The First Fire at a Foundry.
The earliest foundry in Melbourne was that of the Messrs. Langlands, in Flinders Street, the members of which firm were much esteemed for their respectability and enterprise. If public opinion could have anything to say on the question, this foundry would most certainly have been spared the casualty about to be described, but elemental or other accidents care little for the consequences they so often entail on the culpable or blameless alike. This property was therefore to be no exception to the inevitable, and accordingly afirebroke out there early on the morning of the 21st November, 1850; and the first notification of the event was the booming of the bell of the Cathedral Church of St. James. The military and police, thefire-brigadeand its engine, and the sailors from the shipping 'along the wharf, brought valuable assistance. There was great difficulty in keeping order, and no less in protecting the property from pillage. There were then twofire-enginesin town, both of which were plied with good effect, and were specially serviceable in saving several valuable stores. In a house some dozen yards from the foundry, it was known that a large quantity of gunpowder (some said twelve tons) was stored. This was, therefore, the object of special attention from the aquarians ; it was kept in a continuous state of drench, and so passed through the ordeal unexploded. Luckily there was within the grounds, a well copiously supplied with water, and this was a very welcome and needed auxiliary to the Yarra pumps. During the proceedings a 2olb. cask of gunpowder blew up, without injuring anyone. Several thousand persons congregated on the open area about Batman's Hill, including more half-dressed women than ever appeared together in the open air in Melbourne before or since. The foundry was a good deal injured, as also a couple of the premises in proximity. The Messrs. Langlands were insured for .£400 in the local company, and lost about as much more ; Captain Cole was injured to the extent of some ,£500, and Mr. Graves, a sailmaker, ^250, neither being insured. The origin of thefirecould not be ascertained.
The Last Old Fire.
Though last, not the least, in this fire summary, was one that occurred at 2 a.m. on the 21st April, 1851, at the south side of Bourke Street, and not many yards from its junction with Elizabeth Street. There was a smart-looking one-storied hotel named The Saracen's Head, doing a good business there, and next to it was the grocery shop of a Mr. Ferris. This place was infested with rats, and some of these marauding vagabonds in a nocturnal foray were supposed to have capsized a case of matches, and the friction causing ignition, the shop was soon in flames, communicating rapidly with a wine store adjoining kept by a Mr. Matthews. Thefire-brigade,police and military were quickly in attendance. There were twofire-engines,one belonging to the Victoria Insurance Company, and the other to the Cornwall, but the latter was too tardy in arriving to be of any use. Thefirstengine worked with much effect, but as in other similar mishaps, so in this, all efforts were mainly directed to prevent the spread of the devastation, for if it caught hold of the corner of Elizabeth Street, it was feared that the valuable range of buildings thence to Little Collins Street would go down before it. As usual, several of the citizens were conspicuous for services rendered, and foremost among them were the Mayor (Mr. W m . Nicholson), Messrs. E. Wilson (of the Argus), George Hull, J. O'Shanassy, Rody Heffernan, and James Barry. The two foremen of thefire-brigade(Dalton and O'Reilly) were most indefatigable, and the lastnamed was seriously injured in an arm. T w o houses were destroyed, and two more gutted in order to check the burning, whilst seven families were sent adrift on the streets—viz, Ferris, Mathews, Russell, Davenport, Fidler, Gorman, and Duffin, the last-named being partially insured. There was a great scarcity of water m the Yarra, the consequence of a protracted drought; the Water Company's tanks were empty, and the water-carters and Yarra pumps did not pull well together. Fortunately the night was almost windless, and in the midst of the struggling against the conflagration, an unexpected fall of rain came on, which was better than a legion offire-brigades,at least such as were equipped like thefirstcorps of that name
