THE BIG FIRE IN SYDNEY.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 400, 7 January 1890, Page 3

THE BIG FIRE IN SYDNEY.

A FULL DESCRIPTION. DESTRUCTION OF THE U. 5.3. CO'S BUILDING. Sydney, Dec. 26. The Telegraph gives the following descrip tion of the recent fire: — The fire which broke out yesterday morni gon the Union Steamship Company and the Tasmanian Steam Navigation Company's wharves proved to be one of the fiercest and moat terrible that has occurred in Sydney for many years. The flames were first noticed at about half past two o,clock, AN ALARM WAS OIVSX almost immediately, but notwithstanding that the brigades were on the ground a very short time afterwards, it waa yet found utterly impossible to cope with the flames. Situated at the corner of Margaret and Sussex streets, the Union Company’s buildings and wharves are probably among the best known in Sydney. Next to tbe Union Company stands the T.S.N. Company, and further on-are the wharves and sheds of thee Clarence, Richmond and Maoleay River S.N. Company. Each company has its own wharf, its own pier, and its own set of sheds. There, is an open space between the Tasmanian Company and the C.R. and M.R. Company but the Union Company appears to havh been shut off from direct communication wit t either of the others. The largest and mosimportant business is done at tbe New Zea land Shipping Company's wharf, and next to that comes the Rivers Company. As soon as a steamer arrives its cargo is unshipped, and if it is at all a heavy one as it sometimes is in tbe busy seasons of the year, it is likely to remain some little time before it is removed. And besides this there is frequently a very large amount of cargo stored ready for shipment to the ports to which the companies pre trading. Combined, therefore, the inward And outward cargo traffic occasionally becomes very heavy, and when there is a mixture of both stored upon the wharves either to be shipped, or having just been unshipped to be sent away, the amount actually in the sheds grows veiy large. A night watchman is stationed at each wharf, and there is always a watchman also on any of the steamers which may be in port. The 0,8, and M, Bivers Company has a stone building, a wharf and pier; the T.O.N. Company a large shed, a wharf and pier; and the pnion Company a large two-story building with wharf and pier also. The three together cover about two acres of ground, As tar as can be ascertained, the fire arose out of what is called a piggery on the T.S.N. Company's wharf, The watchman on duty noticed tbe flames about 2.30 o’clock, and at once set himself to extinguish them. The fire had even then secured such a hold, however, that his efforts were utterly futile, and a message was instantly sent to the Metropolis Fire Brigade office, In tl?e meantime the

TIRE BEGAN TO SEREAD very rapidly, and although the brigades were only a few minutes in reaching the spot, yet when they did arrive the conflagration had made such headway that little hope was enter. tained of savjng the Tasmanian Steam Navigation Company or the Union Company's sheds. While, therefore, the exertions of a large body of men were directed to keeping down the fire as much as possible, another section was sent down Sussex Street and began pouring immense quantities of water on the Clarence and Richmond Biver Company's building to prevent it from spreading in that direction. In the T.S.N. company's shed there was a considerable amount of hay stored, and this, coupled with tbe matchwood-like character of the fences and gateways and the wooden rafters and piles of the buildings, fed the flames as fast as they could spread. The men, directed by Superintendent Bear, worked splendidly. Careless of the danger which they ran, they passed down to the end of Margaret Street and around Sussex Street as far as the fire had reached and poured immense quantities of water on the burning mass. For a time it was a desperate battle bptween the two, but tbe flames obtaining the mastery, rushed through the tops of the buildings, out of the windows, and twisting themselves round the curling ironwork of the wglla tore them down and destroyed them like so many pieces of tinder. The water was poured on in every direction, tbe men making their way through the moat fearful heat in order to reach the best spot from which t 0 pI»J u P on the flames, but it was useless. WITH A SERIES OF CRASHES the roof began to fall in, the heavy beamsand posts came down with a tremendous grinding noise, while the flames, freed from their confinement, gathered greaterforce and obtaining a freer vent shot up like a huge volcano. Getting hold as they went of the great piles of produce heaped up in the sheds, thpy rolled out immense quantities of smoke, which, uniting with tbe fiames from the woolwork, formed a terribly grand spectacle when viewed from a distance. Still the. men poured the water on to the utmost capacity of the pressure which could be obtained, but without any appreciable result. Seeing how useless it was to expect to cope with the main body of the fire, a number of men were sent to play upon the buildings on the opposite side of Sussex street. Along this street was a row of small shops, a hotel, and a couple of free stores containing a quantity of valuable merchandise ; but the fire increased in intensity, the fiames broke across the roadway above, licking the walls and windows of the opposite buildings, smashing panes of glass and melt ing th* paint on the doors and window frames. It was feared for some time that the fire, breaking from the space in which it bad so far been kept, would aet light to these structures, But a constant supply of water was kept up, and the walls and roofs and windows being saturated by the taeh who had been sent'to db that work stood proof against the flames. It was fortunate that it was so. Up Margaret street there are several very old houses and shops, some of which are of weatherboard, and once the fire had obtained a hold of them they must, inevitably have been burned to the ground. It seemed almost a providential thing that no wind was blowing. Had there been even the slightest breeze the damage which would been done is almost beyond oaloulation, On the side of Margaret street, opposite to the Union Company's buildings, are the offices of Messrs Hubbert, Barker and Co., and if the wind hgcl been blowing at all strongly it must have sent the fire across the way, It it had there was really nothing to prevent the flames from spreading right tip to Darling Harbor, tor the large number of frail structures in the locality, some of weatherboard and others of galvanised iron, would simply have been mown'down. —ln the meantime the fire continued to blaze and send up

HOTZ TOXOUES Of FLAME right above the roofs of the offices, lighting up all the surrounding streets and all the high ground, stretching away across the water up to Balmain and round again up to PyrmonK Unable to quench the flames, the firemen endeavored to confine them within as narrow a space as possible. The heat waa so great that the large crowd of people which gathered had to keep back a considerable distance tor their own protection. Some of the more daring of the firemen separated a quantity of burning hay on the Tasmanian Company's pier from a stock, and by this means unquestionably aided very materially in saving the entire pier. Others kept up a constant play on the three wharves, and succeded jn this way in preventing them to a great extent from total destruction, It so happened that the only ship lying alongside was the Union Company's steamer Waihora, which had arrived from New Zealand on Tuesday. The men on board used a hose fqr a time with a view to getting tfie fire under, bqt being unsuccessful the steamer;: in order not to run any risk, was hauled into the stream, But by steady persistent worthing, the firemen intend 15 Preventing the flames from going beyond the boundaries o! the three Companies, and at last the fire began to spend itself. The framework of the building falling in upon the burning mats of sacks and produce, there was very little left but the mass asap Of riaoking and charrad wtualns, From as

I INSPECTION OP THZ PLACE afterwards one could form some idea of the extent of the damage. The atone building of rhe Clarence, Richmond, and Maoleay Rivers Company was practically uninjured. A quantity of burned and burning bags and maize lay heaped about, either still smouldering or saturated with water. The planking along the wharf was more or less charred by the flames, but no other very serious damage was done. The sheds of the T.S.N. Company were, however, utterly destroyed. The pier was intact, but everywhere along the roof long piles of hay and other produce were burned and charred and saturated out of all recognition. Parts of the beams and other woodwork remained in patches here and there, but the who'e of the galvanised iron seemed to la's been melted away, for scarcely an atom of it could be seen. On the other side was merely a charred skeleton of a building to denote the Union Company’s sheds. Heaps of agricu tural pr duce suffering moie or less from the result of the flames could be seen emitting batches of smoke. Flour soaked in water and baked to the consistency of damper was lying piled up among the bags of wheat, all sending out occasionally clouds of smoke or still burning somewhat fiercely. The pier was not damaged to any serious extent, and it was only in patches at its junction with the wharf that any evidences of tbe fire's work could be seen. The whole of the three wharves present a spectacle of wreekand utter desolation. Nothing of the £20,000 or £30,000 worth of material and produce has been saved, and it will yet take a day or tws longer before business there can be resumed, There were only two accidents, Rif Macdonald, of the Paddington Volunteer Brigade, be came overpowered by the heat and fell from the building, severely cutting his left leg, Thomas Lee, of Paddington Brewery Brigade, was also injured by,'a portion of the roof falling on him, Both men wore removed to the hospital.