BRIGADE SEEMED TO BE LONG TIME COMING

Chronicle (Levin), 30 January 1948, Page 5

BRIGADE SEEMED TO BE LONG TIME COMING

Press Association j

(Per

CHRISTCHURCH, Jan. o0. When the Commission resumed this morning, Iviiss Editn Draxe returned to the witness box fof cross-examination. To Mr. ' B. A.» Barrer (for the Clothing Trades, Retail Shop Assistants' and Clerks' and Cashiers' Unions), she said she did.not^recall Stringer saying to cal'I the "fire briga.de and advise one oi' tne heads. ,,She only remembered him saying thatUhe lights v/ere out. She told Mr. L. Glover, who appeared for the Superintendents' and Deputy Superintendents' (Jnion, that sne had heard -noboay ask for the brigade to be called. Harold Falkingham, an outside rurnisning representaiive, told Mr. G. G. Watson (for the Crown) that at 3.35 p.m. or later he noticed smoke coming from the basement stairs. He described going down mto the cellar with Strinsrer, and .aid the smoke had a pirchy smell, .out he..saw no flames and heard no crackling.- He met Roger Baliantyne at the top of the stairs and^ Ballantyne asked i-f the origade had been called. A male voice said it had. It seemed to nim that the brigade was a long uime coming, so he asked Green to call again. Green returned saying „nat the brigade Was on its way. Smoke Fairly Thick Witness. led a fireman to the double doors halfway down the alley. After the doors ' were.. opened the smoke was fairly tiiiiSk' The fireman went for a respirator. One fireman said it was impossible to get through that way. Witness took a ^jeman? inside the shop, but when told that a wire door would ,have to be broken down to gain access to the cellar, the fireman said it was no use going that way and returned to the engine. The hearing is proceeding.