BURNING OF A CHURCH.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2744, 24 February 1910, Page 4

BURNING OF A CHURCH.

c'C LUKE’S, AV A EREN GA- A- JIIK A, totally destroyed.

A fire occurred in tho early pours or yesterday morning at AVacrenga-a-lnka, when St. Luke’s Church i\a.s totally The Circumstances surrounding tlm fire arc peculiar, and everything points EO incendiarism. About ten minutes t„ four o’clock yesterday morning, Mr Geo Davis, who lives opposite, noticed a light in the church, but be attached no importance to it, and vent back m bed again. The vicar, the Rev. A\. J.. Ward; who was sleeping in- the v.curZt next the church, was awakened by tir; sound of crackling, a few minutes before c« a.m., and on looking out ol hi,- window saw tho whole back part or the church in a mass of flames, with flames rushing out of the vestry windows. There was nobody about ami Mr Ward went out in the hone of «a\_ ing something, but there whs a‘hplutoly no hope of doing so, even had water been plentiful. A number oi people ouiHkly gathered, but could do nothing, arnf soon everything hut the roofing and the brick foundation were a mass of glowing ashes. The building, -.nth the furniture and an organ, was insured in the National Office tor ~ ; MU, but the loss is estimated to run into £450. . , x- r-m e In the vestry at the time of -be fire w/*re a number oi cassocks and surplices. a set of communion plate, and church instruments, also the church registers, and these wore- all lost. slost of "the contents of the vestry, amounting to about £2O. was the property ol the Revs. AV. E. AVard and AI. AA. Butterfield. Fortunately the marriage register was jn the vicarage at the time of the fire. The church was erected about six Years ago by Alessrs Black Bros., at a cost of over* £4OO, this being borne by the parishioners, so that there v.as uo church debt. It was constructed or kauri throughout, with an iron root, and contained a 'meat deal of beautifully inlaid furnishings, most or which had been presented to the church. It had seating accommodation for 120 persons. . . .. . The key has been always left in the door of tile church, and Sunday afternoon, when the church was used for service, was the last time at whin.-i anyone connected with the church had been in the building. Aluch sympathy is felt ior the congregation. and as £450 will be required to replace the building and furniture, and this at once, it is hoped that pract:cal expression or that sympathy will he shown at the annual garden fete m the AA'aerenga-a-hika College grounds this afternoon.