THE FIRE TRAGEDY

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2153, 20 May 1914, Page 8

THE FIRE TRAGEDY

INQUEST ON VICTIMS

VERDICT: ACCIDENTAL DEATH

ENOUGH FIRE ESCAPES

The inquest oil the victims of the lire which occurred in Courtenay I'lace at about 3.30 on Sunday morning was held yesterday afternoon by Mr. U. G. A. Cooper, Coroner. There were two persons killed at the fire, Susannah Ackermann, married woman, 50 years of age, and an unidentified man, about 30 years of age. Serjeant Kelly represented the police, and Jlr. .T, O'Shea the City Corporation of Wellington.

Proprietor's Evidence. Harold I'innoek, proprietor of tho Manchester Private Hotel, whore the liro occurred, was the first witness called. He- said that he remembered the two deceased persons coming to tho hotel at 7 p.m. on Saturday night. They booked a room, giving tho names of Mr. and ill's. Wilson. He gave them room No. 8 on the first floor. Including witness's family, tho staff, and tho boarders, there wero 23 persons in tho bouse at the time of tho lire. Witness retired to bed at midnight, after making his usual look round to seo that there was no danger of tiro. In the kitchen rango there wore a few embers, but not enough to be- dangerous. The first warning ho had of the lire was when he was awakened by tho i.oiso of breaking glass. He got > up, partly dressed, and opened his bedroom door, meeting a blast of hot air in the passage. It was then too hot to go along the passage arousing inmates". Tho lieat was terrific. He rushed out on to the front fire escape and ho shouted there for a few seconds, but did not remember wlmt ho called. One fire escape ladder ran straight down the front of tho building, and on the east side there wore two platforms led to a ladder at the back or south side of tho house. There was no ladder rising directly to the platforms on the east side of the house. When the deceased canio to tho hotel on Saturday night they made no inquiries about fire escapes. It would havo been possible for deceased to havo escaped by tho front ladder, by which witness and his wife and child escaped. He had to drop eight or ton feet. He discovered afterwards, that the extension ladder was tied up and would not drop.

The Door was Tied? Mr. O'Shea: Was tho door to tho back fire escape tied up with rope ? Witness: Not to my knowledge. Mr. O'Shoa: But if I say that I sawit tied up, what have tou to sav to that? Witness: I don't think it was. Mr. O'Shea: Has tho door ever been opened ? Witness: Oh, yes, it used to bang, and I jammed it with a piece of paper. Tho Coroner (to Mr. O'Shea): .Aro you sure the door was tied up with rope before the fire? Mr. O'Shea: Yes, sir! Tlio Fire Brigado Superintendent pointed it out to me. Other Inmates' Experiences, Ella Donib, a domestic employed at tho hotel, said she went to bed in room No. 6 on tho first floor at 11.20-p.m., and was awakened at 3.40 a.m. by hearing someone calling out "Help! f ' : and tho iioiso of tho walls cracking. She got out of tho building by way of the back fire escape. 1 Sho tried to go towards the. front of tho house by way of the passage, but could not do so on account of the fire. Tliero wero no notices in tho .passages pointing out where fire escapes were located. She 'did not see tlie'deceasid at any time.

Sidney Beck, porter at the liotel, said he had slept in a room on the top (second) floor, and that ho also was awakened by the noiso of tho fire. He also escaped by the back firo escape. Henry Josephs Ackermanii gave evidence that he identified the body of tho deceased woman as that of his mother. Witness did not knoiv where tho deceased resided in Wellington. Alfred James Phillips, a lodger in the house on the night of the fire, detailed his experiences. Ho was awakened by tho noiso of the fire, and after trying to get down the stairway and being beaten back by tho fire, he got out ono of tho back windows and slid down a drain pipe. i Alfred Campbell Hawkins, cabman, anothor lodger, told how .ho had been' awakoned by someono calling out, and his room being in the' front of tho house, ho escaped by the front fire escape. Civing the Alarm. Constable Hardy said ho was on duty 111 Courtenay Place on Sundav morning. Between 3.30 and 3.35 a.m. he \\as passing tho Manchester Private Hotel. A crackling sound attracted his attention, and ho looked up to see smoke and liaino coming out of a window. He could see 110 sign of tlio inhabitants, so ho kicked on the front door and called "Fire!" Then ho ran to Taranaki Street to - break tlio firo alarm.' Tho fire appeared to liavo the greatest hold 011 tlio back of tho premises.

Sergeant Taylor said that, he went to the lire from Manners Street Station immediately after ho heard the alarm of fire. At that time the back of the houso was enveloped in flame. After ha first heard tho alarm, about five minutes elapsed before tho firo brigado arrived. After the fire bo saw°tho room in which the two deceased wero £uund. The room bad 110 outer window, and there had evidently been a fierce liio in the room. Mcro firo escapes iu the building would not have given the deceased a bettor chance of saving their Jives. Tho firo broko out directly under their room, and unless they had got out instantly they could not have had a possible chance of escape.

To Mi'. O'Shca: Thero was a hHi wind blowing, and the fire appeared to go through tho building as through a lift well. The Fire Superintendent. Harry Tait, superintendent of the City Firo Brigade, said a call was.received at tho station from tho Taranaki Street alarm at 3.33 a.m': Ho recounted tho chief incidents of the fire, including tho finding of tho bodies of tho two deceased. It did not appear that the deceased liad mado any attempt to get out of the room. Tho fire, escape ladder at the hack of the hotel reached to within four feet of tho ground. Tho platforms towards tlie v Tory Street side had no ladder directly to the ground, but they were connected with the rear ladder by a passageway with a door at each end. The door leading from the platform on the first Door was open, but the door opening on to the fire escape at the back of the building had been tied with a piece of rope. It could be opened from the inside, but not from the outside. Under tho circumstances lie did not think better lire escape facilities would have prevented the fatalities at the lire. The deceased had made no attempt to leave tho room, and this being so, lire escapes could have been of no service to tliem. To Mr. O'Shca: In view of tho fact that the east side of the building abuts on private property, it, would not he wise to erect escape ladders there, which would have to be removed when the allotment adjoining was huilt upon, and the fact that ladders had been there might create a false sense of security. The brigade answered the cali as promptly as usual. They must have beou out

of tho station in less than a minute, and tliey went as fast sis the motor could be driven to the seat of the fire, lie did not think live minutes could have elapsed from tho time- the alarm was given till they reached the lire. Coroner's Finding.

The Coroner found that the deceased met their death by being accidentally burnt in a lire in "the Manchester Private .Hotel on tho morning of May 17. jt appeared from the evidence of Mr. f.'innock and Superintendent Tait, the Coroner went on to say, that tlie lire had started in tho kitchen, Mr. I'inlwck had said that when he went to bed ou the night before tho lire there was a small tiro in the kitchen, and he was the last to go to bed. According to the evidence of Sergeant Taylor and Constable Hardy, tho police did all they could, and as expeditiously as possible, to arouso the inmates and summon tho Firo Brigade, which got there within live minutes after the -alarm was given from Taranaki Street.

"I don't know that 1 need say anything about the fire escapes " said tho Coroner, "but I think perhaps it would be as well. 'The front firo escapo ladder appears to have been tied up, accidentally''or inadvertently, but I don't think that had anything to do with tho injuries of those people sent to tho hospital. The accident to the woman Higgonson, Mr. Tait says, was through her taking fright, so that she either slipped or fell off tho platform. As to tho sufficiency of the lire escapes, I think ihat_ there aro enough ladders from the. building, As Mr. O'Shea has pointed out, it would bo inadvisable to put firo escapes oil tho east side owing to tho fact that the ladders might have to be removed at some time iu the future, and a sense of false security might he created. We liavo evidenco that if there had been more ladders, these people would not have been saved. The door of their room was locked, and tliey made no attempt to leave tho room. No doubt they were smoth» ered."

HOSPITAL, PATIENTS. The Hospital report on the four per. sons who received' injuries in the fire was more favourable last night. Messrs. Smith (badly burned) ami J'-egan (internal injuries) are reported as getting on fairly well. Miss Higginsoji, who is also'suffering from internal injuries,, is much about the saint 1 , awl Miss O'Neil, who was slightly burned, is doing very well. .

The man who lost his life in the fire is still unidentified, in spite of the exhaustive inquiries which are being mads by the police. Further inquiries are to be made by the police amongst the waterside workers to-day.