THE EIRE AT GREYMOUTH.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 517, 15 June 1869, Page 2

THE EIRE AT GREYMOUTH.

(Erom the Evening Star.) June 11. At a little before 3 o'clock this morning the alarm bell of the Fire Brigade gave forth its warning notes. The night was pitch dark, and there was a strong wind blowing through the gorge. The tire bell has so frequently from time to time been rung, arid invariably with r.othing more than a foul chimney to cause the alarm, that of late people have listened to the warning with feelings of indifference. It was little thought by those who beard the fire bell this morning that within three short hours upwards of sixty thousand pounds worth of property would have been utterly destroyed, and that several of our leading mercantile men would have sustained such severe losses as it will he our painful duty to chronicle The fire originated in some part of Johnston's Melbourne Hotel, and so far as cau be ascertained, the billiardroom was the locality of the disaster. The cause has not yet been ascertained, and, we presume, will form the ground of a very strict enquiry. The wind blowing in strong gusts from the north-east at the time, the flames, small at first, were spread forth to the right of the front building, and in a few seconds caught Elaunery's Harp of Erin Hotel. Hamilton and Nichol's extensive building with its valuable stock of merchandise was next seized by the flames, and in less than ten minutes the whole of the premises presented a series of spiral columns of liquid fire, which led to the early belief that the whole of the town was irretrievably doomed to destruction. As the tire extended clown the right-of-way, alongside the Melbourne Hotel, the flames, carried by the strong gusts of wind, were carried across the street and ignited the Union Bank in despite of every effort lftade to save it. But before the lire had extended thus far, the whole of the members of the Eire Brigade, with their two engines were out and making the most desperate efforts to subdue the flames and confine them within narrow limits, but for a long time their efforts proved unavailing. A large body of flames had trot hold of an immense extent or highly inflammable materials, and nothing that it was in the power of the brigade members to do proved of any avail.

Every man worked hard and without, rest or intermission, whilst to the credit of the Volunteers it may be stated that upon the first alarm the whole mustered on the site of the conflagration, and placing themselves under the command of Captain Hamilton they were stationed at intervals of distance to protect the immense quantities of property and merchandise of every description which had been thrown from merchants' warehouses, business stores, and tradesmen's shops, heaped and piled together in the sudden and unexpected outbreak, immediately after the dames had extended to the Union Bank, the premises of Mr Badger, oil and colour merchant, were caught by the. flames, and owing to the inflammable nature of the stock, in a few seconds the whole building was enveloped in one huge and terrific blaze. The colours of tho flames—blue, green, and orange —as they alternated and combined with every shiftin : eddy of the wind, was a sight not easily to he obliterated from the memory. Broad bent and Kind's watchmaking and jewellery establishment was next offered up to the flames, and at this time X. Edwards and Co.'s premises having ignited, the fire now extended along a frontage of nearly 250 feet of buildings—the most valuable (commercially) in all Greymouth. At this period the flames were so irresistible that everything, whet her iron or zinc, crumpled up and melted away, whilst the light thrown over the town was so intense that there was not a portion of it, ever so remote, but what a pin could have been seen with the unassisted eye. From the front of the building at each side of "Weritn street, the fire spread to tho offices of Mr Perkins, barrister, and afterwards to Mr Tristc's shoeing forge, the premises of both being consumed to ashes. From Broadbent and King's the flames extended to the Bank of Australasia, and in less time than it has taken to write this brief notice the building presented an immense body of flame and appeared literally to be swallowed up by the flames. The large stores containing, it is said, over twelve thousand pounds worth of stock belonging to Mr Levy, next followed, the building appearing to have been ignited at three or four places almost at the same instant of time; the drapery stores of Thompson, Smith, and Barkley next fell to the fury of the fire, and shortly afterwards there was a cry that the shop of Messrs Forsyth and Masters, wholesale ironmongers, had been caught by the flames. It was only too true, and, despite the almost superhuman efforts which were made, the building fell to the ground, and one of the most valuable business stocks in G-reymouth was utterly destroyed ; then followed the Bank of New South Wales, making the third bank which within three hours had been burned to the ground ; there the fire, by the aid of the brigade members and scores of men who lent their assistance, was successfully checked. It would be impossible almost to describe the desperate efforts which were here effected to prevent the fire from extending. At one time, we should say, there were over one hundred people engaged in saving Kilgour's Union Hotel from total destruction ;

for nothing less would have resulted had the flames caught the side walls of the buildings. Mr Kilgour, cool and collected, gave rapid instructions as to what should be done, and his orders were carried out as strictly as could be expected in such exigent circumstances.

At this time the wind had somewhat lulled, and the efforts made to subdue the fire began to tell, and the Bank of New South Wales was the last building westward of Mawhera Quay which was destroyed. Messrs Thompson, Smith, and' Barkley's establishment, adjoining, escaped the flames, but the stock was nevertheless very seriously injured. With a very few exceptions every inhabitant of the town did 1113 utmost in lending assistance. Nothing like the confusion existed which might have been expected, when it is taken into consideration that at least £OO,OOO of property, in building and general merchandise, has been destroyed. Mr Hunter's business premises were completely gutted, as also those of Mr O'Connell, the butcher ; Clarke's Masonic Hotel escaped the conflagration, but the stock and furniture were very -seriously injured. Owners of buildings to the right, and left and rear of the conflagration were for the time unceasingly engaged in removing their property to places of supposed safety. The whole of the printing and newspaper plant of the livening Star establishment was removed from Waite street, to across the street at the end of it, from where it was subsequently removed back, but only in time to get out the present abridged publication. We here desire to express our thinks to Messrs Kerr, Keogh, and Arnott, the proprietors of the Greg liiver Ary-'.s, for the assistance so kindly and so timely proffered to us. With a little indulgence for an evening or two from our readers we shall be enabled to dispense with any outside assistance, but our grateful acknowledgments are due to those gentlemen for their friendly offer. A narrower escape from total destruction of premises from conflagration we never saw than in the case of Mr Kilgour ; and never did the members of any fire brigade make greater or nobler efforts than our local body ; the praise and thanks due must, however, be divided between the members of the Eire Brigade and the Volunteers. One body was saving property from destruction by fire, the other from depredation. Both did their work well, beyond all commendation we can pass ou them ; neither must we overlook the special services of Drill Sergeant Robinson, whose coolness and long experience iu all matters of difficulty , and danger made his aid peculiarly valuable. At the rear of the Bank of New South Wales ten tons of coke were stowed, which, heing seized by the flames, in a brief space of time became an enormous body of iutense white beat. To the extraordinary exertions of Mr Kilgour and those under him, acting in concert, the townspeople are. indebted for the conflagration having been stopped before the larger haif of the town had been destroyed.

In our present issue, writing hurriedly as we are necessarily compelled to, we have, we are aware, omitted many details, but the general outlines of this terrible catastrophe have, we think, been faithfully rendered. We omitted to notice in its place that the Bank Hotel, occupied by Mr Chesterinan, was pulled down to avoid the tire reacbiug Gilmer's Hotel, at the opposite coruer of Tainui-street. Subsequently it was found that this act of destruction was unnecessary ; hut at the time the opinion of those competent of judging was unanimous for the house coming down. It is estimated that over three thousand tons (measurement) of goods were thrown into the streets to avoid the probable consequences of a fire. Among the casualties which may naturally be looked for upon such an occasion we have only heard of two. One was that of a man who had his leg broken by a log falling across it; the oilier, a man injured on the head by a piece of furniture striking him, which, at the time of passing, was thrown out of a window to save it.

At the time w r e are writing this about four acres of buildings lie smouldering in their ashes, and around the locality is a scene of wasted and destroyed property, grievous to look upon.