THE FIRE IN CUSTOMS STREET.
Mr Connor, whose boarding-house in Customs-street East was gutted by fire early yesterday morning, complains of the tardiness of the Fire Brigade in reaching the scene of the fire. He says that the firemen were much later than they ought to have been, and that it they had been up to time there would have been no destruction of property. The brigade waa rather late in reaching the fire, bub the delay is attri buted by Superintendent Hughes to the person who gave the alarm of fire ringing up the Central Telephone Bureau, instead of telephoning direct to the Fire Brigade Station. , One of the boarders at Connor's, Harry Kerakoose. sustained some injury while en deavouring to escape' from the burn ing building. He got out of his room window afi\,the;, back of■ tthe- house on top of the kitchen, attired only in his shirt. The roof was too hot, however, for safety, and he climbed up on Gunson's roof adjoining, and fell right tkrough the skylight on those premises. He was somewhat badly cub. Some correspondence has passed between the Town Clerk and the Superintendent of the Fire Brigade regarding the delay of the brigade in burning up at the fire. Supt. Hughes says that the delay was unavoid able, and that if news of the fire had only been sent direct to the brigade station some of the men would have been on the spot at once.
H.M.S. GOLDFINCH.
