Fire at Hamilton.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 851, 29 November 1877, Page 2

Fire at Hamilton.

NAtt»OW tiWied oF A LvKGifl BhOCX. Otf BUIL lAGW. About half past tea oti Taeaiiy night the town ot Jtf.inilton was alarmed by the unwo.iwd cry of "Fire!" and the noise of the "gong," which N was being oeaten Uo.Ly m front of the the iiauiiltoa Hotel, aad was heard for miles, Aa many bai ixoo, aud ai^i'e liaU but recently retired oo bjcid utter ihe tlay'd noliddy, tue dtreeia woca aooa crowded wi&u e.»gar apeotniors. l'uo glare of tae tl^uids so.iv xea iUdtu to che scene, oc tue coudagrauioa, and they found tue large «voode.i wocmshop m the rear of the Jjanlx of oSew Zeakiid and Waice's new oiwUw^a, all of wbich wyre m ooarde ol completion, enveloped m denies. In© Bee did hoc lane long, bub while it burnt raged tariouaiy. i'he neat was intense, and it wus evideud from the iirst that nucniag could, save the building* The B.intc uud Etud Wttifc«'s Puiidiu^a were aafa

dough being ot brok, bat ereat: fe».«SW. .TWtt., leut«riained ,_fpr ', Mr; Vla-ju'a dwelling house bat a snort' distance away; and between which; and , the fir* were stacks of piled: timber, orosa fences, aud a quantity of loose oases, timber, barrels, &o. The wind, too, such as there was,: came Iro.a the southward, and was; I blowing' straight oh for Mr Vailou's^ house* Fortunately it was very/ light oi' nothing could have Raved it, and then m quick succession would We gone, Vilou and Co's large work ahu|M, the Times office, Murtin's shop, the Uaim Bank of Australia, and possibly Mr MjQivorn's house. , Willing hinds, however, were quickly afc work, aud one ci 033 fence close adjoining the burning building w.^a apdedly removed. So intense, however, was the heat, that if; the wind. had., been blowiug sirongi/ from the quarter- it was tbeu m it would have been impossible' to have worked to leeward of the 6i-e, wqich moat have been left to ruu ita course. WJater there was licde or none, to be. haj v The well ou tha premises rau dry almost immediately. Mr Vialou, the agent of the South Bricisu w-is present, and engaged a number of men to cut away fencing and remove timber, which if it had not been done, light even as the wiud ■ was, some two thousa d 7 pounds worth of property insured m that * office alone must, have been destroye-J. ..', , .. Nothing is known of the origin of the fire. The building was locked up as usual when the''workmen left at five o'clock m the after* noon, aud aoout halt-past ten when Mr Vialou . before going to bed, looked iviund the premises, all was safe and quiet. The loss will fall heavily ou Mr Message, \the contractor for, the new buildings. : The whole ot the doors, inside; furniture, lyuks, &c, lor thy batik andi Mr Wiiues buildings, - and a large quautity of tools wuioii were m the building, were destroyed. Some fi ve or e,ix of the nieii employed on the builUiogdi lost »li their tools, though swine aiore fortunate had lett theii tool-kits w her eiast working. Altb^eth^r, Mi* Message's ' loss will be coua.uej'ttbiy over £2yP, and he, is Dot insured. It, was but on Tuesday .wo drew^ atteutiun to Uie remarks made at. the Jate uieetiug at Le. Quesue's HalJ, with I'eupecc to. the formation ol a If ire Brigade ldir^ Hamilton. Wuni we md then, .we. now. repeat, thai whue it is exireinaiy doubtlui thut au engine aud hose would be of . auy use on accouut of want ot water, it is jn*t possible that the Uerviues of a 'disciplined and uinali loroe, rapphed with baciietß, . axeo, ladders and ropes, and exeioiStfti lu'ttieir use, might be of great value mease of tire. tJnddiibttidly they would have been so oh Tuesday iii^iit, if tbß' wind had been blowing eveu uiufieratuly, aud it would by well for tijose iiviug m the heart ol the towualiiji, it they would* eiideavour, by the deeper sinking ot their wells, or other weans, to keep a larger supply ' of water on their pieiutsea tLtvu they do at pieacnc 'the tirai. io discover the fire was Mr lYluUaii'iglt) who looking across Hood titrWt l'rooj hia house saw that i be building was on fiie inrtid<s, and he wiin his man at oucu gave ih<* a.tiruiuiid hurried aciosa thinking io urea*, open the pkciand peitlaps 'siive «6me of tue coutuittH, i.n<i». tiie, however, had too great a hold ot the building even at, iliit time to allow him and others who came up to save anythiiig. ' "'' :