FIRE IN MASTERTON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3107, 18 January 1889, Page 2

FIRE IN MASTERTON.

At 10.15 this morning cries of" Fire, Fire," we're heard to, proceed from . the direction of Cricket-street, by a. 1 lad named Johu-Joyce who) was crossing the public park::yHe. quickly'.; ran to learn the causej ■ aiid: smoke issuing from the'house'occupied by Mr A. S. Dreyer in, Cricket-.: street; corner of- Dixon-street,' ; .'Mr Dreyer, who ia paralysed, and quite helpless, imd managed to drawl to the front' door ou-bis hands Itnees,and wascalliugfor assistance. Mrs Joyce and her daughter; wiio lived in the next house, attracted by. the cries, had come, on the : and succeeded in .dragging Mr' Dryerl ' along the-verandah clear of all" danger, and Mr T. Donnelly carried lumaway bodily. Joyce, seeing flameß ' , aud smoke procecding.from near the ohimney in the front room iminediately gave the alarm. The fire hell was rung, and the' Brigades ' promptly turned out. The ..flood ■ gates opposite thevDAiLv, Office ;itt Church Street were at once slmt, : - and the " Jubilee," which had only ■ . to cross the road, was promptly got , out, as well as the Municipal manual... TheVolunteor engine was' mauiied, '■'■ and at work in a very short time, but' the distance from the fire iwas too great for the length of .their' hose. ■'" Captain Miiir states that he, "then : applied, to the Municipal Brigade for;' a length of their hose, but was', refused. Whilst steam was being' got up on tho Jubilee, the Municipal < manual was idle, as most of. the .' people appealed to to pump were too anxious to get to the scene of the conflagration. The Captaiu of the. Municipal Brigade was not present,', and the want ofYbead was'apparentrj After a while Cr Capper'arid : two on) three ofthe'.firemen.gotthe'-manual; going, and then it was found that the I hose .stretched near the burning., building had been burnt by. sparks' : - and rendered useless. !. By this ;iim'e { it was plain' that ho. part of the \ premises could be saved, and 'the; nearest house, some twenty 'feet dis- T tant was in great danger; :The';rpof; of the latter building was of! shingle"; in front andiron at the back; Tho' shingles ignited several times add were doused • out. with' buckets. of water. The side of the building thou > caught audit was considered doomed.: Not a drop of water had up to this ... point been thrown oh the: burning mass, and people livifigin the houses' at the baok, began to think of moving - their furnitip. Tho welcome ory ot \ " the water's through, ,the Jubilee's '■: at work," was heard, and Branchnian ; Poster appeared with thehose. The ,'. force of water soon put the fire ■ ouUi on the last building that caught, aria? then went to work to : subdue the-, flames on the first'house, which was,' however, by this time'.all con'siimc'd,■ excepting the framo-work. Whilst Fireman Pickering, junior, was dir-; ecting thehose on theburningembers. a ory went up "Look out! look oht!" and the people were horrified to.seothe ■ chimney fall withacraßh amongst the ■ firemen. Fortunately no one was injured, although Fireman Pickering had a miraculous escape, the branch being knocked out of his lpd, and a brick struck him on'the side of the body. The two houses—one totally destroyed, and tlio other considerably damaged—were (he property of Mr D. Jobberus.of Wellington,and (ho■ insurances (ifany) are not yet-known. Iu tho absence of Captain Barker, Lieutenant D., Pickering was 'inoharge, and did good service. Joseph Williams timed the and gives it as 17min 6Jsecs,-froiPf; the alarm until the water played on tho fire.