THE LATE FIRE.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2600, 17 June 1871, Page 2

THE LATE FIRE.

■ The inquiry into the origin of the late fire was resumed at .seven o’clock yesterday evening. The Court was crowded to excess,, and great interest was manifested in the proceedings. ; Marion Cane’s evidence continued : 1 heard the cry f “fire” by a man on my way from th,e baqk yard. The office window is enclosed from tlie street, and at the time I he ard fire ” it was impossible the fire. coqld have. been seen by anyone from thie front or back streets. I do not think anyone in the bouses on the hill coiild have seen the fire or seen the, reflection of it, A two-storied building shtiir out the office from view. The voice was outside the building:; I am certain of that. I can’t recognise whether it was Bcichelt’e voice, which 1 know very well, because I was tea frightened. It may have b .ea his, I saw him at eleven o’clock on. Monday T 3norning. He diTrnjjt complain of being ill; hut said that hc-hati sent for a carpenter to make soin •• repairs—to cover ip sqme water;pipes that hkd been recently laid down. I know that the carpenter ,camo> - j • Jaincs F. Miller: I reside in a right-of-way off Moray place, ab mt thirty yards from Reichelt’s—my bedroom overlooking the real' - of Beveridge’s house, I was up occasionally till a quarter to two on Tugs lay morning. I ha'd not been in bed more than, a few minutes when I heard a noise, behind my house -as-if a person was getting over tfle fence. JJy dog barked loudly, and seemed to be following some one to the end of the right-of-way, towards’Moray place, when it ceased 'baric-' ihg. Some time afterwards I heard a female, voice cry out rather excitedly, “ Get up,” Jane (I thought): the pW'e is on fire.” , .1 sprang on to the floor, ami looking’put o‘ my bedroom window', saw where "the jSjje was. I called out “ fire ” several times, and after rousing niy neighbors, X' Miss Cane’s passage, jyh|cli I open’.. The, fire appeared to no confined' to wlj.it 1, thought- was, a small parlor ; it was of very small difueii-' sions. - I went to the back to lobk for a bucket of water, wdiich I could not find, I saw-a hosedying- on the- floor-of- auroul-build* iiig, and I fixed, it on to the .tap, but just at that moment the flames burst through the office windows wi:h such fury that I had to leave, and retired by the passage. As I passed through, I heard on my left what ,1 thought to be some one in distress. At the street door I met a constable, and I tpld him I thought some one was in the shop. We burst open the door, when ave found the shop to be a perfect volume of flame I could see the Uaiges from my attic window. I did not hear anyone’ calling out “ fire ” before 1 heard the Woman's 'voice. I met ijo . one but the policeman. , By,Mr Barton,: 1 came by Moray place~ a person coming out of Reichclt’s 'shop, had called out “ lire,” ! must have heard him. By the CoronerV I think I was the first to call out “ fire. ”■ When I tfitefv away the empty’bjicket I fqnnd in the yard, I thought I noticed” a case about two feet high standing against thb office window. By‘Mi’'Barton : A mati getting up the embankment would find it difficult to get up'the right-of-way into Dowling street, because there .are ; gates iir it which arc closed sometimes; ’The easier exit from the right-pf-Avay ; is by Moray place, “ ’ ' ' Philip D ■ Berg, musician,- slept at thc. City Buffet on the night of the 1m.,-, He heard the town clock strike ’one,' ana about ten minutes afterwards he heard a rumbling noise, as' of earth falling at-'tho back of the, hotel Went off to sleep, and about a cpidr-' ter of an hour afterwards dibard a' woman “fire.” Got nil and rushed into' the street; vvhem on the opposite aide. saA a mini full dressed emerge from Miss Canb’s, and run towards the Post office. He did : not cry out “ fire,” he was a man of-medium height, but he did not recognise him, nor" was he able to state whether h'e wore-boots. Lost sight of him when he, passed'the hotel ' - Leslie Charles, who occupied the same' room "as De Berg, Between 1.30 and 2 a.m., heard some one apparently putting coals on a stoye, and shortly afterwards heard what ho thought were kerosene tins falling at the rear of the Buffet. A few moments afterwards (before the clock struck two) he heard a man cry “Allen, Allen, there’s a fire at the back of your place.” This was not Rejchelt’s voice, ho.waa sure-of. that. —.Be. Berg was in bed at this time. The bell rung fii e minutes afteiwards. By Mr Barton : A considerable time elapsed between hearing the noise of the tins and the mail calling, out; 1 ajul from that time to ivhtw the bell rang,

went to the back, came ipt|Swi@'flrc|tee, and with De Berg’s assistance, gottSjp nflv 1 out of the concert room. He WeimintKKie concert room a second time, burst into it. Witness who he believed was in the coScerFfoom with him when the bell rang. Witness saw the reflection of fire on Craig and Gillies’ wall immediately after hearing the man call out. His impression was most decidedly against the person who made the noise with the tins being the same one who called out, because sufficient time had elapsed, to have enabled-the first ope to have got up the ; embaukuieuttoud gone away even as far as the tower. It struck him atthe time that it must have been a person living in one of the cottages : on : the cliff. When witness passed Reichelt’s shop a few minutes before ; 7 p.m. on the 12th,' Reichelbjwas reading a paper at the counter. ■*- Peter Allen’s evidence Was unimportant. James .Sherar, .police constables I waslon duty in Princes street 'pb the night of the 12th. A little before 2. a. m. I was round Moray place, and went up, a _ri«ht‘Pf3 ijay between Low the saddler’s, and Cuxhead’s, as far as portion of Geddes’.;,, Seeing, I came back. ' At the ddrhef'di Princes street and 'Morayr^ane”lTTmetrrStirgß^-^!KcSf§?^th with whom I far Rattray street, where I left him, "turning up that street. After piocpedrug nprGoujrt’f jright-of-way I went towards the. Shamruok, and when opposite. hpteLl jacreams, from the direction of Princes street I ran hack , an d when I got as far asdhe Otago iiotel the fire-bell rang. WhcnJ. reached the fire I found six or seven woihoii oijtiHde cbfl the City Buffet;. Not being cfertaiu chelt slept'on the (.remises, t jan tci the t door, and endeavored to burst IS bpenfnut could not succeed. After the (ire I examined the lock, 1 ’ yffi ch wrs’'fully Idck r< ‘ f{Va« what I should, pdl .a. “ .lock,” one that%6uld partly lodk if wore shut .without the application of a key. About; 15 minutes elapsed rear of the .premises and itiy hearing the liretell. By’Mr BartdnY’At’thetih'iilpassed iiislop’s, in company with Sergeant O’Keefe, it I was cither 5 minutes toUor'l miiluleSafteT .2; I could not; say which.) j Michael O’Keefe, sergeaht of ..2-o’clock on the morning of . Const ible Sherar at the p ace and Princes street. H,e ; informed, me he had been examining the rear, of buildings in Princes’street nearly as far as where the lire occurred. . We walked along ..Princes afreet, as far as Rattray,street. Everythin" #33 quiet when wo passed'Reichdlt's. “iV-re was no .light in lh:froirt,part ofthojHvmisds, dr we would have ithe shutters’being only half-way up't^ji^fijffi.w. E believe there was a partition office from the shop; I we passed HislopV; it Was about 8 minutes past, 2, I left ’fthorar at Rattray street' and passed up Manse’street and Fleet fetreat into Maclaggan street, 'On going into sji§ 1 looked at my watch ; it was then 20'ipihpteh past 2. My w^aich' agredd- with Hialop’s clock within a minute. I had remajaedthere about live minutes, when I beard the fifebell; I ran ‘into the . ceiitre !: of Mkclag-gan-street, having iiiy lantern iu : ‘piy 'hand. I saw a inai: about twenty’ fromme pp .the opposite. side of fthsslroet. / Jj£was without coat, Imt. «r boots,! 1 mate,-; wherej is the ttJHW”walking ; when Z .addressed! nqtftoew.eft runway,. -..lwpurijuod him and overtook him near i lark street. As I was about to , seize hold 'of,, him heimmed round aud ran back. I followed, and seeing constable Hodgkins in the centre ofthe street called out to him to stop himp wluch ho did. f asked c mstable Baxter who had come out, : who the mail; was, and he'paid it was Mr Ileichelt. , I observed at, the: time that he was much, burnt hair, at the side of the right eye, aud hands. -Re was most burped on, the right side'of his face. I at once took him into custody hud' sent him to the . watch house. I then went tO-tlirijr!, I entered.Miss. Cana’s-haUj-amL going into the back yard, saw ,tliere was a .strong flame issuing froitf office window, 'and the adjoining places were on tire ; tried the door but it vjss f§lt; and the heat was so great that I. fik again. On returning;a side door in the appears^ to be the greatest volume, of flame. After the lire was'got out I rbtiirhed to the : w%chhouse; I saw ileichelt there j he was, dressed a Lh trousers, ori?iicaUsftiirt, : ‘ pin, itud speks; (The aisles were prpduceoj. The socks appeared toLq-Ve bgien jijuch L'hipk }■ 'afid th 6 Cor . net’ intimated tiikt. a proper ZiL vbstigatiou'would take - place as to whether I such was the' fact or 1 not.) ilieichelt and Ran-ell conversed together. In answer to a remark by the latter, Ecicheltsaid, “Well, I’ll tell you the way it was. I was bad with dyscutry, itiid got oiit of bed to go to my simp to get some quinine., On Stfi.king'a lUitch to look for it, I went. near’ a. tiki ’Chat coutaincd.lmjcrue ; it exploded l|ke pq\yder f and I was 1 op fife ‘ill m f a, moment, dj took off ’ iny ! coht 1 'and 'vest aiid'bqots, ”, he. iip^er,, diatcly corrected himsp]f,;aixd'said.“ slippms.** 1 Farrell said “you hare had a iliifto# escape : how did you manage to get out?” He said “By the trout door.£. vFarrell asked him if he locked the • front after him, and ho said “yes.” Rciohelj; said, ju j,;eply Farrell, that he rap up tjae JDqp?liHg : sfr. Stops': after>ya:ds he told Bergt. ; -he ' along by the iowei'j , \yljere cpied. qii| ‘‘fire,” down Jluttrayafreet. steps ipto.'^claggau street,I intending tp gp home and in : ; form Mrs tj}c fire. 4t topp ! clqck that morning l(is ipap, named iS'poi)ap, gavP me the door produped, belonged to the shop.Op. the snipe SWFPing I received a key ftom%sHoward’ft who had seep Mrs Howard take it opt o| ■ one of lieirholt’s coat ,pockets. Both keys lit the lock of the front door. He said nothing when arrested; ‘ 1 By Mr Barton : He was searched, but ho key was found on him.,, By the jury: He r made no refeiirk whieh 1 ‘ arrested; he was cool and collected thing anil - altthFttehhF vfaS-imhur ~ custody. He offernd ; -ne ; .fnsistancG ; there were three constables there at the, timedaughter.) Hg Wsjs wallung,Quickly.tfeetime i’saw him, biit commenced to Fpil I turned my lantern op him. 1 think'‘he I’' 1 ’' knew very well where he was going. Constable J. Baxter’s evidence ‘was plainly., corroborative of that of the lusf witceßjj. Ip' the lock-up Ilpicbclt ajpil yfitpese talked pyep the fire. After he had narrated the (preum* stances of the lire in similar language to that used in the sergeant’s presence, witness said : that it was a strange cohrsc for a mau to ruP • awaj r from Lis own house when it was op fire. He r idled that he wanted to teU Aire Howard iu case she should be alarmed, because Mr . Howard wak mad. Witness,he- ' ; marked’that he must have made good hoafie < ' from the,tower to where lie arrestVd r j fv 1

tmd, after liesitatihg a tittle; he replied "You know, Baxter, the bell must have been ringing a good deal b fore you-arrested ine.” Witness thought this strange, because he and the s; rgeant had rushed into the street immediately bn the bell ringing. ' R. Robertson, engine-keeper to the Fire Brigade, deposed that when extinguishing a portion of the fire on the morning of the 13th, he removed some of the de ris with bis hatchet, which brought away the oil;,tin produced. The hole in the side of the tin Was caused by the hatchet; the mouth where the oil would properly come out was melted away. The tin was covered with some German newspapers. Thos. Mitchell, watchman on the tower : On the morning of the 13th I heard a man’s voice—l will not be positive on the pointcalling “fire” from the direction of the back of the City Buffet Motel. It seemed to come from one of Millar’s cottages. I heard, it plainly, because the night was clear. I heard no other alarm. 1 went down to the ball, but as I could see nothing, I went up to the third landing ; then 1 fancied I saw smoke, and at once rang the bell. About three minutes elapsed from thc time.l heard thb voice until 1 rang the bell I saw nobody about the tower; and.if anyone had passed I must have seen or heard him. No person could have come to the tower, to give me the alarm without my noticing him, The cry 1 heard could' not ; have proceeded from some one in the immediate neighborhood of the tower; it was just 5 one cry of “fire.” By Mr Barton : There was no repetition of the cry. Sergeant Thompson i 1 was in the watchhouse on the' morning of the 13th, arid entered against Keichelt; it was read tp him. lie desired to make a statement. . I to Ait dov,n in writing, but di 1 not caution him, It is as i follows:—“I went down to my shop, at about 1.30 a.m. this morning to get the lotion, and on looking about with the candle I cariie hear some lucine which was in a tin. box.with an openuig-onthertop;'' it exploded, and burned my coat and my slippers. J. attempted to turn it'oufc' by taking off my coat. Seeing that I could not quell the fire I ran out, and up-.the Ddwling street steps toivards"the tiie-bell.*.'!;;cried out ‘Fire,’ after leaving the shop. I heard the fire-bell going, and J, raq. hoine as .fast as,,l c >uld, be> Was in ad, and I wanted to give Mrs Howard warning. .1 wish tp say Howard was very ill. cameI’'down 1 ’'down the steps into Rattray stree 1 . When passing the Police Station 1 was' detained. My stock on my premises amounted to about i 3090, and I am only insured in LI,BOO. Mr Scofield, who made up the books for me, can give evidence as to this, as well .as my . young man, Mr Noonam.”

Robert Raymond, chemist : About three weeks ago' Reichelt told me that a customer of his in the country, who had previously, bought a Indue lamp from me, had bommissioned him to obtain a gallon of lucine. I gave him a gallon in a tin, exactly‘similar fo the onp produced. By ifr have never, known that luoihe is very: explosive ; it is very volatile,-and burns easily like sphits. I can’t say whether lucine in a t n would explode if it caught tire. It would escape if there was an opening in the tin. (The Coroner : The truth of it is, lucine is more inflammable, than kerosene, but ex plodes less easily.) 'By Sir Barton : Reichelt »ells lamps ponst*ucleivott the -sauie.prjnoiple as thbse I'-seti—they burh luoin?. His office was partly consu-uctbd bf'wood ami glass ; if anything were burning in the office it could be seen from the street. Mi! Howard is very ill and in a very excitable state. The news of the fire would have cost him his life. The shortest road to Howard’s house was from the Bell tower. I was at the house the evening of the fire at about XO 30 and left at 11.30. VHe then complained .of diarrhoea. He said MBs Howprd fiad, given him laudanum, which' flul! good. At nine he'acnt down a boy in,,the house to my shop to get him ~ some brandy, which he thought hvould do him mono good. He took some while I was there. , -T.have seen JR/ifchelt enter bis premises fpom the back on two or three occasion?,' when-be..-had not hist easy of access, especially if the gatfisipthe right-of-way were open. By Mr Anderson : I have known cmiuipe to, bp grc2(ci'jhpd f«f f>i- dygea|;!7. (The Cofoper: I never knew of a.ease of the kind.) Reichelt apd I were op very friendly terms ; on thb'night pf the fire I slept in my shop, which 'be knew, but; he (did hot wake By the improper i I hayc beep ip fiis office if the Jucjpp tin had bpep'standipg up on a shelf 1 mpst havo seen it; but if covered with newspapers I should not. He always stowed his newspapers in a corner near the chimney. Wm. Noonan, assistant to Mr Reichelt: X closed the shop af about 7.-0 on the evening of the 12th, locking the front door, and the side door, hanging the'key o| the latter in its usual place. The office window was closed, -rbut unfastfibed; so far as. I know, there ,waa: not ahy’faStening to it, and it could, boj jeadlyi opphed from the outside. The;s(W#B fy tin,of jieroacnb kept in the office, near,tfio wlpduvrjjand there ttfcht' have been liicipe tbcrpfmknown towel ‘dteichelt never' spokeytpeme about • any.; Tlibfe Were two keys to the front door, J had qnc and Reichelt the other. I tcwjk pjipe hmppwith me that.iAight, and it over tp the police the day. ■Reichelt' complained tp a bad headache onthOl-2th; M Tbc value qf the stock in the shop was over L2OOO ; it was;:not.less. T,made ap estimate dt Clkristu]a 3 | .it-WiW tfieu LIfOO, We had ehipmcpts pf tep or.t.wplvo.cascs after that. By Mr Bartpn : Reichelt could not have mpoved apytlupg of cpnaeiprencc without my pofibifigit,’ When t left the shop on the 12th, It was as , full as it had ever been. Stock wks : taken at Christmas. I know nothing particular about his affairs. We were doing thObest retail business in town ;

it was a good business, and beyond the usual season’a.dimmution,, there was no falling.off. The ’ premises were Reichelt.’s, - and he had been improving them up to the day of the fire. Three weeks before he papered Miss Cane’s,- . He was neither low spirited nor excited omthe' 12th. There hna'beeu a, filed botMfesPfiAHenl,,. spice jip pttUfid pp adodr they had 1 ma’ilC into our yank v If ; was My G. K. Tnrton apd not Reichelt who was reading the paper referred j.p by Mr Charles. X have got in at the back Window once. I gave tfie wholesale value of the stock- 1 By jury } lle-ipade additions! to the stock by 1 purchases hero. Our average takings were I«40 a week. The profits are about JR per-oonKy-ao that the takifigs would signify L2O worth of stock. At midnight the enquiry was adjourned till 2>p.m. on Monday.