;that firm 'is-| Jrom flv -£20,000,' ! to : .ithah'the' , varue ,: of'the Bto'ckin''the' stores. 11 '.Mr. Bullock, Messrs Owen and Graham's' 1 .salesman'; was" sitting iu' r 'tb'e. office', 1 before/ i.the, first alarms and, thjnkihgl'lie 'heard a ..«tabklipg-;aXpf Afe?: "b.adk of the store,'' andCsaw'theflames' ''b ; ur!Bbin'gi-through'J;he:jbackTwind,owj:pf Mr< : G. iW.'vOwen'3 ; .store.'j;The alarmiwasjthenii : g'ivbn. It is supposed.;that: the'flrs> had : b an_ hour or an_ ,'hbur and a-half previous to'beinglis,.,There is r very Httle doubt. that N fire originated ihHlie^baok 1 'part ofHhg' Milding, though ho wt pr; .what means ■.remains as yet'a mystery. ."'There seems ; .(,o be a difference ! 6fopimbn r al'£6 whetherit originated Jn. the.back part,,of the ; grqupji- >, floor , ( pr. in the pellaV. ' TKe rear ■•pMtipns'of the occupied by; the' cHajrßpur Board : , and 'Mr. !;&ilfiilan;'we're; bnt onb' r timo,' : but' owing'to the immediate 'application"of 'an abuhdaht supply of- water' all 1 danger was quickly ■ oyer;—Mr B,' ; H. Matthews, who is' em-, Iployed- by Messrs Thornton, Smith, and happened, to. be at work when the j ■;alaVm: was given, and ho at pne'e got up', the.steam and put the pumping-gear; to' 'work;.upo.n the back of Mr.Owen's "stores'. •:Th;e.;',efficienfc .'supply'of 'water.' th'us'ob- 1 . •tained was iri'fact \vhat'-pr'evente'd'the fire; from destroying the buildings adjoining.that of -Ef : &. -W?Otven; : '"jNot ; only did.' Mpssrs Smith and Firth's engine provide an'abundant' 'supply'6f-water:'tb the back of 1 the premises,-, but.? several branches ' yfeW led to, ( the. front from the,, abundant sourceof siipply. The merchants 'and- ow'nbrs ? bf property :-in that slocalityhave again:Uoi..tliankv,that .firm.'jfbr .valuable servipes.generpusly lor i "without the supply of water which the mill-engine -provided;'the" destruction of i property must have been vastly greater, than it'was. The proof afforded last night of the j value of a good steam engine ■to- work the..jumps-jinstead'pf•human muscles; was jthaknpj; time should be lost,by the,Oityj;Bpar.d:.iin procuring an efficient, steam. firerengine,-, The mm who seems fo have.been the'firsffl to ! notice, the'! fire is' a seafaring "man, .najined Stephen|fctrodo.,,He states; that, he was standing, near Mr B. Eean's place about:2o, minutes before the first ai.arm.was and inoticed: a .light- .gleaming; between - the chinks of .the igate leading : W -;the; rear 'bf Owen's -premises.. Althbu'gh he'sa : W;the"light l 'thon; heiJ-did: npfanti'eipkte' any;danger for a considerable'time'.' /When it became very bright,' and lip jvas convinced.itprocee'ded frbm f: a' ''fire^he.T.an'roaM^ .the alarmat Messrs^'owen and.Graham's; ! just about the time that 'Mr'" Bullock; heard the erackling 'sounds at the back.' Then the; firehad a.tpofirm 'hold of;the premises to be extinguished until the store-in which ioriginated ...was gutted; >' • Duringione time the ■ smoke in! Messrs Owen and-'Graham'sstorp,.'was. exceedingly dense, especially;in■thetiipper. flat." : 'lfc'is reported that Mr, Bullock; Pue of, the clerks, and;" 'Mr''; Payjae, ; were . partially',suffocated;''by it;' and had to.-be carried.put.to the fresh air.' About half:past 1 o'clock 'this ■morninga -fresh breakoutpepurred among] the goods ia the upper: storey and on"the greund flpor of Mr G. W. Owen's store. Mr Asher was present; and at once had a branch, laid ■on to it, and in a shorttime, tho.firo was.again subdued../••D.uriHgJh'o night he kept half a dozen men. employed', so : as to'<b'e- ready, to meet any emergency that%ight ariseJ-r-Mi"Gi W. Owen's storeman is said to have been ; afc wprk Jin • > until f.6 : o'blodk}Jas'fc night. . This store- 1 contained groceries, kerosene, and oils of different sorts.