GREAT FIRE AT ONEHUNGA.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3214, 7 June 1879, Page 2

GREAT FIRE AT ONEHUNGA.

> &5000 Damage Done.

A Man Killed.

(PjSB: PbESS A.GKBNCY.)

AUCKLAND

Thi^jay. . A fire occurred at tb.e,4|ffanuk£u'l|otel, Onebunga, at half-past two this morning,' at which between four and five thousand ppunds worth of buildings were destroyed, and one. man was killed. The fire was discovered by a servant maid in the western end of the house; ' she alarmed Mr John Cunningham who saw flames in the ceiling of the house. He called his father, Capt. Cunningham, who slept at the east end of the house with his family. Captain Cunningham rushed hastily to see the outbreak, and "saw it would be hopeless to attempt to put out the fire, but on attempting to get Airs Cunningham away he found the staircase was in flames, and he then took his wife on to the balcony, and from -thence she .was taken down a ladder, the children meanwhile had been hurried down the stairs by a servant and Mr - John . Cunningham. There .were twenty, five of the Constabulary in the Hotel, and they rendered great assistance although very little could be saved. The fire quickly spread to Barr's boarding house on the west side of the hotel. This building contained 14 rooms, and was the property oT Mrs Williams. Mr Barr was the tenant, and Jiad his furniture insured for £200. The Constabulary and bye-standers saved some of the furniture before the building was enveloped in flames.

By this time, the hotel was almost de" molished, when two tanks fell from the roof of the hotel and exploded in a remarkable manner. They knocked, a chimney down, and the bricks were blown all over the place. One of the bricks is supposed to have struck a man named Thomas Hees on the head, for at this time be was seen to fall, and on picking him up his skull was found to be fearly mangled, the brains actually protruding. Itees was taken to the Hospital, but he did not long survive. He was a married man.

The splendid stables to the east of the hotel next caught fire. Five horses were .cut adrift and escaped, and the traps and reheciles were with much- difficulty saved but the stables were destroyed.' Between the latter and Barnes' stone warehouse, was .the shop of Mr McGrath- ; son which, together with- its contents, were quickly A stone, warehouse stayed the progress of the flames in this direction. At the rear of the stables was a highly valuable herd of Berkshire swine; r these were roasted alive. -'" : , „