Club. The forenoon was fine, the doctor's family had gone to church, himself pottering somewhere about, the cook was getting the Sabbath dinner under weigh, and a housemaid engaged dusting up. A fire was in the drawing-room, where the doctor's dressing-gown was getting aired, when a sudden gust of wind blew the tail of the garment into the flame, and there was an instantaneous flare-up. T h e issue of smoke from the room was thefirstindication the inmates had of the accident, and the culinary helpflewoff to hunt up the master, and tell him what had happened. T h e doctor took it very coolly, and on re-entering the house, instead of giving an alarm, or making any attempt to extinguish the flames, though part of the room was in a blaze, turned himself to get together articles of special value in the way of plate, ornaments or nic-nacks, which he packed into a case, and with the aid of the servants removed them into the yard out of harm's way. T h e fire had n o w itsfling,and as the materials of which the place was constructed were thoroughly seasoned, half covered with tarpaulins, and paper-lined, they burned freely, and before any assistance could be rendered were a heap of charcoal. " Cumberland Cottage," a weather-board residence close by, shared the same fate. T h e two places were so rapidly consumed that there was not time for any possible help to be available. It was about eleven o'clock; the churches were deserted, and the ministers preached to empty benches. Anything like even an attempt to aid was useless, and the multitude had only to look on. Just eastward of Dr. Clutterbuck's was a newly erected building of two stories, into which it was the doctor's intention to remove, and with that view, only on the day before he had some pictures, books, piano, sofa, chairs, & c , transferred there. It was thought that they were out of harm's reach, but thefirecaught hold of some wood-work, and jumping to the shingled roof of the other house was soon like a bailiff going down a chimney, in possession. T h e place was fastened up and the police (with the military now present) burst open the front door in order to save the valuables therein. T h e piano, pictures and books were saved, but the latter were so crisped by the heat as to be unreadable. At noon the floor of this building fell in with such a crash, as in the language of an old newspaper " made the assembled crowd believe a cannon had been fired." In the doctor's timber mansion, there was a brick cellar tolerablyfire-proof,and which he always kept well-stocked. It escaped the clutches of thefire,but not the cupidity of the m o b by w h o m it was discovered and sacked of its contents. A scene of dissipation followed, for, plus the disorganized efforts to extinguish the flames, the behaviour of a horde of intoxicated ruffians, w h o acted like a troop of infuriated demons—begrimed with dust and s m o k e — w a s disgraceful in the extreme. T h e doctor's drinkables were all carried away, and distributed through the town, the result of which was manifested by the incessant drunken rows indulged in in the streets until late that night, in which not only men, but w o m e n and boys engaged, and were pulled promiscuously out of the channels by the police. T h e next day a "plant" of the stolen liquor was "sprung" from one of the several large gullies then abounding in the now fascinating Fitzroy gardens. T h e building where thefirecommenced was insured for .£500, and the doctor's furniture for ,£500 more, but as a good deal of the latter had been removed to the two-storied house, and consequently not covered by the policy, not a sixth of the amount could be claimed. The wearing apparel of Dr. Clutterbuck and bis family was destroyed, and the doctor was reduced to such straits that he had to borrow a coat and belltopper to complete his professional rig-out for the remainder of the Sabbath, His loss was estimated at £1000.
Destructive Fire in Collins Street West.
Exactly a fortnight after (16th October), and on a Sunday, too, but at night, and at the other end of Collins Street, occurred the most destructive fire witnessed in Old Melbourne. Mr. A. H . Hart occupied premises opposite the Bank of Australasia, and carried on business as a linen-draper in what was known as "Commercial House." About n p.m., a shopman on the premises perceiving that the place was on fire hastened to inform his employer, w h o had retired for the night, and when the front door was burst open, the flames broke out furiously, and the whole establishment was in a blaze. Shopkeepers, in those times usually resided under the same roof as their shops, and, consequently, in this case, several of the inmates had to fly half-naked into the street, and a second shopman and a lad—nephew of the proprietor, w h o slept in a room adjoining the shop—were with difficulty rescued. T h e alarm of fire
