FIRE AT THE NATIONAL HOTEL, CAMBRIDGE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 2963, 11 July 1891, Page 2

FIRE AT THE NATIONAL HOTEL, CAMBRIDGE.

About 3.30 a.m. on Thursday morning the National Hotel, at Cambridge, which contains 42 rooms, was found to be on fire, and although the fire had a firm hold of the the building, yet by stronuous efforts it was extinguished, and the hotol saved. Several Auckland sporting gentlemen wore staying in the hotel, also Mr Wm. Moon, and a country settler or two. Mr Bach was the first to discover the fire, and he at once proceeded to arouse all the sleepers, and so alarmed were many of them that they ran out of doors without waiting to clothe themselves. The tire started in the dustbox—which must have had hot ashes placed in it —which was placed against the back of the hotel, close to the keroseno room. The box was burnt through, and the tire then caught the weather boards of the building. When it had burnt through tho outside board, the space in the wall acted as a flue, and tho tire was quickly carried up to the roof, both the upper and lower stories being oti tire. Mr Moon ran aud fetched the lire ladder from tho Borough Council buildings, and ho and the other gentlemen, working with a will, succeedod in extinguishing the fire. Three rooms were very much damaged, aud everyone who sees tho firm hold the lire had on the building wonders how it was extinguished. Mrs and Miss Bach were very much frightened, and indeed tho latter was almost suffocated, for the fire broke into the room in which she was sleeping. The building and furniture was insured in sevoral offices.