PORIRUA HOTEL BURNT DOWN

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9185, 7 September 1908, Page 5

PORIRUA HOTEL BURNT DOWN

EXCITING ESCAPES. The Porirua Hotel was destroyed by fire on Friday morning and several of the inmates had narrow escapes from death. The outbreak is supposed to have originated in the kitchen chimney. There were in the house when the fire broke out—Mr Joseph Wareham (the proprietor), William Wareham (his son), Misses N Brennan, Vera Regan and Mary Duggan; also Messrs G. W. Spark and James Francis (plumbers) and K. Place (brickmaker). As soon as the alarm was given b; ! the proprietor, it was realised by all in the house that there was time for saving little else but life. Mr William Wareham alarmed the female inmates of the house, and found that Misses Regan and Mary Duggan werj dressing and were i making their way out of the house. Miss Brennan, his cousin, was nowhere to ba seen at this time, but she was subsequently found overcome with the smoke and scarcely conscious. Realising that there was no time to be lost, Mr Wareham Miss Brennan and carried her down 1 * the fire escape into the street. Mr Francis, one of the plumbers, rescued Mr Wareham, sen., who wa3 wandering about, confused in the smoke, in one of the corridors upstairs. H's cries for assisttn :e attracted the attention of those below, and a ladder was carried round to the top of the verandah, and Mr Francis brought out Mr Wareham, Dut only just in time, as the fire was then too strong for any one to have gone to his rescue by way of the stairs, and he was quite overcome by the smoke. The house was an old wooden building of two storios, and was owned by Mrs H. Sullivan, of Wellington. It was valued at £l,lOO, and was insured in the South British office for £BOO, and the Royal office for £3OO. The building was recently renovated, at a cost of £l5O. The contents destroyed were valued by Mr Wareham at £9OO, £6OO of which is covered by the South British office.