THE LATE FIRE AT HOKITIKA.

Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 796, 1 April 1871, Page 2

THE LATE FIRE AT HOKITIKA.

_ The following are a few of the principal details of the destruction by fire of one of the "Westland Company's Saw Mills at Hokitika on Tuesday morning, as already reported by telegraph : —lt is a misnomer to speak of the principal building destroyed merely as a saw mill, it rather an extensive factory, including the sawing of native timber, and the manufacture of doors /window sashes, and other woodwork, and it was associated with an iron foundry, in which a steadily increasing amount of work was being done. In connection with those various industries there were valuable machinery and other plant upon the premises; and the destruction of machinery, sawn timber, and the manufactured goods implies a loss of about £6OOO to its enterprising proprorietors, Messrs Findlay, Ha worth, and Cornfoot. Besides that, the house of Mr Findlay, which was one of the best finished and best furnished buildings on the Quay, and upon the refitting of which the owner had recently gone to considerable expense, was burnt to the ground ; and including articles of attire and ornament, his individual loss will not fall short of £IOOO. The adjoining property which was destroyed was a cottage belonging to Mr Klein, which it was found necessary to pull down to prevent the spread of the fire, and a house belonging to Mr Cassius to which some partial damage was done, besides such loss as its occupant, Mr Peel, sustained by the hasty removal of his household One of the more immediate injuries connected with the destruction of the saw mill is the throwing out of employment about thirty-four artisans and others, and the interruption to an industry which had for some time been one of the most thriving and re-pro-ductive industries of the place. It was only fortunate that the night was one of the wettest of the season, otherwise the fire would inevitably have extended to the heaps of timber which stood on both sides of the Kanieri road, and which contained in all about 400,000 feet of sawn boards and other prepared wood waiting exportation. As it was, about 30,000 feet of timber were either burnt or so injured as to be rendered comparatively worthless. The property was totally uninsured. No insurance had at any time been effected over the necessarily considerable risk connected with the mill, but until within four months ago Mr Findlay's private house had for several years been insured. From that time the policy had been allowed to lapse The Westland Saw Mills, as this mill and another belonging to the same firm have been called, were among the earliest institutions in Hokitika, and the industry in sawing, and the manufactures which wero allied with it, have been ever since carried on, affording employment to a number of men, and largely increasing the local exports. The plant on the ground included a boiler and engine, which originaly belonged to the steamer Eleanor, and which were substituted for the Wakool's engines, now at ftoss. There were another boiler and engine

on the premises—those belonging to the steamer Persevere—but these, which were merely receiving additions from the foundry, preparatory to disposal, escaped the fire. The other plant comprised saws and benches, an American breaker and ripping bench, fans for the foundry, morticing and tennoning machines, iron and wooden lathes and other similar apparatus. A considerable part of this more minute machinery had recently been erected, and there had lately been imported for the two mills about £2OO worth of belting. There were also on the premises, in the joiner's shop above the mill, some 800 dnors aud 300 pairs of sashes, for which articles of local manufacture a market has for some time existed in Dunedin and in other parts of the colony.