BURNED TO DEATH.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1328, 4 January 1912, Page 2

BURNED TO DEATH.

THE TARANAKI STREET FIRE. MAN'S OOOY FOUND. THE INQUEST OX THE VICTIM. . Fatal results allendod iho tiro which broke out in N0.'78 'J'aranuki SI red yesterday morning, iiud extended to lb* duellings ijii either side. IVhcn Ihe flames wore extinguished in No. 78 the body of .in elderly man, named .lolin Calvert, was found in the ruins. Deceased was a newsvendor by occupation, and was daily to bn fern plying his culling al the corner of Taramiki blrret and Conrtenny J'lace. Ho lost a leg about throe years ago as tho result.of an accident. Anulher inmate of Xo. 78. 'Percy M'Loan, wa.s severely bunicrl in his endeavour lo oscapo Irom tin: bouse. He ■was removed lo the Terminus Hotel, where everything possible under tho circumstances was done. .Mr. E. J. Hubbard, (ho night attendant at Messrs. House and llurreH's garage, rendered first ttid .until the arrival of Dr. Gilmer. Upon arrival tho doctor ordered removal lo tho hospital. It was fortunate tiiat at the time Mr. Hubbard happened to have a supply of linseed oil in his posse.-sion, and this was at onco applied. The house in which the fire conimencad, Xo. 78, was' a two-story, iv-u-iu-jmi.-.. wooden structure, owned by Mrs. Heard, of Mount Street, and occupied by Mr. and Mrs. James Scott as a. boardinghouse. As stated vosterdav, it was completely gutted. In No. SO the whole of tho top- floor was gutted. This was another wooden building, owned by Messrs. Dwan Bros., and occupied by Mr. and Mrs. W. 3. Unmiltoh as a boa-rdinghouso. Mr.'Hamilton.-, was away from home at the time, ami it was only owing to the efforts" of Mr. Clias. Forbes, jun., and ISr. Montgomery that Mrs. Hamilton's four young children' -were rescued from the burning building. Mr. Hamilton is a heavy loser, as ho hud no insurance on his effects and lost everything. ! Although the flames spread to No. 76, the brigade saved the building, which is owned by Mr. Robert Hall and occupied by Mrs. Mercer as a boardinghouse. Tho south wall was badly charred, and some of the rooms also suffered considerably.

The house occupied by Mr. Scott was insured for .£2OO in tho Liverpool and London, awl Ulobo Office, and Mrs.. Scott had .£175 on her. own effects in the Northern. Office.

No. 76 was insured for £000 in the United Office, and Mrs. Mercer had her furniture insured for JilOO in the Norwich. Union.

THE INQUEST. EFFORT TO GET DECEASED OUT. Mr. W. G. Riddcll, S.M., held an inquest- at tho morgue yesterday afternoon touching, the death of John Calvert. Sergeant M'Crorio, of .Mount Cook, and Constable M'Kelvey, of Clyde Quay, represented the police. James Seott, contractor, 78 Taranalci Street, stated that deceased had resided at the house for about live nights. About 9 p.m. on Tuesday, deceased, who was then very drunk, asked to be assisted upstairs, and ultiuiatelv got to bed. ."Witness heard' him talking to himfor a long time afterwards. It was between half-past 10 o'clock" and a quarter to eleven when witness retired to bed, and he had previously gone round t tho. house- to see that all was right. Somo lime later witness was awakened by Mrs. Seott calling out, and then found that the room ' was full of smoke. He directed Mrs. Scott to get out : of- the, house, and then ran upstairs himself to warn the lodgers. He went into deceased's room, and pulled him' out of bed. Unfortunately, Calvert then became abusive, and refused to get up off the floor. At this stage another niun then commenced to call out, asking the way down, and witness went to find the landing. , Tho place at the time ..was full-of smoke Slid very--.warm. • With' some difficulty, he found the .landing, and led the man, who had called, downstairs. -Mrs. :Seott was still there endeavouring, to open- the front door to get outside, and the flames were commencing to sweep all round. Eventually the door was opened, and Mrs. Scott ran outside. Witness then endeavoured to get upstairs again, but could not do so oh account' of the flames. All the inmates, with the exception of Calvert, got out of the house safely. There were ropes to nearly all tho windows upstairs, and to one there was a ladder which acted as u fire-escape. Witness had no idea what the. origin of the > firo : could have been. .

Elizabeth Scott, wife of James Scott, slated that she retired lo bed before her husband. Between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. she lmd awoke and found herself almost suffocated by smoke. She roused her husband,'who went upstairs to awake the other inmates. About live minutes later her husband came down with one of the lodgers, and, after some time, they got out.

To Sergeant M'Croric: She had left sonic linen before Jhe lire in the diningroom. She did not know whether this had caused (he fire or not. The fir-e seemed to be gaining way from tho direction of the kitchen.

At this stage. Sergeant. ll'Crorie informed Hie coroner that Superintendent O'Brien, ci' the Fire Brigade, 'had been asked lo attend the iuauest, but lmd not arrived. The' coruner Mibsequeiitly decided that the superintendent's evidence would not bo necessary.

Sergeant jrCrorie, of Jloimt Cook Police, who identified the body, stated (hat-deceased was supposed (o be a single man, without any relatives in Wellington. .About- thi'['e-(|uurters of an hour after witness arrived" at the (ire. Scott told him tliat Calvert was inside the house. Had witness been (old on his arrival, there would have been no chance of saving deceased, as the house was then iu flames. .Witness saw the bodv when it was brought out of the house, the .artificial leg was missing, and deceased would consequenlh- 'have had difficulty in gelling out of'the house. I he coroner, in giving his verdict, remarked that deceased must nave been handicapped in his efforts to get out b,lus physical disability. It was clear however, thai he would have had a belter chance of Retting out had he been sober on retiring. No blame was attachable to Mr: fccott, who had gone round the -house before ' retiring, and ivli'o on discovering the fire, had aroused the inmates and endeavoured lo get the deceased out of the house.