GREAT FIRE AT DUNEDIN.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2506, 24 January 1887, Page 2

GREAT FIRE AT DUNEDIN.

DESTRUCTION; of the DUNEDIN WOODWARE FACTORY. DAMAGE £150,000, FOUR MEN BURIED ALIVE. (TOTTED PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Dunemn, January 24. Shortly after one o'clock this morning a fire, which assumed very large proportions, broke out in the factory of the Dunedin Iron and Wopdware Company. The premises, which cover about two aores of ground, in a square* block, and extend from Princess-street' to Bond-street, having also ; a third frontage to Manor-street, we're burnt down about ten years ago when belonging to the Guthrie and Larnach, Woodware Company. They were then rebuilt on a much more extensive scale, the large furniture warehouse and offices being.four stories high. The fire appears-;to have broken out close to the engine-house, and spreading rapidly through the highly. inflammable material in the factory .which was full of all trie latest and most improved, machinery,' soon Had everything there in ruins. After burning for'about half an hour the walls fell with a fearful crash into ihe street. The.Fire Brigade were.;working .hard to cope' with.the body 'pf : : flames, which were fearful in the cen* tre of the< building, as there was a stout brick wall between the .offices and the fa'otoryit was thought.thoy- might save the latter.' The. flames .steadily gained, as the building.was so eaten* sive that very little water could be got to reach the centre' where a large fire was raging,.-. The wind, had carried the fire away from the direction of the? engine House,- where frfirststarted;' but when it caught hold-offlie-offices' the flames worked back' to trie Bond-; street frontage. Water.waspoured' on the fire steadily, and a large' quantity of furniture was removed from the show rooms.and warehouse, but as: most of it was.lowered by ropes : it' suffered severely.. There was; : a tremeit-"' dous.crowd present, and as an alarmsbfpowder! being : on the; w'as : raised,-peoplewereru^gab.out'wpy : though neyerinterfering with the-sal-; yage'wbrk, -There were^'a/consid.er-toe-ambunf of cartridges irj the build-, irig, arid these could. be heard popping of • ; fire and:fe^;roofs : indlwalisal-niost;droipnediit,i;-f beayy

explosions of.powder toolplaqe3|ti did no damage.. '':'■■ ':[';■.■} .-■;. How, the fire originated is tfni|jirf 1 There is a.m'ght.wafchnian,. bWhe" isß not on duty on Sundaysi.durinf day-1 time. . AB":he left eVfefytlSiagfisafe;. atl about difficult to- account 1 Where- ancl, :when,'/it >, didfUfl bMrofcj : arid Woodware ■ loss; ifl:estimaiecl'at j every "All'sorts'or 'vM rum6'urst|refe :cur»l rent as'to firemen being injured wh6T<§ the walls kept falling, 'but/ip.farasl could be ascertained only.'|ne ;i ''was hurt—Fireman McFarlane, fmo had his leg broken. Several' others received severo "cuts, wounds, 'and bruises by falling glass, timber, etc., but they kept-hard at work." It 1 waß with toe difficulty the£te kept from jumping-across Princes-street, but the buildings there- were kept soaked with water. These is no danger of; the fire extending.nqw : unless a. fierce gale springs up, but Tf will bum for somehoursyet: : • . It is.almost eertain#at loss of life has occurred.. Whenthe staircase at : the back at the furniture department 'fell,, there were a;nu'mbor ; of : people in the building, sad at least 'Am- of thera were penned in by the 'falling -debris, audit has been found impossible to get'them out. One of these is a young man named Esquillant, another' is named Miller, and a third is a sailor whose name is unknown. There are. tons of debris on the top material above these persons, who ,are still alive, and Buperhumari.' I ,efforts are being made to rescue them, and it is possible they may be got out alive; Br- Brown is dose to youngEsquillant, who has piteously requested him to give him chloroform, or in some other way .put him out of his misery. Mr Henderson, the' manager,'' was near .the spot when the stairs fell, and narrowly escaped. ■"'" LATEST PAETICULAES. ,; •' ALLFCUEMENPEEISHED, '.;.'.'' Dunedin, Midnight. Two of those buried were rescued • alive, and two were got.out dead. It : appears that when the first fall took place, a seafaring man named Wallace, was.buriedup to his waist. A number '. were engaged in trying to rescue hira ' by prising up the things covering him, ' when the whole two floors above gave ,; way and pinned three more/ One was Mr A.-MUler, a' carter,.in the:employ- . merit of 'the .Company, was , Mr EV Esquillant,' a yoyhg mail, who ' is a son of a.bbokbinder in. Dunedin;And the fourth was imklown.. 'ittbok. a - few hours' hard work amid great heat" and empke before the bodies; were r'e-: ; covered, Esquillant and Wallacpere" 1 alive, Miller and the other' Wre'deai},, , Wallace died about 10.80: : ' sailor on board ;the : Bhip.Waiffiate,and' '• of -age ? 1 a few'minutes afterwards, iDrqßriJwn, '.. Ferguson, 'and'"McMyre (Timaru) wereonthe scene for-five hours to 1 render service.; While in a dangerous position they administered chloroform to Esquillant'and Wallace. The men ; and doctors who were 'working - to' relieve themdid so atthe peril of their • lives, and the way,.all worked was [ admirable, -The fire-.is. still burning ' and will do so for days. Thefurniture '■■ warehouse 'is 1 still : standing,■ , but :is ' gutted.. .; '/;y-;-]-■ .■ : -