FIRE IN A HOTEL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2413, 19 March 1915, Page 5

FIRE IN A HOTEL

' .'SENSATIONAL EVIDENCE AT THE INQUIRY. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Oamaru, March 18., !A Magisterial inquiry was opened this /morning before Mr. J. R. Bartholomew, ; S.M.. into the fire at the Star"and GarJter Hotel, which occurred early in the anorning of February 14. The hotel, 'Which was the property of the Pexman 'Estate, was administered by 'he Perpetual Trustees Company, of Dunedin, and was insured for £4000 in the Standard Insurance Company, who were represented by Mr. J. B. Nich'ol, of Dunedin, and the effects of Mrs. Harvey (lessee) for £800 (damage estimated at '£982) in the same office. Superintendent O'Donovan, of Dunedin, conducted iithe inquiry. After minor evidence had been taken ;Ahat of Samuel Clark, commercial traveller, who was boarding at the hotel !-on the night of the fire, was heard. He '.alleged that Miss Telfer, a. boarder in the hotel, told him on his arrival at 'Oamaru on Saturday, February 13, that ithe hotel was to be fired that night, •and advised him to have his luggage ( ready to remove. Miss Telfer told him ;.tho Harveys had been losing, and the (only thing was to burn the place down . and collect the insurance. He also snore that in conversation with Miss ' Telfer after the fire she offered to make good his losses so long as he did not • .report what she had said to the au- . thorities. Witness gave as an excuse for not reporting the alleged conversa- ■ tion that he was so bewildered and worried. Asked why he stopped in the house or did not mention the matter ■' to the Harveys, he said they would ■have wanted an explanation as to why he. left them after stopping there invariably on his visits to Oamaru. He was subjected to a strict cross-examin-ation and was in the box over three hours. Miss Telfer, whose examination did not conclude till 6,15 p.m., absolutely denied the alleged conversations with Clark. Clark caught her up on his way home to tea on February 13 and suggested that she should visit him in his rccm. She refused. She detailed at length all the proceedings on the nieht of the fire and subsequent days.' When visiting_ Clark's sample rooms with a companion to choose goods Clark was in a great state as to his losses, and ps 'to why George Harvey (son of the lessee) had not attempted to rescue him. The xnquiry is proceeding this evening. but will not conclude until to-mor-row, as there are a number of witnesses yet to be called.