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DESTRUCTIVE
FIRE IN AUCKLAND
This long-expected
visitation of fire on a large scale has at last come upon us, truly
like a thief in the night, and many of our fellow-citizens who retired
to rest in each and comfort, if not positive affluence, so far as their
worldly circumstances were concerned, found themselves in the short
space of little more than two hours left destitute of all but a few
hastily-huddled on garments – some with nothing but their nightdress.
This calamity occurred
early on Wednesday morning, and as will be seen by our report of the
Fire Inquest which has been held by Dr Philson, Coroner, by desire
of the General Government, more than one circumstance has transpired
to give rise to the suspicion that the origin of the fire, if not an
act of position incendiarism, is attributable to carelessness almost
as criminal.
One Wednesday’s
impression had been but a short time completed, when the sound of the
Market-house Fire-bell – struck just three times by Corporal Simms of
the Auckland Police, who was the first to disco er the fire – roused
the inhabitants of Shortland and Queen streets. The sound not being
repeated for a few minutes, led many to suppose it was a false alarm;
but a minute or two more only had elapsed when a faint streak of flame
was seen to arise from the back premises between High and O’Connell
streets, - and the fierce N E gale which was blowing soon converted
the flame into a raging conflagration.
The Fire Bugles
were sounded almost simultaneously with the Fire Bell, and close as
we ourselves were to the spot, we found the Colonel, Officers and men
of the 58th hastening down hill – the Volunteer Fire Brigades
under the command of Superintendent Asher, taking their posts and getting
up their engines – and the inhabitants handing out buckets and axes,
wetting blankets, etc., for it was but too evidence to all that the
City of Auckland was this night threatened with a more formidable foe
in the shape of Fire than it had ever before had to grapple with. The
spot where the fire broke out was one of the oldest and most closely-built
parts of the City, and both High and O’Connell streets were so narrow
that it was difficult to get the engines so close up as to promise to
offer any effectual cheek. In fact, but for a timely shift of wind and
a continued fall of rain which kept the exposed sides and roof of houses
thoroughly moist, the whole of the business part of the City would have
now been a mass of ruins and many houses nearly a mile away would have
also been destroyed – so fierce was the gale and to such a distance
were blazing pieces of tarpaulin and timber carried by the wind.
Where all was so
sudden and unexpected and where those who were disposed to work with
a will had such incessant demand upon their energies, there was but
little time or opportunity for cool observation of the course of the
conflagration. The following, however, will be found a tolerably close
and accurate narrative of this event, which, though a present misfortune,
to individual sufferers a serious calamity, will we trust be so taken
advantage of as to be converted into a lasting benefit. Of the means
to be adopted for security this most desirable end, hereafter.
From careful enquiry
amongst those who were first on the spot, and from personal observation,
we may confidently state that the fire originated very shortly before
2 o’clock on Wednesday morning, in the back premises of the ‘Osprey
Inn’ – Mr J H King, in High-street.
It thence extended
to the Theatre, or Music room of the ‘Osprey’ and immediately caught
the building, workshop and timber of Mr Finlay’s carpenter’s
establishment.
The North-east gale,
as we have said, was blowing furiously and the flames soon swept before
the wind towards the Mechanics’ Institute and, with an eddy, round towards
Shortland-street to the rear of the Bee Hive, Mr Keesing’s store.
The
Bugles of the 58th Regiment were sounding the call as soon as the flames
appeared above the roof, and the Fire Bells rang out simultaneously.
A large force of the 58tyh Regiment, under the personal orders of Colonel
Wynyard, were soon on the spot with the military engine; and the several
companies of the Volunteer Fire Brigade, with their engines, were quickly
working. But such was the intensity of the fire that, driven as it was
before the storm amongst the low and crowded buildings of O’Connell-street
and High-street, all attempts to arrest its course were for a time futile.
The occupants of
the houses around the fire – most of them hard-working people of moderate
means – were now seen leaving for the last time, their homes. Men half-dressed
and women and children in their night-clothing, were seen creeping from
burning houses, carrying nothing away with them but the scant clothing
in which they had barely time to rush into the street.
In these close thoroughfares,
the smoke and heat were almost unendurable, but the officers of the
Regiment organized their men in working parties, and the Fire Brigade
– well disciplined and effective – attacked the flames wherever there
appeared a chance of doing so successfully.
The Fire was now
burning furiously around the Police Barracks and consuming them and
Mr Gorrie’s old school house. The Mechanics’ Institute new Hall appeared
for a time exactly in the drift of the fire and it was thought that
nothing could save it; but the exertions of Mr Daldy and others who
deluged the front and roof with water, aided by a slight shift of wind,
saved this handsome building.
In a more westerly
direction, about Mr McCaul’s in High-street, the fire was now storming
along – house after house falling before it, occasional brick walls
though strongly built, forming no barrier to its fury. The street was
here too narrow for the opposite houses even to be saved and all the
buildings from Mr McEwan’s yard in Vulcan Lane were ignited and
although many of the towns-people here made the most strenuous exertions
to save property, very little could be secured ere the fearful heat
rendered all approach to the burning houses impossible.
While the buildings
from Mr Mark’s to Mr Dunning’s were burning on the North
side of High-street, the buildings across Vulcan Lane caught and Messrs
Marston and George’s Law Offices and the Auckland Dispensary
– only just established – were enveloped in the flame. This thoroughfare
was now a street of fire.
A poor woman whom
Dr Philson, the Coroner, was attending, was conveyed from a burning
house to the fine new brick building, the Auckland Hotel (Mr B Newell’s),
where it was thought she would be secure. In a short time she gave birth
to a child, but this, the house of refuge in which h she was lying,
was almost directly after in the midst of the flame, and she had again
to be carried away with her new-born infant, to the Wesleyan Chapel,
which afforded her safety.
The fire was now
at its height. It had curled round to the Shortland-street houses; and
the whole block between Chancery street, High street, Shortland street
and O’Connell street, was a heaving mass of fire. The crash of falling
buildings, the roar of the fire, and the storm – which had become more
furious still – was awfully grand and fearful.
The fire from the
Police Barracks block (…. Post Office) now extended across High street
and caught the woodwork of Newell’s Inn, which was soon entirely in
a blaze; the fire thence spreading to the houses occupied by Mr Thompson
and Mr ??, carver and gilder, which fell before it. The newly erected
stables of the Auckland Hotel were soon burning. A valuable horse just
imported from England in the Bride, however, was led out in time.
Shortland Crescent
was now burning from the ‘Beehive’ (Keesing’s) to the Inn at the corner
of High-street. The most strenuous efforts were made to cut down Keesing’s
Inn so as to stop the fire reaching Mr McEwan’s and Messrs D
Nathan & Co’s. A large ladder was, with
difficulty,
at length raised against Mr McEwan’s and the hose of one of the Fire
Brigade engines fed up it to the roof; another engine played on Keesing’s
house, the upper part of which, at last, was hauled down into Shortland
street; and all made safe towards Nathan’s. Meanwhile the fire having
extended across Vulcan Lane, the houses of Somerville, shoemaker,
Clements, Robertson and Low were endangered. Here
Mr Forsaith and others worked hard, and well; Mr Kelley
mounted on the roof of a building, which was already almost cut away
below, and with an axe cut holes under the ridge, to affix ropes for
hauling down the mass. The wind favoured their exertions and the fire
was got under in the direction of Messrs Petschler’s & Low’s.
The only way to
stop the progress of the fire up Shortland-street now appeared to be
by the destruction of some of the houses in the line of the fire and
the ‘Bee Hive’ (Keesing’s) was selected. Captain King, RA, placed
a charge of powder against this house, which was ignited, partly destroyed
the house in the explosion – heard even to Onehunga. A hose was got
into the upper floor of Gibson and Mitchell’s store and though the window
frames facing the ‘Bee Hive’ and even the roof were at times on fire,
the place was saved and the conflagration arrested in the direction
of Upper Shortland-street.
Mr George, the baker’s
house was of brick and still stood amidst the fire, but at length the
heated roof caught and the place burnt fiercely, notwithstanding a copious
supply of water poured upon it. It burnt until daylight, when the back
wall along remained.
At the end of High-street,
between Keesing’s Inn and McEwan’s store, the heat was so great that
the men who held the hose had to be enveloped in blankets, and water
kept thrown over them to withstand the scorching of the flames behind
them. A bale of blankets from Nathan’s store was brought out by Messrs
Jervis and Stichbury, saturated for this purpose, some
being nailed over McEwan’s side window and others thrown over some burning
kauri gum in the yard – thus removing one great cause for further apprehension.
The fire was not arrested at all points but the space where it had raged
still burnt fiercely but the fire was low in cellars and among fallen
ruins and not likely to extend. Crashing chimneys, however, and the
occasional bursting up of the fire as it reached the woodwork of foundation
stones still maintained the fearful and exciting spectable, and when
day fairly broke a clear space existed from Shortland-street to the
Wesleyan Chapel, and from Fielding’s to Brown & Campbell’s
stone store. About 50 houses had been destroyed.
Around the fire,
and especially in Shortland-street, there must have been collected about
3000 persons but from want of due organization, their presence was in
a great measure useless. Assistance was given in many cases nobly and
most effectively; but either from selfish apathy or indecision, there
was much hanging back from exertion on the part of many stalwart civilians.
We heard Dr Pollen, Mr Merriman and others, themselves
working hard, appealing to a large number of men to assist in a bucket
chain gang but nearly all declined, some even asking for remuneration.
Mr Heaphy, one of the most active, made similar appeals to induce
these looker’s – on to reinforce a fire engine that was in a hot position,
but with very little avail.
While noticing,
as is our duty, this unhappy want of organization and zeal on the part
of so many content to remain mere spectators, we must give our mede
of praise to some who distinguished themselves.
Mr Asher
and the whole of the Fire Brigade.
Mer Derrom
was seen working everywhere where the fire was thickest and always usefully.
Mr Young
of HM Customs; Mr Ely; Mr Cadman; Mr Henderson;
Mr Coolahan; Mr Hansard, etc were conspicuous, working
effectively at the most threatened points. Mr Daldy and Mr Smart
saved the premises of Gibson and Mitchell and stopped the progress
of the fire in that direction.
Mr George Graham,
senior and junior, were most active and Mr McEwan, whose house
for a long time was in most imminent danger, worked hard in other directions
to arrest the fire.
Mr
Heaphy was hauling the hose up the high ladder against McEwan’s
store and afterwards removing the burning spirit casks from Keesing’s
public house. Mr John Graham worked manfully; and the Rev Mr
Lloyd, as at Mr W S Grahame’s fire, was conspicuous at
the most threatened points. We also noticed Messrs Moorhouse,
Olliver, Blakiston, Hall, Domett and other
Southern members, co-operating with great energy with Mr D'guan,
Mr Whitaker (Attorney General), Mr De Burgh Adams, Mr
Griffin, Mr Brennan, Mr Bain, etc, etc, etc.
The assistance of
the military and fire brigade was above all praise.
Two or three instances
of courage we must mention; Captain King, RA, whose services were employed
to blow up Mr Keesing’s house, was to be seen walking coolly in the
driving smoke and sparks, with a powder bag under his arm, to place
it in the most effective position for the explosion.
Mr Perkins
was very conspicuous and cool in the most dangerous places.
When the whole of
the lower part of Mr Keesing’s public house had been cut away and the
upper floor hanging only by its attachment to the next house and by
the roof which was burning. Lance Corporal Warren of the 58th
climbed into the bed room and affixed a chain in such a manner as enabled
a rope-gang to pull down the burning house which was threatening the
opposite building.
When Warren
was in the upper part of this house there was literally nothing under
the floor on which he was standing to support it and the house was expected
to crash each moment.
Col Wynyard,
the Superintendent (Mr Williamson), Mr Merriman and Dr
Pollen were at the fire from first to last, advising, directing
and animating the working parties; and
(might be continued)
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