From the start of the first race till Maider’s dashing finish in the Challenge Cup there was not a dull moment. Looking on the speeding machines, surely the most advanced product of man’s ingenuity, it seemed hard to believe that only little more than half a century had elapsed since the first white settlers in the province had landed within a mile of this same spot.
The beach is a perfect natural speedway, wide and hard surfaced, with only one fault — its length which, between the flags, is a bare mile and one-tenth, thus giving a full lap of two miles 16 chains with one turn. Nevertheless, even this cloud had its silver lining, as it was the means of the spectators being treated to some thrilling cornering round the home flag.
Bad sign
The fusing of electric wires attached to an illuminated sign in the New Zealand Secondary Industries Pavilion of the Exhibition caused a fire at 8.40pm on Saturday evening that destroyed a large display stand, damaged an adjoining stall, and for a time threatened the big building. The stand is the property of the New Zealand Clothing Factory, displaying men’s and boy’s suiting on several wax figures.
The fire was first noticed by two young ladies. The lights fused suddenly and flames leaped from the interior of the box, quickly spreading round the walls of the stand and towards the highly inflammable materials that were on show.
Many hundreds of people were in the pavilion, the hour being the busiest of the evening, and the alarm was given by a bystander from one of the 18 alarm boxes in the Exhibition grounds. The fire motor and crew stationed near the main gates dashed up the Grand Court to the main entrance of the Industries Pavilion, and from the hydrant there a lead was taken to the seat of the outbreak. The grave danger of fire in one of the largest and most inflammable sections of the Exhibition was immediately realised, and Superintendent Napier took no chances. Two motors from the city were called out and sped down the Main Highway to Logan Park. Only a few moments after the fire was discovered the flames reached the large wax figures of men and boys and the life-size model of a horse in the display. These quickly melted, and the interior blazed fiercely. After a short delay one lead was brought to play, and this was sufficient to quell the outbreak.
The danger of the outbreak was very great, said Superintendent Napier. The New Zealand Secondary Industries Pavilion contains many highly inflammable sections, and grave danger was averted by the presence of the fire motor in the Exhibition and the speed at which it was able to reach the scene.
Owing to the light construction of the stand the firemen worked under unusual difficulties, one falling through the ceiling of the writing room while dealing with the fire from the top.
There was also danger of the plate glass windows breaking and permitting the spread of the flames, but fortunately these held and confined the fire to the interior. — ODT, 22.3.1926
