INQUEST.

Clutha Leader, Volume V, Issue 196, 12 April 1878, Page 6

INQUEST.

<3> . An inquest into the fire that occurred to Williams' coach, near to tho Waiwera, on 21st ult. , was held by Dr Smith, Coroner, and a jury at Clinton, on Tuesday last. The following evidence was led : — James Strachan : I am a coach-driver, in the employ of R. B. Williams and Co. I recollect tlie 21st of March last. I on that date drove the mail coach between Balclutha and Clinton. I had seven passengers. There were two on the box, two on the seat behind the box, and three inside, two of whom were ladies. The passengers were all sober. I left at Balclutha at half-past eleven. Nothing unusual occurred until one of the passengers inside touched me on the arm and said the coach was on fire. I pulled up, and told one of the pass3ngers who was sitting next me to open the boot, which he did. I then saw the boot was all on fire. There was a blaze. There was very little luggage in the boot. There were two parcels booked through from Dunedin, a.nd a small bag about ten inches square. The bag was closed. The mail bags were also in the boot. When the boot was opened the fire was all in the boot. I took the horses out, and two of the passengers assisted in getting the mails and luggage out of the coach. Part of the contents of the boot were destroyed. A parcel, the property of a man" named Smith, was entirely destroyed. About an hour before the fire took place I was smoking. I did not see any of the passengers smoking. It was a' very windy day, and especially at the time of tlie fu-e. I do not think it possible that any of the ashes of a pipe could have fallen into the boot. lam not certain whether the boot was open wdien I _ was smoking. I think tlio fire originated in the boot. About five minutes before the fire took place a passenger had his coat at the bottom of the boot, and he opened the boot and pulled two coats out. He shifted the mails before pulling the coats out. There was no person smoking when Smith pulled out the coat. After I was smoking I gave the pipe to Finlayson, and I think h* put it in his pocket. I believe there was no person smoking for an hour before the fire took place. I heard no noise of any explosion. My opinion is that the fire originated in the mails or parcels. I suspected no fire until one of the passengers called my attention to the fire. One of the passengers named Peak called my attention, and said that when he was taking a parcel out of the boot it exploded in his hands. At that time I was busy looking after the horses, and did not hear the explosion. lam not aware to whom the parcel belonged. Henry S.- Reunert, coach agent for Williams' line, gave evidence as to the number of passengers, quantity of luggage, etc. He assisted to pack the parcels and luggage at Balclutha before the coach started, and saw nothing unusual or anything likely to set the coach on fire. He said if a match could possibly have fallen into the boot of the coach, and there was anything inflam'able there it might have caused the fire. Charles Peak had a seat on the top of the coach on tlie day mentioned. The first thing he knew of the fire was his feeling "the smell of it, and immediately some of the outside passengers called out that the coach was on fire. He corroborated Strachan as to what then occurred, and added that he fancied he heard something like an explosion but could not say whether it was before or after he left the coach. It was a dull sound. He had no idea how the fire originated. The Coroner having briefly addressed the jury, and summed up the evidence, j the jury returned a verdict that there was jno evidence' to shew how the fire I originated.