Pictured: unknown man, James Ryan, William Ryan (child), Catherine Ryan, Frances McGrath (married Thomas Hughes) holding baby John Ryan.Source: Kate Ryan
Next to Witton & Co., licensee James Ryan. The Wesleyan Church can be seen in the background, and on the left of the building is a pile of charred wood. This is the remains of Maurice Ashers' Store and Clifford's Brewery which were burnt down just before the photo was taken. The man left, with his hands in his pockets, is in several other hotel photos.
Source: Information supplied by Baldwin & Davis, Research Gulgong (Sept 2006)Mr. Ryan, late landlord of the Shamrock Hotel, who is now having the building transformed into a hotel to be know as Ryan’s Hotel.
Source: Gulgong Guardian, Issue No 31, 16 September 1871
1872 - GULGONG.
1872 - FIRE AT GULGONG.
1872 - TELEGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE - (FROM OUR CORRESPONDENTS.)
GULGONG. Saturday, 7.14 p.m.
A store, owned by Mr. Asher, was totally destroyed by fire this evening. The loss amounts to £2500. Clifford's Sydney Brewery had to be razed to save Ryan's public-house. There was no wind at the time of the fire. Great exertions were used to stop the progress of the fire, and they were successful.
1872 - GULGONG.
There is nothing very strange to report this week, if I may except a fire which occurred on Saturday night, which fortunately resulted in doing no more damage to the town than the destruction of the store in which it originated. The scene of the conflagration was Mr. Asher's general store, in Herbert Street. There are various rumors afloat as to the origin of the fire.
The most authentic is, that shortly after the lamps had been lit, one of them flared up more than usual, and, on lowering it, the lamp burst on the counter, whereupon one of the men threw a blanket on the burning kerosene, which immediately got in contact with the drapery, and in a few moments the store was in flames. The greatest confusion prevailed, as the store was known to contain large quantities of both powder and kerosene oil. The people came rushing from all directions, and, in a very short time, that part of the street was blocked up.
There were great fears entertained at first lest the fire should extend all over the town; and no-doubt, if there had been the slightest breeze of wind, the principal part of Gulgong would, in a short time, have been in ashes. Ryan's hotel, adjoining Asher's, had a narrow escape; and, calm as the night was, had it taken fire, nothing could have saved that block.
Too much credit cannot be given to the men who exerted themselves so well in the saving of Ryan's house, when it will be remembered that there was not a cask of water at hand at the time; and so the men, had to rush from house to house with buckets, and get water wherever they saw any, while others got on the roof and kept pouring the water on to keep it damp. It is said that Mr. Asher is insured to some extent, but not sufficient to cover his loss, as he got in a large stock a few days ago, very little of which was saved.
From a letter to the S. M. Herald we take the following account of the late fire at Gulgong. — At a little before seven o'clock this evening an alarm of fire was raised in Herbert street, and it soon became evident that Asher's general store was on fire. The great want of water struck with appalling force upon the senses, for if the flames gained any ascendancy the greater portion of the town, built as it is of such fragile materials, would have been jeopardised. Fortunately there was no wind, and, as everybody felt it
to be his interest to cheek the fire, there was a much larger quantity of water provided than could have been expected. On the lower side of the store stood the Treble X Brewery, a small building built principally of bark, and it was in a very few, minutes levelled to the ground, thus cutting off communication in that direction. On the other side was a small gap, dividing the burning building from Moses's store, "The Wonder of the World," and by means of blankets, saturated with water, it was saved. In less than ten minutes from the alarm of fire, the flames had such a hold that extinguishing them was out of the question, and in less than half an hour from the outbreak the store and its contents, stated to be worth about £3000, were a pile of ashes. The excitement has been so intense that it has been
impossible to ascertain, accurately, whether either the building or the stock was insured, but it is said that the latter was about half covered. The fire was caused by a too common accident, the bursting of a kerosene lamp; but it would have been easily extinguished by means of a blanket thrown on it by Mr. Asher, jun., had not some one, with injudicious zeal, thrown a quantity of water upon the flames, and so spread the oil bearing them all over the place.
