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Early Wellington

The Beach Fire

The Beach Fire.

Towards one o'clock on the 9th November, 1842, Lloyd's bakehouse was found to be on fire. This house was situated about 400 yards on the Te Aro Flat side of Colonel Wakefield's residence. The fire commenced on acre No. 488, and ended at the public reserve adjoining section 483: from there it extended up Te Aro Flat, destroying a large number of houses on the beach. The last
Fig. 37—Te Aro Beach, South East Extremity of the Harbour, 1841. 1. George Duppa's House and Tent (Oriental); 2. Schooner Portenia; 3. Taranaki Pa (or Te Aro); 4. Barque Lady Nugent, near Rhode's Pier; 5. Capt. Daniells; 6. Commercial Inn; 7. Ridgway, Guyton and Earp.

Fig. 37—Te Aro Beach, South East Extremity of the Harbour, 1841. 1. George Duppa's House and Tent (Oriental); 2. Schooner Portenia; 3. Taranaki Pa (or Te Aro); 4. Barque Lady Nugent, near Rhode's Pier; 5. Capt. Daniells; 6. Commercial Inn; 7. Ridgway, Guyton and Earp.

house towards the Flat that was destroyed was Willis and Co's. The wind was from the north-west, and the fire spread with fearful rapidity, the pieces of blazing thatch flying along to other houses a hundred yards distant and igniting them immediately. Several houses were torn down to prevent the fire spreading. A large number of sailors from the shipping acted well in concert under their commanders—several houses were cut down and the thatch carried bodily into the sea.

Lloyds, Ross, Adams, Brown's hotel, Brady, Yonding, Castle, Miller's lodging-house, Dr. Grace's, Evans' Office, Harvey (wooden houses), “Keen-Copo-Nat” (Maori building), Young's hotel (wooden), Durie and Co., store, Hunter and Co., store, Willis and Co., store, and fifteen other houses were razed to the ground.

Besides the above destroyed by fire, many Maori houses were pulled down.

The damage was estimated at from £5,000 to £10,000 in house property, and £2,000 to £2,500 in goods. The only sufferers in the wholesale houses were Messrs. Rout and Willis and Co. Willis and Co.'s large wooden building at the page 113 other end of the harbour was uninsured.

Out of the ashes of the raupo thatch, sprang substantial brick and wooden stores and taverns, with slate or shingle roofs, and heaps of melted glass and other rubbish were cleared away from the site of one of the merchant's stores, to make room for the foundations of the Scotch church. Within two or three months, this part of the beach was more thickly populated than before, and no vestige of the fire remained.

Some of the Natives had joined in the subscription for the sufferers, and others offered their services to rebuild houses without payment. They had been exceedingly active in their exertions on the night of the fire; grateful, no doubt, for the like exertions of a body of settlers which had saved the greater part of the Te Aro Pa from destruction in the same way some months before. It is recorded that the outer fence of their Pa was carried out fifty yards beyond where it had formerly stood, instead of agreeing to Colonel Wakefield's renewed instances that they should quit the location for their own reserves. The natives of the Pipitea Pa soon after followed this example, apparently aware that the Governor's restrictions as to the alienation of their occupied land had not defined any limits.