PRIVATE HOTEL FIRE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1590, 6 November 1912, Page 3

PRIVATE HOTEL FIRE.

INMATE'S FATAL LEAP. * j HUBBIEB ESCAPES BY OTHERS, j (Br TciocraDli.—SocciaJ CgrrijsnpndeiiU , • Auckland, November 5. A sad sequel to a lire wliich . occurred iu the early hours oC this mowing at the Greerton Private Hotel, Upper Queen Street, was the death of the land- 1 lady's eldest so)!, Sydney John Howard. Deceased, was only 2(i years old, was i employed in the ticket office at the vailway station. He slept in an upstairs room ill" a conier of 'the building, just oil' the end of the balcony. One of the hoarders, Mr. 11. Badger, a painter, employed by Messrs. .Williams and Green, after getting out heard Sydney Howard call out from his window, "Look out; I'm coming!" Thereupon, some clothing 'which ho was tin-owing through tho win-, dow commenced to fall to tho ground, hut ho oiio appears to have actually seen the young man leap. A few minutes later, however, his 'body was noticed on the concrete at the top of a long flight of stairs lending up to the front verandah from Queen Street. He was carried down to the pavement, and taken to the adjacent residence pf the Rev. James Cooker, where Br, Murray was quickly in attendance. An rnnbiilance had come promptly,to the scene, and the badly-injured mail was taken posthaste to the hospital. His skull was ■fractured, and there were other injuries. ■ His mother was beside herself with distraction, and, as soon .as possible, slio followed to the hospital. Her son passed away without regaining consciousnessat -1.30 'f he deceased wore glasses for shortand it is thought plobably that ho slipped in coming out of the .window. The drop was one of about 24ft. ■A boarder, sleeping next door, said that .the passage was too full of smoke to perniit of an exit that Way, while the balcony was blazing. . Amidst the excitement of the crackling :timber, and before the brigade arrived, the occupants wore making hurried escapes.. There were IS male boarders, be-- , sides Mrs. Howard, her two sons, ji niece (Miss Birch), and the three maids .(Lizzie. Hiekey, Olive Bathurst, and iMUitiie Frost). Mrs. Howard was' sleeping -on the unaffected side, but Iter two • sons, six of the boarders, and the three maids, wero in tho burning section. ■ "lie °f the latter informed a reporter :tliat they were awakened bv a sense of suffocation Their room'ivas full of .smoke, ami tho atmosphere was decidedly warm. Led by Miss Hiekey, they rushed across the passage to a door leading on ■to the front verandah.' Tht-ii- cries had •the effect of rousing the household, and, .forthwith, the inmates in the burning .portion forsook, theif. rooms, with meagre portions of, clothing. Most of thorn escaped .in their .night atfciro.