Disastrous Fire IN Wellington.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2536, 28 February 1887, Page 2

Disastrous Fire IN Wellington.

United Pkebs Assooutm. Weimnoton, Feb, 28, Constable Eiddle noticed a fire iu Huxley's shop, Lambton Quay at 4.15 yesterday'morning, gavo the alarm'-at the brigade station round the corner, and returning found the whole of the placo in a mass of flames. The brigade wore promptly: in attendance, but beforethoy had■'arrived the firs had. enveloped Laefy .and. Campbell's pre-, misos, and/threatened destruction, to an enormousleitont, Laery and Campbell's auction mart, which stood on the corner of Panama street and Lambton Quay, was added to a.yoar or two ago and reached to a.great height, ... - As the flames gradually took hold of the building, omitting intense heat, it became a question whether the buildings on the other side of the Quay and of Braridon<street would escape, for large sparks were dropping all over the neighborhood. The fire had also spread; though'not so rapidly, in a northerly direction, and the preiniEG3 of Messrs Barrand had beeome ignited. Five jets were plied, none of them, however, very powerful. .These had been in use, about half an hour when'the manual engines arrived, and with them an attempt was made to get sea water, both, engines being worked at' the breastwork, They hi not boenused for some time, however, and only one worked at all well.'" '■

Meanwhile the fire had Bwallowed up Huxley's and Laery andCampbell's premises, and caught on to. the Exchange Land and Mercantile Auction Booms (T. K. Macdonald & Ob's), which was one of the handsomest buildings in the city, and decidedly the best of its class. In tho collar beneath, John Maginnity's wine vaults wero situated.

On the other side the fire had taken possession of Barraud'a, which by this time was all but destroyed. From the latter place very little was saved, for the fire spreading from Huxley's took hold of the front of the shop, and thus baulked access either to th'o shop or the store at the back, and the flames threatened to spread over anddostroy the whole'block,;, -The • do,thing pd drapery esfablishinent of ?ahn : Farker and Co., and son's), was opened, and'the foik.of removing the stock commenced and was carrrifid on vigorously, pneipaliy by means of the fire escape,' in Brandon street .there was nothing but hurry and exoifcoment, : Ma'cdonald has saved very, littje,.-from his premises little more than ajfow books, for the rapidity and fierceness of the fire prevented .the saving of several valuable books, oto. Thompson and, Shannon's promises, however were being emptied with all possible eipidition, for it became evident that this buMijg ■'•wQnUJ be l'h> streets in the 'neignbojihooa 1 werV' at this time: thronged with paopje, and Mr Shannon mide earnest appeals for ajsjstancie iij removing his stoolf, offer: ing to pay any bodj who woujd fork. The response W not at all encouraging, and on no similar occasion in. this ojty have, so few offered their Beivieea. Those who did respond., howeve^ worked away with great spirit, and about* tenth of the stoek was.removed at the rear. . In Brandon Street too there wore large numbers of people, and Parker's' shop was rapidly Deing.divested of its [contents. • •■

. As the fire approached the offices of Messrs Buckley, Stafford and Barton, the Five Brigade Station, and Messrs Kirkcaldie and Stains' premises were attended to, and every precaution was taken against the spread of the fire.) In Panama Street the shops on the other side were frequently threatened, hut two brigades were'Btatiotted'o&thq roofs wife ihfe sparks down, beWg a : ssis)e%«organ, tnS United Importer. Company'b storeman, who showered water iipon theml- • At a quarter past five' theirPkving! completely 'des't%ed Messrs * Macdoni j ald'sjiiemißes', was' racing 'in jhe top

story ; of .Thompson and'Shannoti'flflHi and'th'e flames lifting above the roofflgfi presented a spectacle of rare erandefe HWJ All over:that cprfler'of. the' block ttietflH j fire held absoittißway, and'the roarwE and crackle of the flames could heard at a greafdistance. Thereflec: ' tion of the fire was enormousvand at 1 times the whole of jhe. ; . of the city was ■and -then .would - •■(.: •'At - "twenty" five;,,&■ ;V "$ and Shann'Oti'B warehouse, si)jjjspl& .-X' '• in the streets called 'loudly : 'ip ; f)w&: *-i : /- inside to come out. Thelatter sts|si!: : /;'. as long as they could, and not leave until they .were- fairly d||p ' . out by the flames. . Barraud's, Buokley & Staffp|B,Bur- '; ton's, Thompson & Shannon's there;! 1 - was ; nothing to be seen but a mass ot flames and smoke, Parker's establishmen, almost surrounded by the'flw, - was nearly empty, butappearad iah4' in imminent danger of taking but was 'eventually saved, with '-,tMy- ft •'■ exception'of the showroom.:;;: .Tito* next building to Shannon's was Johnston, and •Go.'.i bonded store, a big square brick-build' mg of four flats,, with corauga^ ; iron: roof, afid as it contained ilarge stoek t the groater./^it-.of wliielti w»* in- '■■•-. flammable, thWe had bibiLa greit- :; deal of speculation as to the. ; effes this store would liave upph-.tho firoory i \. : \ the fire upon it. rajjt if- ■'■■'■ v'" was. behoved the brick walls '«pW ;J' oheck. the- flame. This '-.,'] unfortunatoly, the roof took fire,' and ;• ■the-firemen:did not. soon enough: devote their attention to the,new .danger, The »that they had Wesperate struggle for. art hour and a half. One hundred and'fifty men landod from the H.M.S. Netooiv and Borne of them; got;on to : M roof of the lofty building, out holeWn top and dragged the hose up, and four jets .were thus got to. work, but not till the roof foil in did they make ariyimpressibn, The top flat burned out, and a]l perishable contents were ruined, It was a grave mistake of the Brigade. ; to neglect the building bo long,- whioh, with its £20,000 of insurance, might: easily have.been savedv . ,: Thefollowing is an spproxlmata'llat "•■.'■'• of aggregate by the" vano%: insurance companies': —' Natfcl'''■:. LI7OO, Soutltßritiah L3600/^lU'fl|fl v 13650, Colonial, Imp» 15500, Phoenix :L3300, londpn ; Jad Lancashire 5200,':IJmo'a 3000,' North : German 4500, Guardian ISO'OO, North ''-'■■■ - Standard : : Btitiah ; and M«r.•eantlle 500,. Negated 12000, Sun LI9OO, London ~Globo LSOOO/ Mclona L 2400, Norwich Union L206ft.%al L23QO, Manchester L2soo^Northflra'L2Boo. ; Total esttuiatod 10B8iL|2,8SQ. The sum , -notually lost by thelf|ff : Zealand'offf6B9' ' is estimated at a few lines being held by thovßoyaV MaacheatVr'" and Northern,

We obpy tr# following _adMorral particulars "Icbm-'tbV' • New"- s|>%i Times:— '.;;;" ..'.'. '

During tho time when \>k.M ! wag at its hottest some lengths of hosa, wore required, at .Parker'and- 0Vi, ..... ~. Captain Hamilton ettfod tttTtiie • eortiQr and gave a signal with hishahdd. Thl, message was ta,ken up iwWe tK-. sailors' were working at -the : . the end of the street; anditt % mh4» ortwo.all.the required-material .•»»§ available.. Discipline a v«i< geanee.; • ' The Nols'on JmenVand'/the. Firo Brigades-men didnoW'vhit it," and relations on sevbral icoccaßions were; between. The blub jackets wjint. to work in tljeir own peculiarly-free and easy - stylo. Once on the rb'bf they scornfully discarded boots, and,were. afterwards to bo seen travelling about iho hougo tops iu bare feet, apparently enjoying themselves hugely. : A foat performed by a midshipman very ablo seamen deserves mention. They were the first to scale:the> wall, -and whon they reached the top of the ladder they found that they were still full ml feet from the guttering.; An upSwized soaraan, with indications' of an abnormal development of muscle,, produced an axe, caught the guttering with the blade, and then :c'almly olambered up, followed in a methodical fashion by the other two. ; Aft.. Before the fire had made any corn aiderable hoadway, Mr Gould, the stationmaster B,wa,|u Eailway line made an appeal to spmp' twenty or • jhkty men: 'to :: ipis t ■ him hi removing stock.:T|ioy'refusdol very rqughly t ajiid asked,;'/* waj top<*yt|W' ' ~ ;,'"■■■. '••.'.' atthe outset wqs 801b. It improved, until after a time a 601b pressure was obtained,-" 'fivij or slxjflts wore then being directed og totheflro (about throe quarters' of aa hour after the alorin was ,given)r but only two of them were of any power. Lator in-.the, morning, Jbowever, a • OOlbpresSure wai obtained, Of the jets in use only, two appeared to re'aeh the top of the high building, • Tjie. firißrigado numbgrqd twenty flight |iiifiludin|th> gent)'.with Lieut. inebttmand. Captain' Page is .'away-in, andifr Wi!so;a t .the,n^inp(}mand l was unwell. The brigade fought .well, ■ and pluckjiy against overwhelming- •.-.• odds, but they m^tjtejiy' jr^■■| li. mm niisiftks-in >i^ : {Hw* attentioifo- the W fltarci,, iristoad .of d&vblmiiheM.-. selves to;thbalready deß&eihuildT' ®W'\ ' '"' ; •■'•" '.'' : v •-■■ The citizens of •debtvof gratitude to of H.M.B, Nelspni and-his^sni ; Bailors and marines, for the they gave. ...These Trojans, and with a of skill; It is no 'disparagefioitib. the Fire Brigade to say that the" Sailors' Btopped the fire, for only'sailors coulo; . have been expected ■to * exeoutb'. manoeuvres on the top of a brick wall, . The sailors to 'essi irito; , ■ their task With $p m\^^^' .. a (A skilll«s bejel. 1 ' • .-, "istbod'on; the; "of •■" Messrs Johnston.'^i warehouse rightin.. the teeth of ,the, smoke' . / did as calmly'"as'ithqughthey:were J rnj|es away'^om.--!!jfl- , iBw. rt v. "One'officer—Mr Midship&aii Gurjn- •..• Jpron the ., '%'