FIRE IN AUCKLAND.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 2792, 5 June 1890, Page 2

FIRE IN AUCKLAND.

At about a quarter to nine o'clock on Tuesday night a number of people in the Star Hotel noticed a very thick smoke issuing from the, top storey of a three-storey brick building, at the corner of Swauson and Albert-streets?, and an alarm was ruug out, which brought the Fire Brigade and the Salvage Corps quickly on thencene with all their appliances for extinguishing fires and saving property. The fire was first observed in the second storey of the building, and in a very short time dense volumes of thick black smoke issued from tho windows of the upper floor. The Salvage Corps occupied themselves in covering over the goods on the lowor floor, and were pretty successful, but, in the meantime, the Fire Brigade had gained entry to the seat of the fire on the second floor, and had a full volume of water playing on the flames. The water came through the floor in the form of a heavy shower bath. It took a long fight to deal'with the fire. The smoke was dense and strong, and issued through the windows with zreat f orce , but in the course of an hour the Fire Brigade had obtained a complete mastery. The fire occurred on the second storey of the landing, in which a quantity of flax, grain, and other produce were stored. It was manifest that the fire originated in the flax bales, but whether it was spontaneous combustion or not is not clear. One of Messrs Butcher and Co's clerks was in the office in the afternoon to deliver some sacks of barley to a customer, but he does not appear to have gone on to the upper "floor. The Fire Brigade having suppressed the flames, a regular clearance of the flax stored in the building was made, The flax bales were torn asunder and their contents thrown into the street to prevent a renewal of the outbreak.

No idea can yet be formed of the amount of damage done nor of the amount of insurances, but the destruction of property is very serious, and was estimated by one gentleman at £0000. The total damage to stock by the fire at Albert-street is variously estimated from £4000 to £5000, but the actual loss will not fall short of this. A large quantity of flax was uninsured, some 15 tons of tow was not insured, and some machinery and kauri gum was also uninsured. Mr Butches estimates his own loss at £500. The owners of the building, the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Company, lose little by the fire, as they have a policy of £500 in the New Zealand Insurance Company's office on their portion of the stock in the store, and the building itself in covered by a policy of £1000 in the same office. New Zealand Companies are only interested in the fire to this extent, the other insurances on the stock amoivnt to £1050, and are divided between the Alliance Society and the Universal Insurance Company. There is a risk in the Alliance of £800 on -10 bales of wool stored in the building, and damaged, but not destroyed by fire. The Universal lose some £250, the insurance on 12 bales of wool. There are no other insurances, consequently a number of consignors suffer heavy losses.