TERRIBLE FIRE AT CARTERTON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2821, 13 February 1888, Page 2

TERRIBLE FIRE AT CARTERTON.

A Whole Block Destroyed,

Immense loss of Property..

At an early hour this morning Ml' W. Catt arrived in Masierton bringing the news of a large and serious fire which had occurred at Carterton, and in which he had been a sufferer, We have to thank Mr Catt for courteously giving us all information) and an account of the occurrence which was as follows:

The fire was first observed by either MrCharles Beecher, storekeeper, or Mr Dudson at ten minutes to 1 this morning, and it was"" then bursting through the roof of an empty store 1 at the corner of the Belvidere road, and High-street, formerly occupied by Mr Gallie. An alarm was promptly given, and the iin brigade {tn'd others were soon on the, scene. The cause of the outbreak is not known, but it is thought .that a swagger or some one may have been sleeping ,in the premises.

Despite all efforts to prevent it the lire quickly spread to F. H. Wood's Auction Boom, and thence to T. 0Karnard's, watchmaker, andW. (i. Lindop's chemist shop, and subsequently to the Carterton Town Hall, and Mr W. Catt's fruit and fancy goods store, thus the whole block was soon one mass of flames. Gallic's store,, as before mentioned, was quite empty, and Wood's Auction Room had little or nothing in it. - ■ Messrs Barnard and Liadop had only time enough to save a very few things, while Mr Catt managed to save rather more. He, however, is the heaviest loser of the lot, having no insurance whatever on - his stock, although the building is insured for £2OO. . Mr Catt estimates his loss on the contents at from £l5O to £2OO.

Gallie's shop is owned by Mi' Harcourt of Wellington, and it is believed to be insured. Ml' Wood's auction room is insured, but tlie amount at present is not known. Messrs Barnard and Lindop are both insured, stock and building too, and the Town Hall, which is now the property oitho volunteers, is also thought to be covered by insurance, but to what amount is not stated. There was an immense crowd present, and although! bucket and blanket brigades were instituted, and there was no wind, all efforts to save any of the block were fruitless, and it was only by the most desperate exertions that the Marquis of Normanby Hotel was protected. The premises of Messrs Downard (tailor) and W. G. Beard (solicitor) on the opposite side of the street caught fire several times, but were extinguished without much damage being done.

The water supply from private wells kept the manual engine going with ease the whole time, so that as far as extinguishing facilities were concerned everything that could be expected was to hand for use. The fire was eventually got under by about four a.m. and all danger was then over. -It may be mentioned as regards the insurance on Mr Catt's stock that his was the first in the block to expire, it lapsing two or three weeks ago, and that the insurance company interested showed a disinclination to renew it, on the ground that the block was a dangerous one, Tho matter, however, was by no means finally settled, and the last step taken was that the Wellington office referred the question to their head office at Dunedin for a final decision, and Mr Gatt has been daily, oxpecting a reply. Even now there might be an acceptance on the way up, or by a strange chance it might at this moment of writing be lying in the Carterton Post Office, for Mr Catfc informed us this morning that he had not yet cleared his Saturday night's mail. It would afford Mr Catt's numerous friends much satisfaction if this streak of good fortune did eventuate, and in any case great sympathy will be felt for him as being the heaviest loser. As far as we can hear 110 personal accident occurred in connection with the conflagration, with the exception of one of M r Catt's boys—Willie-get-ting his foot slightly burnt.

. Later. • Our own reporter, who was on the scene of the fire at eight o'clock this morning, has just wired as under The most destructive fire which has ever occurred in Carterton took place at an early hour this morning. The fire first started in a shop lately occupied by Mr Donald, draper and grocer, at the corner of Belvedere road. From there it spread to Wood's auction mart and Barnard's newly-opened watchmaker's shop, thence to Lindop's chemist shop, the Town Hall, and Catt's tobacconist and fruit shop, where, by tho indefatigable efforts of the Fire Brigade and tho. public, it was suppressed, Tho whole block from the corner of Bolvedere road to the Marquis of Normanby Hotel is destroyed. The last named building had a narrow escape, and got alight a number of times. Severalbuildings on tlie opposite side of the road are considerably damaged including Dudson's saddlers shop, Bank of New Zealand, Moriarty's boot shop, W, G. Beard's office, Downard's tailor, and Deller's butcher's shop. A number of the above mentioned caught repoatedly and with one exception the windows facing the road are all cracked. There was no wind at the time, or the greater portion of the hnrough would have been consumed, The fire is supposed to be the work of an incendiary, All danger is now over, Between £6OOO and £7OOO worth of property is destroyed, The following are some of ilieinBnrances. Macdonald's (corner stce), £4OO in Colonial Mutual, and £2OO in N.Z. Insurance Company. F, H. Wood'sauction rooms, £2OO in South British; T, Barnard's shop £IOO in do; Lindop's chemist shop £4OO and £2OO on stock in South British j the Town Hall £SOO, Company unknown; W, Oatt £2OO in South British on the building.

Our Carterton Correspondent writes: —About half-past twelve this morning the people of Carterton were aroused from thoir eicop bv a lusty peal fi'Qm

the lirebell) and on going it was Been 'that the shop lately occupied by Mr McDonald wa6 in a blaze. Soon the street was thronged with men, women, and children. The Fire Bit* gade were not long in gettinajjJieir manual engine to work j; biit fif'o had got such a hold before any alarm wnß given, that their efforts to extinguish it were of lio avail. All that they could do, was to give their attention to the buildings on the opposite side of the street, and to the Marquis of Norinahby Hotel, which 1 they succeeded in saving, although some of the. opposite buildings gol%j>n9i()erablT sconJired, especially Mr Beflvd's office, and Mr Dudson's saddler's shop. I hear that the empty shop Here the fire originated was insured for £600; Mr Wood's Auction Room for £2OO ; Mr Lindop's shop and' stock. There are other insurances, but. I have huen unable to gel pavtictilars of tlieni. The Bank d New Zealand got a bit scorched, and Mr Buckeridge got some' things broken in attempting to shift them from the Hotel. It was fortunate that there was no wind at the the tire, or the catastrophe would hse linen dreadful to couteui|>latei. Thin is another of those mysterious fires tor which there is no accounting