Fire in Auckland, and Loss of Life.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4413, 24 February 1883, Page 2 (Supplement)

Fire in Auckland, and Loss of Life.

Auckland, February 8. | A fire broke out in Wakefield street very suddenly after midnight, and ap^ peared to have got so great a hold upon White's restaurant before it was discovered, that no opportunity was afforded j of ascertaining whether any of the occupants were in the building or not. Sims, taiJor, who lives across the street," found it in flames. Several persons knocked at the front door and also at the back, but getting no answer, they came to the conclusion that White, the restaurant keeper, bad got out, and was knocking about in the crowd. The police, however, soon discovered that no one had seen White after the outbreak, and as soon as was practicable a search was made in the charred ruins of the restaurant. The work of searching upstairs was difficult and dangerous, as the flooring was burnt through, and in several places there were large gaps; but the firemen soon came upon the body of a woman lying underneath the front window on her back, and adjacent to that was the body of a man on his hands and knees. Both bodies presented a dreadful spactacle, having been blackened aud charred. The external thigh of the woman had been half burned through. Detective Strathearn identified the body of the female as that of Mary Oreal, aped 40 years, from a portion of dress lying beside her, and who got twenty-four hours' imprisonment the other day for the larceny of some flannel; he also believed the body of the man to be that of George White, aged about 45, keeper of the Leisure Hour restaurant, and who was formerly cook at the police barracks. It is rumored that White had been seen about six o'clock last night somewhat under the influence of liquor, and it is feared the . woman was in the same condition. For some time apprehensions were entertained that a third life was lost, as it was current that J. Moore, a printer, was lodging at the restaurant, but at a later hour it was discovered that Moore had been about town when the fire broke out, and only reached the premises when thej were in flames. The sight.of the charred and mutilated corpses, defaced almost beyond human recognition, lying stark and stiff on the charred and crumbling floor, sodden with water from the deluged roof, was enough to unnerve the stoutest. The firemen got a few pieces of sacking to cover the poor remnants of humanity from the gaze of the crowd. Nothing has been ascertained as to the origin of the fire.

The buildings destroyed were:—San dalls' butcher's shop, White's restaurant, Burkes bellows makers, and Leadbeater's store; total loss, £1000. Burkes shop was insured in the South British for £200 ; the stock was uninsured. Leadbeater's for £200 in the South British ; the stock for £100 in the Colonial.