INQUEST ON BAYLEY'S HOTEL.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 645, 19 September 1882, Page 2

INQUEST ON BAYLEY'S HOTEL.

This inquest was hold before J. Aylmer, Esq., Coroner, on Frith;.v. Mr W. B. Tosswill was chosen foreman of the jury.

The following evidence was taken : —

Itobert Bayley, sworn, said : I am licensoe of Waeckerle's Hotel. I remember tbe late fire. The fire occurred in

Waeckerle's Hotel between 2 an.l 3 o'e'oek

on the morning of August 28. I retired about half-past ten that night. Tho only lodger was Henry Dench, of Port Chalmers. Mr Dench had been stopping in the bouse about a fortnight before the fire. I left the doors and windows securely fastened with bolts and locks. The doors were all locked. All tbe windows downstairs were fixtures; except tbe office window in the front, and parlor window in the back. These were French casements. My own bedroom window opens aiso. A person could not get from my office to the stoieroom. There is no door leading from tbe office to tho siorcroom. A person would have to cut their way through the petition between the rooms to &et there There is no communication from the back parlor to the storeroom. There was a double framed window—a French casement —containing 12 panes of glass, lOin by 12in in the stoieroom. That window was fastened by being nailed up on the inside, and theie was a bar 2in by lin outside the lower pane. Any person would have to bieak the sash to get in from the outside. The only door from tbe inside was one leading to tbe taproom, That door was l fastened by lock and key on the evening of the fire. Tlie key of that door I kept on a table in the kitchen, because tho same key locks the outside kitchen door, The kitchen referred to is situated in a cottage | attached "to the main building, It is in a I straight lino with my bedroom. There is only one door between my bedroom and the kitchen. There is one room between my bedroom and the kitchen. It is the dining room. I do not think it possible for a person to enter the house and go into the kitchen and lake the key of tlie storeroom without being heard by me. My bedroom is at the north end of the building, and tho storeroom on tbe extreme south end. I was called between 2 and 3 a.m. on August 28 by Henry Dench. I cannot fix the exact time. Mr Dench was an invalid. He told me the place was full of smoke. Dench wsa then fully dressed. He had his trousers, coat, shoes, and hat on, and his night shirt in his hand. He went to call his neice, who lived next door but one, saying as ho went, be could be no use to me as he had a dislocated wrist. Dench occupied bedroom No. 3 upstairs, and mine was downstairs. I opened the back kitchen door leading to the verandah, and went out. I had to unlock the door to get out. Dench went out by the back stair door. There were three doors at tbe back. The back stair door was also locked, for Dench called me to open it. The key was kept in the lock inside. Wnen I rushed out of tlie back kitchen door I was for running to the south end of the building till I met Dench. He said, " My God Bay ley the place is on fire." On going round [opened tbe back gate, and saw flames issuing from the storeroom window. I was followed by Mrs Bayley, who handed me a bucket of water. I could see at once the flames had got too firm a hold to be put out. I called for help, and Mrs Bayley rustled to Mr Halm's, and t to the Chinamen and Mr Waeckerle's. 1 then went and put my troupers on, and saved the things in the bedroom. While I was doing so, help arrived. The first mm I heard was Constable Scott, with Martin Daly. Scuit smashed in the door. More people kept coining, and we all set to work to .save as much of tlie furniture and stock as we could. The value of tlie furniture anil stock save! was calculated by the insurance agent to be £130. .At the time I saw the fire in the storeroom'l alone, without assistance of any sort, could not have extinguished it. The weatherboards on the outside of the storeroom were not on fire, except a rush of flame coming out of the window, as if it had been lighted inside. There was no fire outside. There is no space underneath the building, which has a brick foundation. There was a fireplace in the storeroom, but there has never been a fire in it for the last eighty ars. The cellar is exactly underneath the storeroom. There was a fireplace in the office, but no fire has been lighted there for four years. The chimney has three flues. The fl ones appeared to be those of spirits. There tveie live quarter-casks in the store on tho night of the lire, containing port, sherry, brandy,' rum, and whisky. One was quite full—the whisky cask —the others wait} lialf full, on an average. Tnere were 25 to 30 dozen of rhubarb wine, also 4 cases of flasks of whisky and brandy, a case of champagne, 6 cases of bottled whisky, Irish and Scotch, 4 cases of bottled brandy, and about 50 dozens of bottled ale and porter. There were aiso two cases of mustard in tins, a case of washing powder and suda. a jar of tartaric acid, a cwt ot carbonate of soda, and aSgross of wax matches (small vestas) There were a dozen brass and a dozen wooden taps, one set each of lady's an.l gentleman's saddlery, complete, and two kegs of nails, halt empty. Iv the cellar there were six whole hogsheads of ale, and one on tap, and a hogshead of vinegar. In the bar there were four large cases of gin, unpacked, and about three cases on the shelves, 'there were also four or five cases of brandy exposed for sale on the shelves, about the same quantity of whisky, and about one case of ruin ; also three kegs of spirits, about sgal. each, 10 dozen bottled ale and porter, and six dozen of tumblers. The bar was about 14ft by 10ft. There were about four rows of shelves, 12i't long. Tlie shelves were from Sin to Sin wide. I value my stock at about £250 ; my furniture, bedding, and bed furniture at £900 ; range and cooking utensils, £24. I es:i mate my total loss at £1400. The building was estimated as worth £800 by tho insurance agent. My gros* losses beyond insurances are about £1400. I was restless that night, having slept in the afternoon. I ,vas rousing Mrs Bayley when Mr was calling me. I hoard a muffled sort of noise about ten minutes before I was called. I cannot say where the noise came from. The noise midit have been caused by 25 empty sgal. kegs which were on shelves of half-inch boards in the storeroom, falling, thiough the fire burning the shelves. When 1 first saw the fire it was strong enough to have burnt tlie shelves on which the kegs were placed. I should not think the fire had been burning more than a quarter of an hour when 1 first saw it. There was nothii! i,r in the storeroom to cause the fire of itself. The matches wero un the mantelpiece, and there was no rubbish on it. I believe the fire was lit in the storeroom through the window, by a person or persona outside. 1 noticed the sash and frame of the storeroom window were burnt through when I saw it first. The hotel proper was about 72ft by 16ft. This part has been erected about 22 years. There was a six-, roomed cottage, 28ft by 28ft, at the N.E of the main building. That part has only been erected two years. There were 28 rooms in the house altogether. I was insured for £600 (£4OO on the building and

t'2oo on the furniture and sto< k) in tho Liverpool and London and Globe. I produce policy and receipt for premium for the current year. Some weeks before the i\re I did not ask any one for an estimate of a new brick or wooden building. I did after the fire. I have no suspicion of any person, except of persons mentioned in a private conversation with the police. I know nothing further about the fire.

By Jury: The storeroom window faces south. A lire could have been easily lighted inside by breaking a window. I believe that the fi/e was laid in the store from the outside, and lighted from the out-ide.

By Coroner : Dench's niece lived by herself in a house of mine, next but one to tbe hotel. Up to nine o'clock Dench spent his evening with bis niece, and retired to rest at 10.30 p.m. that night. There were no quarrels between Dench and his niece, to my knowledge. I lost all my books and papers in the fire. My insurance policy was in mv bedroom.

Clnistiau Jacob Waeckerle, sworn, said : I reside next to tbe hotel. I remember the morning of the fire. I was called, but I never went over the creek that night to the fire. My cottage is 10 or 12 yards off tbe hotel, on the same side of the street across the creek. It is now occupied i>y Mr Bayley as a temporary bar. My d mghtor, Mrs Bayley, called me a little after 2 a.m. I put my trousers on and ran out. I called out to save the cottages as I was sure tbe hotel could not be saved. Mr Bayley owns the cottages which are at tho south end of the building, detached. I remained at home to take care of tbe furniture brought in from the hotel. Besides, I knew that my left band was bad with rheumatism, so I could not help. I le'fc tbe hotel before eight the previous night, and was in bed by eight. I saw no stranger about the hotel the whole of tint day. The building was worth from £900 to £1000.

Frances Palmer, sworn, said : I occupy a cottage close to tbe hotel that was burnt on August 23th. I woke that morning through Mrs Bay ley's calling. I do not know the time. I got up and looked out of the door and found the south end facing me on fire. Mr Henry Dench, of Port Chalmers, is my uncle. He came to the house shortly after Mrs Bayley called me, about a quarter of an hour. He was not fully dressed when he came. He was ill at the time, suffering from rheumatism and a dislooated wrist. He boarded with mo and slept nt the holel. I expect him to return to Akaroa shortly. I know and have heard nothing as to the cause of tne fire and suspect no one.

Caroline Bayley, wife of Robert Bayley, of Akaroa, sworn, said : I remember the morning of August 28th. I was awoke between 2 and 2.30 a.m. by Mr Dench calling out upstairs. Ido not know what he said, but as soon as I heard him I jumped out of bed, ran to the back door, and saw smoke and flames issuing from tbe storeroom. I filled a bucket of water and hauled it to Mr Bayley. There was a large fire, an 1 tbe flames were soon after at the roof. I then ran to tlie neighbors'and called fire, after which I ran back and took out the child. The fireplaces in tbe office, storeroom, and taproom all lead into one chimney. A lire hal been ligited v\ the tmroniii. on the Saturday nij-Jit before. The fiie in the •aprooin was put nut by myself v ith a bucket of water at ten o'cio-k on the Satutda}' night before the fire. T.icro wis no fire there afterwards. The fireplace and hearth of tbe chimney in the taproom were in goo 1 repair. Tin window of the storeroom was burning wh?n I first snw tlie lire, ami the whole einl of the building. Tbe Hunes were issuing from the roof On my return from Halm's, the weatherboardson the outside were burning. Mr Deii'di wis dressed when first I saw him. with his co-it on and night dress under bis arm. Mr Dench was a perfectly respectable, sober man Tue only way in which I can think the fire occurred is, that a pane of glass was broken from tbe outside in the storeroom window, and a fire started r>y some means inside. We are on good terms with our neighbors. I do not suspect any one in particular Mr Biyley and myself went last to bed tint night at twenty minutes past ten o'clock.

By Coroner: The chimneys were in good repair. There'was wood on the outside of the chimney, to protect it from the weather. There was only a smill fire in the taproom fireplace on the Saturday before the fire. There were no rats ahonfthe fireplace.

Christi in Jacob Waeckerle' recallel byCoroner sail :' I'lie main shaft of the chim noy referred to was built 22 years, -ago. The two smaller flues leading into it from tho store and office were added about 11 years ago. The main chimn-y was built of bricks and day. The chimney is only one brick thick on the upper part. I put wood on the top part to save them from the weather. There wero no chinks between the bricks, and I never saw tbe woodwork, bl tokened with smoke.

By police : There were from Bft to 10ft of the chimney cased in wood. I never knew the chimney to be on fire, or saw holes in the fireplace or hearth. There is a space between the brickwork and wooden casing of the chimney of two inches on three sides.

Patrick Magniro, sworn, said : I am a laborer. I remember the fire at Waeckerlo's Hotel. I was living in one of Mr Bayley's cottages, about a chain from tbe hotel, on the south side. 1 went to bed about 8 that night. I am married and have a family. All the family went to bod at the same time. I am sure all the family were in bed about 8 to 9.30 p.m. that night. When I was called by my wife, she said our own house is on fire. I put on my trousers and went on the road. There was no one Jiout the fire at that time. I had bare feet. The sparks were blowing into my doo r and I went back to close the door. The south end of the building was in flames. There was no one about, but a noise in Mr Halm's. If there had been any one about I should have seen them. I was about 11 yards from the part of the building on fire. I only stopped a second on the road, and returned to my own placo and shut the door. I was about a quarter of an hour in the house getting the children and furniture out and putting my boots on. I then went and helped to keep the cottages from catching fire. I laced my boots. [ Tbe Coroner: " Well, you are the coolest hand at a fire I ever heard of. Put that down, it's a curiosity ; put it down, Mr Jacobson."] I did not think of giving the aiarm of fire when I saw it blazing within 11 yards, though I knew there were people there. I thought I had enough to do to look after myself. (Laughter,) I am on the best of terms with Mr Bayley, and always was. I am sure I was not out of the house from the time I wont to bed till my wife calle I

me to the fire. lam positive I had no coat on when I went first to see tbe fire. I brought the fiirm'tiuodown into the kitchen, and left it there to remove if there were any danger. I was not at Waeckerle's Hotel tbe night before the fire, or on tbe Sunday at all. The flames were coming through the weatherboards and shingles when I first saw them. I suspect no one. By jury : If the building had been fired from tbe chimney cashg I do not think it would have looked as it did. (Mr LaCoste said that when be went to tbe fire the wood casing was not alight.)

Edward Leprou, sworn, said : I remember the night of the 27ih of August. There was no Btranger in my bouse that night. A young man named Bryant wis not there. A young mtn named Bryant slept that night in a cottage 60ft from mine. From ten that night till three on the morning of the 28th I never left my bed. Mr West Chamberlain called me that morning, and told me about the fires at half past six. Mrs Williams did not stop at my house on that Sunday night, but did on Monday night. If I knew who did it I should tell to get the £500 reward.

The jury, after a short retirement, re turned the following verdict:—'' That some person or persons unknown did wilfully and maliciously set fire to the said house of. the said Robert Bay lev, on August 28th, 1882..' The jury begged to add the following rider to their verdict—'• That this enquiry bas elicited the following facts, viz.. that in one week there have been three hotels in the county burned to the ground, whilst there have also been two other determined attemptstodeatroy hotels in tliis borough. Second. Tint, in the opinion of the jury, tbe above facts, taken with tbe evidence of this and the preceding enquiries, call for the most energetic attempts to discover tbe perpetrators of these diabolical crimes."