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SIX HOUSES ON FIRE. SUPPOSED INCENDIARISM AT BARRY DOCK. A sensation was caused at Barry Docks on Saturday night by the circulation of a report that the notorious Gueret-street—the "Tiger Bay" of the Barry district—situated in the centre of the most populous part of the district, was 011 fire. The alarm of the outbreak, was raised about nine o'clock, and in a few minutes the entire local staff of police, about eighteen in number, under the charge of Sergeants W. Brown and H. Evans, were on the spot with the limited public appliances available for deal- ing with outbreaks of fire. The police found that the fire originated in the back portion, of an untenanted house in Gueret-street, belong. ing to Mr. Henry Adams, a Cardiff gentleman, and an abundant supply of water was played upon the conflagration, which was rapidly sprwdiiv to the adjoining houses. The po!io* have a suspicion taat the fire had been delibe- rately planned, and, from inquiries, they arrested three youths and placed them in custody 011 suspicion of having set the property on fire. Meanwhile the most active efforts were being put forward, under the personal supervision ot Mr. Superintendent Giddings, to curtail the progress of the flames, but for some time they were unsuccessful owing to the miserably inefficient character of their appliances, and fears were entertained lest the whole street would be burned to the ground. Notwithstand- ing the plucky exertions of the police and many helpers, by ten o'clock six of the houses on the upper side of the street were in a. blaze. Facility was offered to the spreading of the fire from one house to another owing to the fact that the parting wall separating the tene- ments in the streets only reached to the eaves, so that there was nothing to prevent the flames travelling along the "crease" between the upper ceiling and the ridge. In this way five of the houses were enveloped in flames, and the fire would have spread further had not the police, with much preaenoe of mind. unroofed an adjoining house to prevent further progress, and by midnight the am- flagration was completely got under. As flames spread from house to house, howww, exciting scenes were witnessed, several famffies in the vicinity hurriedly clearing the furni- ture out of their houses and seeking Nfw«8 overnight in empty houses on the opposite side of the street. Difficulty was also expe- rienced in shutting off the water at the stand* pipe after the fire, and for some time a power- ful volume of water burst upwards to a height of 15ft. or 20ft., and the street became almost flooded. At length a waterman arrived on the scene, and the water was diverted at the main junction. INTERVIEW WITH A RESIDENT. Our reporter had an interview at midnight on Saturday with Mr. Charles Hardy, of 21, Gueret-street, who gave a. thrilling account of the hazardous experiences of his wife and family during the evening. "I was not at home," he said, "when the fire broke out, bub my wife sent for me when she saw that our house—next door but one to the hcuse in whiob the fire originated—was in danger. I came home, and we had to clear out at once. We got the children out of bed, and carried them to an empty house opposite. I then got mil- tance. and we removed the furniture out of the house just in time to save it from beinc destroyed. Had the fire occurred after mid- night I don't know what would have hap- pened, but eome lives would surely have beezt lost, as the flames spread so rapidly." THE ESTIMATED DAMAGE. Hundreds of persons visited ruins in Gueret-strtot on Sunday. Four of the houses are completely gutted, and tJae roof of two others were partially stripped in order to intercept thie ravages of the deetrva* tive element. Fortunately, the weather ww perfectly calm on Saturday night, otherwim the entire block of about twenty houses would* without doubt, have been destroyed. damage done is estimated at about £1, but whether the loss is covered by insurance or not we do not know. Up till Sunday afternoon Mr. Adams, the owner, had noli visited Barry Dock. The police have not yet obtained sufficient evidence to juåify their preferring changes of incendiarism, sait three youths who were detained on Saturday, night on suspicion have since been liberated. The polioe complain very much of the delay and inconvenience they experienced on Satur- day night in dealing with the hose owing tn the want of a, reel.

DEATHS EXCEED BIRTHS.

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DEATHS EXCEED BIRTHS. A HEAVY MORTALITY AT CARDIFF. Although the weather last week was com- paratively mild, the severity of the previous preceding week, while the birth-rate was 32'8. Of the number of deaths registered. Last week the number was 104, compared with 94 in tha preceding seven days, whereas the births were only 98—41 males and 57 females. The deatk- rate reached the alarming figure of 34 5 pw 1,000 per annum, compared with 3153 in the preceding week, while the birth rate w&il32 ,8. Of the deaths 45 were males and 59 females, classi- fied as to age as follows:—Under one year, 21; over one and under 66, 52; 60 years and wp" wards, 31. The only satisfactory feature in the return is the faot that the dea hs from zymotio diseases only yielded 2 per 1,000 per annum. The principal causes for the increased mortality were bronchitis, pneumonia, and influenza, the last disease accounting for nine victims. TWO influence of the weather on elderly people in shown in the fact that 31 persons over bO yean of age died in the short period of seven days, and the ii-fantile mortality ie also heavy. At th,3 same time, there are 52 deaths—about ilia normal total—between the ages of one and 60..

Welsh Newspapers

Evening Express

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