THE MOSGIEL FIRE.

Evening Star, Issue 3784, 10 April 1875, Page 2

THE MOSGIEL FIRE.

An inquiry was held at Mosgiel yesterday before Mr J. Fulton, R.M., and a jury, relative to the late fire, whereby the Mosgiel railway passenger station house was burned, Peter Dey, builder, stated; I have a contract to erect a station-house at Mosgiel for .Vlessr s Brogden and Sons. 'ln Saturday, the 3rd mat., it was burned down. I estimate the loss at L 450. It was not insured. By a juror; There were tanks fitted to the building, but no taps in them.

Harry Holiday, carpenter, said: I was working on Saturday last at the station. At 2.30,1 was sitting on a bench morticing, when an engine passed. The wind was blowing towards the station from the rails. Two minutes after I heard a crackling noise behind me, and, on looking round, I saw a fire. The diameter of the burning would be about four feet, and two feet from where I sat. I tried to extinguish it by throwing boards on it, but did not succeed. There was a quantity of shavings and loose timber about the bench. I lost tools valued at L 3 and a coat. I do not smoke tobacco, ner had I any matches. t has. Abercrombie, engine driver, said : I ai “ a ’Q engine ddver in the employ of Brogden and Sons, working between Otakia and the Chain Hills. On Saturday last I passed the Viosgiel railway station. Shortly afterwards my attention was directed to smoke issuing from the station house. I went towards the fire, Mr Coates and others went to the fire. I remained with the engine. We bum lignite from Christie’s pit. It is as safe, I consider, as English coal as regards sparks. The engine has no safety screen on the funnel. I have never known the dried grass to be fired by the engine.

Robert Purvis, painter, said; On Saturday iMt I' was painting gates half-a-mile from the Mosgiel Railway passenger station. I saw a fence and tussocks burning fifty yards from where I was. There was no one there previous to my seeing the fire who could possibly -have set it on tire. The engine had passed a few minutes before. lam morally certain that this tire was caused by sparks from the engine that had passed. This was prerious to the station being burned. The jury unanimously returned a verdict to the effect that the fire was accidentally caused.