SOME PANICKED AT FIRE

Chronicle (Levin), 4 February 1948, Page 5

SOME PANICKED AT FIRE

Pres? AS&deiation )

Further Evidence Heard By Cdmmission

(Plr

CHRISTCHURCH, Feb. 3. , • As head of the Imirdressing depart ment, slie felt a personal responsibiiii,\ for her staff, said RoSe Georgina Beck,. when giving evidence at the inquir,) into the fire at Ballantyne's, todav, She said iiye giris who had- failed tq obey her order to foll'ow Her downstair; when the flames were coming through the men's tailoring department,- weri brought to safety b'y Mr. Crawfo.rd. Oiie of the" girls panicked when the.N were leaving and four. others, thinkiuy they were trapped, went baclc with her, Miss Beck said a Mrs. Williams cann and said there was a iire and smell oi smoke, that it nuist be a hair drier and that she would attend to it. She re turned a"nd said the smoke was not iii their department , aiul must be some whcre else. Witness.went to aH thf (mbicl'e.Sx and told the girls to get thi driers olf clients ' heads and get them ready in case they had to leave in u luirry. All the girls eaine out. when sh.' told them to le'ave and she thought the> all went downstairs. Hjowever, only two followed, the other five going baek. Mr. Boon was calling overybody out. She was going out into the street when she. felt that she should go back and .liiul the girls.' She found Mr. Crawfoi'd coming down tiie stairs with them. Mr. Perry: Whv did the girls ' go back? Witness One panicked as she feli slie was trapped and the others weni back with her. I thought for tlumoment we were trapped. Rauline Colmrn, hairdressing assis tant, said. she was having her hau .done and was under the drier when she smelt shroke. Miss Beck told them to get their shoes and purses as they might have to leave in a hurry. Slnwas "oue of the live who went back when hliss Beck told them to follow. They were still running round a Lof when Mr. Crawford told them to follow liim as they still had a chance. Before they were told to leave she saw four girls from the credit oftice near the cloak counter. She knew one girl, '.'Moira Ford. No flames were seen then. The flames had not reached the stair1 case. Miss Ford lost her life. She !' could not have been mistaken that the 'girl was Miss Ford as they were not in | a panie at that time. Mr. Hutchison (for the Fire Board) : In your view those girls eould have

walked down the stairs? — Yes. Eunice Norma Smith, head eashier. said that when thick smoke was.pouring out •of the roof vcntilators aud slcylights of the approval oftice after the dressmaking- workroom girls ha.l left with their liats and coats on, and after her eyes had watered, on a visit, to the rest roorn,-'the, stalf at the cash desk were told ''You had better staml by" by Mr. Gilchrist. They cojitinued to wrap up money, On the seeond visit Mr. Gilchrist threw the door opou and told them to get out smartly as therv was not rnuch time. She put the money into a box and rau down the main stairs to the hosierv department. Glass was shattering and fa+Hng all round al'toi ihe explosion which she attributed to the bursting open of the fire doo'r l)C tween the furnishing department - and cash desk. Lorna -May Willi-amson, cash desk ein ployeo, said she returned from after noon tea about 3.45 p.m. Soorr after wards smoke was wisping round outside the door. The smoke thick'ened and she closed the door. Mr. Gilchrist told them "to go for your lives". Ue pushed the door open. "When I rnshed outside the flames were almost at the door leading to the furnishing department," she said. "There was a erash Glass and hot embers dropped. I heard an explosion when we were leaving the desk and* anolher when we were ou the street." A last minute escape from the seeond floor of Pratt's bitilding 10 to 15 minutes after the girls had been heard running and the liglits went out, was described by J'udith Delemere Bacon, employcd on ihe- advertising department.'- Miss' Bacon said thi! advertismg department was on" the seeond floor of Pratt's building to the west of the staircase near the credit oftice. The room began to get hot and stufify about 3.45 or 3.50. Bhe heard girls runnin»

-.icross the passage arnl then the lights went out. jjpoKiug out oi a window to i.he sKyii'ght over ilio lounge, she saw vvhat appuared to be a cioud of du.st curling up in an, unusual way. Alrs. vv'hite, wno worKed vvitn her, threw up rhe wuidow aua they smelt smoke.' Nobody in auuiority liad come to teJi Miem to get out. Mrs. Vv'hite and she ■ 'Jeeided lo investigate. The- passage ; 'eading to the eredil orflce was. "jjxs-; 'iKe an eveiung liaze " with smoito. -U1 of the tailoring aud furnishing tiu oartii.ents yvere liiied with smoke. The\ 'eturned to coilect tneir handbags anu got down safeiy just before she 'hearu Eie sirens of the lire brigade. Bmoke was coming from the highest part of Gbodman's building, said ErAest Etreetly, a presser in the tailoring department. The girls irom the dxirt workroom ran through. " By this time there seemed to be a gr'eat fire. Most of the people in our room rusiieu out. I was left in tlie rush, sort of, and discoimected the 'irons. I looked out oi the window again and the roof wa*ablaze outside the cutting room. Tlu roof over the cash desk was well alight: The lire broke right through the roo. and swelled in the air. Flames swirleu outside my window and 1 decided i> was time to go. I grabbed; three over coats, a suit and a pair of scissors. Thc windows behind me cracked. I put m\ suit on at the cafeteria door and Ric.h ards, an apprentice, tried to pull mc away. I tohi hiin I was coming." Lengthy evidence, restricted to his own actions as assistant-manager, was given by Roger Fairbairn Ballantyne. Mr. Thamas: Did anyone telJ you to evacuate the building? — No. Did you take the view that when the* Fire Brigade arrived the brigade was in charge and that you would do.jvhat you were told? — Yes", that was my idea. When you told the man about tne gir-ls up in Goodman 's building did you expect them to get the girls down bv a ladder or some other means of "rescnci — I thought they would do anything necessary. Mr. Barrer: Did you say anything to indicate that you expected the Fire Brigade to take charge' of the whole affair? — No. - Did you issue a general instruction at anv stage to prevent people coming -in'? — No: 1 * - The Commission adjourned until tomori;ow when the evidence of the two1 young women , who jumped to- the verandah will probably be heard.