A BLOCK DEVASTATED.

About two hours after midnight on Saturday on the anniversary of the date of the big burning in Flinders lane,  when Beath, Schiess, and Co.'s factory and other premises were destroyed began the biggest fire yet seen in Melbourne. It attacked the block bounded by Elizabeth street, Flinders street, Swanston street, and Flinders
lane. The Elizabeth street, Flinders street, and Flinders lane frontages all suffered; the Swanston-street frontage escaped. The block is one studded with tall buildings, some running through from frontage to frontage. The

lofty buildings caught the flames from each other, and the little buildings, which might otherwise have escaped,
suffered through their proximity to tall neighbours. One of the highest piles in the city Fink's buildings, at the corner of Elizabeth-street and Flinders street acted as a distributing centre. The wind, which was a little south of west, determined the general course of the fire, which began in Craig, Williamson, and Co.'s big pile, and worked eastwards from Elizabeth street. When the fire was at its full height an immense updraught of air was caused. This carried fragments of paper and cards high up into the atmosphere, whence they were borne eastwards to Richmond, Burnley, and Hawthorn, distances of three and four miles.

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The fire was first seen by Constable Cole man on duty in Elizabeth-street. He saw smoke issuing from Craig, Williamson, and Co.'s windows, and immediately sounded the fire alarm at the street corner. The story that follows is best told by Chief Officer Stein, of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade. 

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FIRST ALARM.
Asked to give a full statement of the fight, Mr. Stein began:—"We received the first call at 20 minutes past 2 a.m. from the fire alarm at the corner of Elizabeth and Flinders streets, which is connected with our No. 2 station, situated in Little Bourke street. That station gave the head station the alarm and immediately turned out, under the charge of Deputy O'Brien. They took with them a fire-cart and ladder. The man on the look-out tower at the head station, on the receipt of the news from No. 2 station, was at once asked to say what he saw. His first reply was that he could see nothing. Everything was got ready, however, and the next minute the look out man reported heavy volumes of smoke in the direction of Elizabeth street. The last words of his report had scarcely been uttered, when one of our hose carts and a steamer dashed out of the station. I was on the steamer, and we arrived at the scene of the fire exactly three minutes after the first alarm was given".

SCENE AT CRAIG'S.
"On reaching the spot I found Deputy O'Brien hard at work with two good streams playing on the flames, which were raging through the premises of Messrs. Craig, Williamson, and Thomas. I saw at a glance that
we were in for a big job, and I sent for all the available assistance of every description without delay. In answer to my orders the Carlton Brigade, with hose-cart and steamer; the South Melbourne Brigade, with hose-cart; the North Melbourne Brigade, with hose-cart; and the Hoddle street Brigade, quickly arrived. The last-named brigade was instructed to stand by the head station in readiness, but on their arrival they were told off to attend at the fire. "Deputy O'Brien tells me that his first glimpse of the fire was when he turned the corner of Elizabeth street from Bourke  street, about a minute and a half after the alarm. At that early stage, he says, the flames were coming out of the lower windows in huge rolling masses, and that before he had galloped to the warehouse, they were coming out of the windows as high up as the fourth floor. The heat was then so intense that his horses refused to pass down the street, in the centre, and it was necessary for him to take them over almost on the footpath on the opposite side. When I arrived myself the fire was issuing from all the front windows of the establishment on  the southern half of the building, and a heavy wind was blowing. As the fire had such a firm hold on this building the chief operations were centred on saving the adjoining premises towards Flinders street, Wise's furniture warehouse. With this end in view a fire ladder was erected, and a heavy stream of water was poured upon the advancing flames. Just at this point the Carlton Brigade with their apparatus appeared upon the scene, and I directed them to get to work on Fink's-buildings, at the
corner of Elizabeth and Flinders streets. This they did, bringing the water to bear on it from both Flinders lane and Elizabeth street. By this time two steamers were throwing a perfect deluge of water, as there was a fine pressure on the mains.

CHANGE OF ATTACK.
"It soon became evident to me that we had no chance whatever of doing anything with Craig, Williamson, and Thomas's pile, as the fire had even then eaten the heart out of it, and spread to Wise's. Except for a hose or two to cool it, we left what remained of the place to the flames, and tackled the building adjoining, together with Fink's buildings, which the Carlton Brigade had been playing on. I had not been on the ground more than ten minutes when I found that the top of Fink's buildings was on fire. The door was immediately burst open, and several men ordered to take possession of the different flats, and use the fire appliances, with which this building is well fitted. The men made a gallant and hasty rush to mount the stairs, when a portion of the roof came crashing through the floors above, Two firemen were injured, and they were all forced to beat a reluctant retreat. As this was taking place I received a message to the effect that the roof of the Mutual Store was burning. A rapid inspection verified the truth of the statement, the fire having got round from the back of Fink's buildings to the premises of the Palmer Tire Company, which was ablaze. More men were instructed to attend to these two new outbreaks, and I hurried back to the corner pile, only to find it was a roaring furnace. It was hopeless to attempt to stay the course of the fire here,  and the men were withdrawn and the place closed up to prevent draughts. News then reached me that the fire had made its way through to Flinders lane. Fresh batches of men were arriving, and being placed under the charge of competent officers, who directed their efforts.

OPERATIONS IN FLINDERS-STREET.
Only a few seconds elapsed between the intimation that the fire had worked through to the lane, when I
noticed that Messrs. Crawford, King, and Company's place was burning. This building was followed in marvellously quick time by the warehouse of Messrs. Sargood, Butler, Nichol, and Ewen. We were then be set on both sides of the Mutual Store by the fiercest flames I have seen in my life. I rushed into the Mutual Store to see how things were going, and left Deputy O'Brien in charge of Sargood's. The men had worked well in the Mutual Store, and the first attack had been repulsed. I was only in the store a few minutes, but when I returned to the open air I found that Sargood's place had been pretty well burned out. I was astounded at the rapidity with which it had been devoured. I am inclined to the belief that the whole place was cleaned out in less than a quarter of an hour. I then left Deputy O'Brien in full charge of the Flinders street front, and went round into Flinders lane to direct the operations being carried on there. I found there that the flames had come through, and were consuming part of Messrs. Sargood, Butler, Nichol, and Ewen's premises, facing the lane. There was a sharp north west wind blowing, and our efforts were turned to blocking the spread to Stevenson's on the one hand and Edgerton and Moore's, printers, on the other. The flames had also got through into the buildings fronting Flinders-lane, and lately occupied by Messrs. Detmold and Co. Despite our struggles the fire gradually extended from Sargood's to Edgerton and Moore's, and then into the building occupied by Messrs. Metcalfe and Barnard, importers. Next to this building are Monahan's buildings on the corner of Flinders
lane and Swanston-street, and after a long tussle we managed to force back the fire, although several times it got a hold on the corner and windows of Monahan's. The fire never got beyond Metcalfe and Barnard's in the buildings fronting Flinders lane towards Swanston street.

IN FLINDERS LANE.
Although the fire had been raging all round Stevenson's and Messrs. Brooks, M'Glashan, and M'Harg's, we had up till then preserved those premises intact, and we were in hopes of being able to save them. The right of ways, however, becoming blocked up with fallen roofs and walls in the early stages, our men were unable to get to work on the back parts of the flaming buildings, with the result that the heat soon ignited the warehouse of Messrs. Brooks, M'Glashan, and M'Harg. It almost instantly made its way into the back rooms of Stevenson's premises. The fearful heat from this burning pile set the window-frames in several of the warehouses on the other side of Flinders lane on fire. I was prepared for this, and an immediate application of water prevented much damage being done in this direction. By this time the fire was under control, and at about 20 minutes past 6—four hours after it was discovered—there was no more danger.

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PROBABLE BEGINNINGS.
"I have not the slightest theory as to the origin of the fire, but I firmly believe that it must have been burning in Messrs. Craig, Williamson, and Thomas's place from the time the place was closed up on Saturday at 1 o'clock, which would account for its sudden appearance at all the windows at once. In my opinion the cause of the rapid spread of the fire was the construction of the buildings. They could scarcely be better constructed for the spread of fire, put up as they are without a fire-break wall. Only very narrow rights-of-way run down to the rears, and it is almost impossible to get appliances to work effectually in these. Windows, unprotected with iron shutters or fire-proof apparatus of any kind, overlook these rights-of-way from adjoining buildings, and afford the best possible means for the fire to get from one place to another. The rights-of-way act, too, as immense flues, through which the flames are continually fanned. Yesterday the falling walls and roofs so completely blocked up the rights-of-way that work in them was most dangerous. Several of the firemen had most narrow escapes from being crushed to death in this way."

PROPHECY FULFILLED.
"I might mention that when the Mutual Stores were burned down in Flinders street on New Year's Day, 1891, I made the following statement in 'The Argus' in regard to this very block of buildings. I then said, 'Indeed, I might say that the whole of this block is one which the insurance companies are very careful about. The stocks are so enormous and valuable and the risk of fire so great. There is scarcely what we call a proper firebreak in the whole block—that is, a wall built up and finished in a parapet, without any windows or openings in it. A fire breaking out in Craig, Williamson, and Thomas's, in Elizabeth-street, might, if a strong wind were blowing, sweep the whole block right through to Swanston-street. There are one or two narrow rights-of-way and there are some high walls; but there is not one wall without some breaks in it through which the flames could easily make their way."

HOW SARGOOD'S IGNITED.
Much interest has been felt concerning the burning of the warehouse of Messrs. Sargood, Butler, Nichol, and Ewen, because of a reported remark of the chief officer of the Metropolitan Brigade, Mr. Stein, that it went suddenly, while he was attending to the Mutual Store. On this subject Mr.Stein says:-"The fire jumped round the back of the Mutual Store, and ignited Crawford's establishment. Despite all we could do Crawford's burnt rapidly. I was standing between Crawford's and the Mutual Store, directing the operations on both sides of me, and looking anxiously at Sargood's, wondering whether that would hold or not. Crawford's had almost burned, but Sargood's was still standing, apparently intact, when, becoming still more anxious, I had the door of Sargood's broken in, so that we might see whether the roof was right. Captain Lilley, who was assisting me, and a fireman ran up the staircase, and returned immediately, saying the fire had already got a hold of the
top. I sent O'Brien and a detachment of men to deal with the fresh outbreak, and saw they were doing all they could. When it was apparent that the front of the ware house would go, I arranged for the rear of it to be protected if possible, and then getting a call from the Mutual Store of another outbreak there I went in to see what could be done. All that could possibly be done for Sargood's was done, and my expression of astonishment was simply at the terrible rapidity at which the flames travelled. I was staggered when I came out from the Mutual Store, after having crushed the fresh outbreak, to find that Sargood's was reduced to ruins. As to the manner in which the building ignited, I can simply say that it must have caught on the roof from flying cinders. These were filling the air with a fiery shower, and some of them were as large as your hand. They found  a weak spot somewhere in the roof or in an upper window of the warehouse, and that is the way the fire commenced there."

THE LESSONS TO BE LEARNED.
"Many lessons are to be learned from this fire. The first is that no fire brigade that ever existed could overcome a fire when it had assumed such proportions as this one before great damage had been done. This was shown in the case of the Chicago fire, when the entire city was swept off the earth. There they had equipped themselves with a brigade costing something like £300,000 a year, and now felt tolerably safe, It was not to be expected that our brigade, costing only £27,000 a year, could cope with fires with the same effectiveness. Our appliances are excellent as far as they go, but we are somewhat undermanned when we have to deal with fire in the top of such buildings as those of Messrs. Craig, Williamson, and Thomas, and Fink's. The other lessons people will learn are ones I have tried to inculcate ever since I had charge of the fire brigade in this colony. They are briefly these, that such warehouses will have to be built to a limited height, that firebreaks will have to be erected, and that where windows overlook one another over rights-of-way they should be shuttered with iron shutters and fireproof frames.

HOW THE MUTUAL ESCAPED.
"The Mutual Store was saved simply be cause, being a modern building, it was constructed as far as possible  on fireproof principles. The rooms are made so that little or no draft can take place from the main building through the stairways and lift channels. The windows on the outer walls for the most part-are shuttered with an iron gauzework, on the principle of the Davy lamp. These answered exceedingly well in preventing the flames making their way through the windows into the building yesterday. There are several weak points in the building, however, and these the fire found out. Once the fire broke out in the lift doors on the first floor, besides a number of times on the roof. These outbreaks we were able to conquer before they spread to any dangerous, extent. Two packing-rooms at the side of the main building and a large signboard along the front endangered the premises. These buildings are fitted up with most elaborate fire appliances, but unfortunately when we got to them we found that there was no water in their pipes. Several officials of the store were present, and rendered us great assistance in getting to the windows. The fact that the Mutual Store,surrounded as it was for hours at a stretch with the fiercest flames, still stands proves to my mind that if the other warehouses in this block had been constructed on the same lines we should have been able to extinguish the fire before it had done one-tenth of the presentdamage.

 

STAFF EMPLOYED.
"We had in all at the fire 10 hose-carts, seven steamers, two ladder carriages, and about 191 men. Within half an hour after the alarm was rung we had about 130 men on the scene. The full length of the hoses we had in use was four and a half miles.The men had collected from all parts of Melbourne and the suburbs, in response to my call for all available assistance. They were under the charge, in addition to myself, of Superintendents Catt and Haydon, Deputy O'Brien, and Messrs. Mason and Loughridge. I was greatly assisted by Lieutenant Lilley. "At first the pressure on the mains was first-class, but after we had tapped the supply at so many places the pressure naturally became weaker, and at times we could scarcely get sufficient to keep our steamers going."

STATEMENT BY MR. CRAIG.
"I can throw no light on the origin of the fire," said Mr. W. J. Craig. "I left the Warehouse on Saturday about half-past 1 p.m., and the last of the employes to go would be the porters. They lock up about 3 o'clock. Since that time, so far as I know, there was no one in the building. From the time of the construction of the warehouse until two years ago two watchmen were engaged to look after it, and in order that they should be compelled to make their rounds regularly, tell-tale clocks were provided in various parts of the building. We were induced to part with the services of these men through the advice of some of the insurance companies that instead of watchmen, as a rule, being any means of safety they really formed an element of danger. The matter came to be discussed in consequence of an application for a reduction of our insurance rates, for we had taken every precaution, as we thought, to reduce the risk of fire in our warehouse to a minimum. The notion that our watchmen were of any use was completely tabooed, it being suggested that they might indulge in smoking, and so set fire to the building, and that it would be much safer without them. In the face of such advice from men with knowledge and experience in fire risks, we thought it would be foolish to longer retain the watchmen. As the result proves, we would have done much better in keeping them, for they were thoroughly reliable men, and neither smoked nor drank. In all probability they would have discovered the fire at an early stage, and this most disastrous conflagration would have been avoided. The building was supplied with the latest fire appliances, there being plugs throughout the building, with 16 fire hoses, as well as hand grenades. With such means at hand two men might have done all that was necessary to stop the progress of the fire."Our warehouse was a substantial one, built about seven years ago. It had a frontage of 80ft., and a depth of 120ft. The ground floor front was of polished granite from Harcourt, and the rest of the building was in brick. Besides the basement and ground floor there were six stories. The basement contained glass and earthenware goods, and was also used for packing operations. On the ground floor were the Manchester, clothing, and boot departments; on the first floor, dresses, silks, and fancy goods; on the second, mantles, millinery, and underclothing; on the third and fourth, furniture and carpets; and on the fifth, bed steads and opened reserve stock. The sixth floor was set apart for the workrooms. "The fire has occurred at a very awkward time for us, as large stocks of Christmas goods have been destroyed, and all our arrangements will be upset, with a busy season close on us. Of course, we intend to obtain temporary premises without delay, and we have our furniture factory in Little Collins street still available, but the almost total destruction of our stocks at such a period must mean a considerable sacrifice of our trade for the time being. We will, however, make the best of the situation. We have shipments of goods continually arriving, and must get the most suitable premises we can to carry on. About 300 hands were engaged in the warehouse. Besides our city ware house, we have branches at Ballarat and Bendigo. "Roughly speaking, I estimate our loss at £100,000, and I believe it will be fairly covered by our insurances."

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