STORY OF WOMEN WHO JUMPED

Chronicle (Levin), 6 February 1948, Page 7

STORY OF WOMEN WHO JUMPED

Press Assocfatioru

" PRAYED FOR LADDER WHIGH DID NOT C0ME"

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CHRISTCHURCH, Feb. 5. Seated in a chair because she was still under medicai treatment, Lois 7Ngaire Kennedy, book-keeper-machinist in the credit office, gave evidence of ixer experiences on the top floor of Pratt's building before she jumped from a window on to the verandah in Colombo Street, when the inquiry into Ballantyne's fire was resumed today. c Miss Kennedy said that on the way upstairs froin afternoon tea^ she met girls comiiig down with eoats and purses. ; She asked ythat the matter. was and they said they clid not know. Before that she had learned of the fire in the furnishing' ' department. Keii Bailantyne was in the credit ofiice where the girls were getting theii; eoats. The girls put the equipment away. 'Ohere was smoke in the ofiice but no other sign ofe- fire. "We were still sort of standing round when Mv. Ballantyiie said: 'Go down the iire escape','J said witness. "We all moved towardsvit. 1 was quite handy to the door. • ' 'We got down a few steps on to the fire escape. Iti.was quite evident we could not get much further. The spioke was very thick and the -fire escape itself was very hot. ' ' The geneiyil idea was to get out through the door of the passage connecting with the stairs or lift. As we got to the door the lights failed. i waitedvfor Mfs. Xash who was still at her machine colleeting her purse. Oue of the girls made to go into of the small oilices known as the credit nianager's office, to get to g. window. IShe was driven back' by huge gusts of siuolce and> sonie fiames,' "By this time Mrs: Nash had conxe and we went into the passage outside. The general opinion was that you could not get down the lift or stairway so we all went over to the accountancy office whie'h was quite clear of smoke. Kverj'body from the credit and accountancy oilices was there and in the snfall passage outside the door. It was very dark. You could not see anyone. You did not know who they were. "I ealied to J\trs. Xash and after a few seconds she auswered mfe. I said: 'iCeep hold of me. ' We talked for a uioment and then„we decided we would go into the credit office and try the fire escape again. We rau into our office and as we went through the door, the roof of the credit ofiice started to fall in. "We realised we could not get anywbere near the fire escape so we made to the windows. We pulled u!p a window and climbed out on to the sill, calling for help. We sat there for a few seconds. The firemen turned the hoses on us and we decided we would have to jump. I jumped and Mrs. Nash followed." Mr. Lascelles: I suppose when you were at the window that you were almost praying for a ladder to come up? Witnessr Yes, . . . , . ,...] Mr. Lascelles: And you saw no iadder? v Witness: I saw no sign of one. Waited for Orders. Evidence that: the girls and men in the credit and accountaaicyjofiiceri vyere wuiting for an order from Mr. Ken'ueth Bailantyne or Mr. Hudson (secretaryj, aiter they had bfeen ordered to. put away, bins, typewriters aud records, was given by XLrs. Xauey Gladys Xash, book-keeping-machiuist, who also made the jump from Pratt 's building. Witness said she would have stayed to watcli the fire brigade, after afternoon. tea, if Mr. Gafi'ney bad not told her to go up to the credit office. There was no sign of smoke or fire at the top of the* stairs. Two or three were still at wor'k. Bome were by the Iire doors to the iire escape and some were at the Windows. There jvas no sign of auxiety, fear or excitement. At that time those at the windows were discussing the Iire downstai'rs. Mr. Hudson said "Put the bins away.'' This took Heveral minut.es. Ghe saw Mr. Bailantyne try to get out qf the fire dofor. II e had oue foot on the escape and had a handkerehief to his face. He shut the door. »She lieard Ylr. Hudson and Mr. Bailantyne say "Everybodv outl " Miss Ford said the girls in the milJinerv workroom were singing out for help. Miss Ford went towards the fire doors and witness followed her. They went up a few steps towards the exchange and Miss Ford threw her hauds over her head and said: "Oh, its awful. You can T go in there." Bmoke and heat drove them back to the credit office. Mr. Watson: Who appeared to be in charge? Witness: Everybody was more or less waiting for Mr. Hudson or Mr. Bailantyne to say something as they were the seniors of the firm there. >

Mr. Watson: Was any definite lead given to the staff by "those two? Witness: Gnly that ,Mr. Ken Bailantyne toid us to get. out. "Nooody seemed to know what to do or where "to go," said Mrs. Nash. "Nobody that I heard gave any instructions. "1 saw someone trying to junip from the accountancy windoW. Boniebody in the erowd called Out: ' Don't jump yet, there will be somebody here. ' "It was getting hotter ,and hotter and overpowering. I heard Miss Kennedy sing out my name. I auswered her, and: we got4 liold of each- other, and we both said: 'We will have to get out." Bhe m'entioned the fire escape again and we went to go there. We were stopped at the credit ofiice. The leadlights around and above the rooin were aflame and failing in. Y'ou could see .the timber above the leadlights failing down on the leadlights ■ and coming through, so we turned. and made for the Windows in the credit room. "We opened a window and sang out for help, As we looked down one mass of flame carne xmderneath the other side of the building from the furnishing deparfiment-. Some people on the road told us to jump and some not to jump. I saw a ladder on my left being put up. Somebody was o.n it. The ladder caught fire in the middle and the man had to go down, so we looked on the crowd. The smoke seemed to get away and we jumped down between the billows of smoke.' Miss Kennedy jumped first and i followed." / . "Clarence Gore Orawford, display, manager, said the" display • studio was on the third floor of Goodwin's Build--ing, with a staff of nine. He was workiug in,a window when -he heard the engine. He realised that his girls were on the top of the building. He could not get up the elevatof or the stairs. He stopped Appleyard and said: ' ' How can 1 get help to my girls ? ' ' Appleyard indicated the route, but he remembered he could get up through the credit ofiice. Ha fouud two of the girls — Misses Ward and Challis — standin the credit ofiice with Hudson. He noticed Miss Marshall was • missing, and Mis|5 Ward said she thought she had gone downtairs. That did not. satisfy him. 'He crossed Goodwin's Building, but when he" opened the door he was met by a terrilic wall of smoke. Choked and biinded by the smoke he had to" return to the credit ofiice. He liad Miss Ward tie a handkerehief over his faee and he went back. Visibility was absolutely nil. "I yelled several times, 'Anybody there?' and waited till 1 could stay no longer. I returned and said to Mr. Hudson: 'They must all be out. I cau't get any answer,' " Called Girls to Safety Orawford said ha met. Ivlrs. Crew and he would never forget it. She was so .fyautic "s'pe grabbed b'ijs arm and asked him if he had seeii her, girls whom she had trained. He never got to the- display room wliieh Avas beside the:jhillineryj rooml , Wheii lie was going down th.^ stairs someone asked .hiiq abpiit tlie laundrcssiug girlfe, ftnd I'lie : turned aud went up again- throiigli.fiie: :Smoke. He I eo'uld see figures moving ubdut and Ue shouted to them. They ran to liin md then they ran'ahead of him dqwr ihe main staircase. He Went back uj ugain to cross the display area wlier a sheet of flame shot out from th/ openiug beside the cloak counter towards the executive ofiices,. He turned aud rau down the main stairway. He had a hurried look in the millinery room aud the mautle department to see if anyone were there, and told the manager (Mr. Novell) tliat there was no oue there. Then there came a colossai erash. Mr. Xovell told him to get out. To Mr. C. G. Penlington (for th.e Fire Board) be said it did not occur to him to go down the escape and get the "brigade. At that stage the whole of the credit room staff could have got out. If, did not occur to him that the credit office might be in danger. It was separated by two brick walls on the alleyway. Jobn Ovril Frederiek Phillpott, heao of the art department, said he t.eleplioned the workroom and a female. voiee answered. He asked: " What is it like'up there? ' ' Tlie girl replied that it was not bad but they .were unable to get out of the door because of smoke. He suggested that they should get out on to the window ledge and let the firemen know they were there. "I seiu one of my staff out to tell tlie brigade that the girls were trapped in the millinery workroom and to show them where the workroom was. I know she did contact them," said witness.