FIRE IN BROADWAY.

Inangahua Times, Volume IX, Issue 1411, 9 June 1884, Page 2

FIRE IN BROADWAY.

Between 4 and 5 o'clock on Saturday morning last, the inhabitants of Central Broadway were aroused by a cry of jii;e, and the ringing of the firebell, which followed immediately afiev. quickly spread the alarm over tiue town. If seems that Mr Settle, tailor, Broadway, who sleeps at the rear of his shop, was startled from liis bed ai. the hour mentioned by a sense of sn (Vocation, and jumping np at once he-, found the whole building enveloped in smoke. Rushing into the work-room adjoining be found the whole of the scrim and wall paper over the fir-e place in flames. He had a bucket of water at hand and dashing it against the wall managed to extinguish th<: flames round the mantle-piece, but tlie fire had by this time couiniunieated to the ceiling, and finding he could do no uiore he ran to the street door and opening it cried out fire several times. He then returned and gathering up such effects as he could lay his hand*? on bundled them into the street. Th«= fire-bell was now ringing and assistance began to arrive, and the work of hurrying out the stock of cloths from the shop was proceeded with. All this time the fire was spreading overhead and the falling of the burning scrim and paper caused a deal of confusion, and led to the stock being much damaged. Presently .• the flames reached the roof of the building, and burning a hole through it seemed fora moment as if nothing could save the premises. At this moment,- however, the lire engine was got into position and being manned with very creditable promptitude, a stream of water began to play on the tire and quickly checked its progress on the roof, but the whole of the interior of the building being in a blaze buckets had to be brought into requisition, and with these the fire -vas after a short time got under, but the destruction inside was very great, a large quantity of stock being hopelessly destroyed by fire and water. The premises were completely stripped of scrim and paper, but no veryserious damage was done to the wood-work of the walls, the damage to the roof was nofc serious. While all this was going on the alarm amongst adjoiniug householders was great Mr Hindmarsh's office adjoins the threatened building, and in the absence of the occupant was broken into at an early stage of the fire and the whole of the company's books, papers, office furniture and safe removed to the opposite side of the street. At Beilby's Hotel adjoining Mr Hindmarsh's the work of removing furniture and stock was also commenced. Similar aetiviiy was manifested at Tait's photographic studio next door. Thence to Forsyth and Masters a right-of-way intervenes of sufficient width to remove the probability of the fire overleaping, but Mr Shepherd had a gang of men in readiness for any emergency. The oec» pants of the Southern Cross Hotel, which is directly opposite to Settle's, were the first to hear the alarm, and Mr Angus Campbell, junr, who is a member of the fire-brigade immediately ran across and rang the fire-bell, and by the early ringing of the alarm, and the despatch with which the fire-engine was got into play a serious conflagration was prevented. An examination of the building goes to show th^t the fire started under one of the oriel; hobs of ihe fire-place. A cbaiTed track of fire being plainly traceable from th^ sole-plate upwai-ds. Mi* Settle states that ho was working in the room till after 2 a.m., in the morning, and thai the fire in the fire place had bumi «v>t some hours previously. It is evideni therefore that the fire must have been smouldering underneath for some time. There being no insurance whatever upon the stock and furniture, M«* Settle's loss is serious, the building, which belongs to Mr A. Cereseto, is, we believe, insured in the Standard office for £100.