Enquiry into the Recent Fire at. Waituna.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 61, 6 September 1894, Page 2

Enquiry into the Recent Fire at. Waituna.

(Continued.) Albert E. Aebcroft, agent, for the Imperial Insurance Company, deposed : On July 5 or 6 last was on his way back to Hunterville when he called into Mrs Millard's boarding house at Waituna for tea ; had done business with her husband while at Chineaiti ; she mentioned that she wanted her stock and furniture insured and that it would have been insured by Mr Goodbehere but that he hadn't time to go up to inspect ; she wanted £400 on the stock and £100 on the furniture; asked what other insurances there were on the building and contents and in what offices ; was told that Mr Elkiogton bad a policy on the building, witness was given to understand there were do other risks ; inspected the stock and furniture ; the shop appeared to be very full ; did not attempt to make any detailed valuation but concluded the value was there ; every room was well furnished and ia his opinion there was more value in the furniture than I the risks applied for ; Mra Millard went to Hunterville on July 7 and the risk was then taken out ; Mra Millard gave witness to understand that all the furniture was not paid for ; the inspection was made about 5 30 and it was dark, they having a candle to assist them. To Mr Prior : Before insuring was satisfied of the vaue of the risk. To Mr ?andilands: There were a few hoots and shoes, about £10 worth ; did not remember teeing any saddles or bridles ; noticed perfumery, toilet articles and patent medicines; valued these articles roughly at £40. To the police : Had he known there was a risk of £150 on the furniture would nut have taken a further risk ; did not notice any pictures of any value. To the Coroner: Had he known that the furniture was insured for £150, it was possible he would have insured the stock but not for the amount required as he was of opinion there was a greater margin on the furniture; it took between half an hour and three quarters of an hour to examine the values of the stock aud furniture. To a juryman: Have had very little experience in valuing store goods. , Jas. Hanson deposed : Was a storekeeper at Waituna; have seen Mra Millard a few times ; she has obtained groceries from his store since she has been at Waituua ; was in the house between August 12 and the second fire ; did not take particular notice of the stock ; have never been inside to inspect the stock but have seen it from the door and window ; roughly should value the stock at £250; could not say if there waa £400 worth of stock there. To Mr Prior: One of Sclandera' travellers was with him at tlie time he looked into Mrs Millard'a door ; from that glance he made the estimate of £260. To Air Sandilanda : There were a few boots in the store ; could not give any idea of their values ; did not notice any saddlery. J. R. Montague, auctioneer, Falmerston North, deposed : Knew Mrs Millard; supplied Lovell with furniture for the Waituna accommodation house about 6-months ago ; it amounted to £128 16b lOd ; he paid £10 on account and gave a P.N. for £60 3s 3d due on August 4th, and one for £58 18s 7d, due on May 4th, 1894; neither P.N. has been paid ; the reason was because witness took the furniture from Lovell before they were matured ; from reports aa to the man agement of the house went up in April 1 6th, with a legal gentlemen and took an immediate bill of sale ; Mra Millard and Mrs Dixon happened to be there on that day ; Lovell told witneaa that Mra Millard waa negotiating for the purchase of the good will ; this furniture was insured by Lovell in the Phoenix office for £150; the policy was transferred to witnesa on April 16th and was cancelled on or about August 1 3th ; sometime after witness sold the whole of the furniture to Mrs Millard for £100 ; while in PaJmeraton Mrs Millard paid £5 deposit on the furniture ; on May 7th arranged the sale and handed over the furniture to her ; took two P.N.s for payment the first of which will mature on September 10th, it amounts to £49 3s sd. the second for £50 7a 5d matures on December 10th; did not inform Mrs Millard witness held an insurance policy on the furniture for £150; on May 7th, as Lovell was going away, witness was asked to try and sell the former's furniture to Mra Millard, who told witness she did not require it as she had plenty of furniture at Haleombe ; sold £6 worth of articles to Mrs Millard on account of Lovell ; valued the whole of Lovell'a goods at £20 ; this waa outside the goods covered by the bill of sale ; Mrs Millard did not give witness a bill of sale ; apart from the furniture suenmerated there was nothing in the building ; included all Lovell's private furniture in the bill of sale ; saw Mrs Millard's , shop At Balcombe and would estimate the value of the stock there at £150 at the lowest ; Mrs Millard had not put anything into the Waituna store on May 7th. To Mr Prior : Could not give any idea of the value of Mra Millard'a furniture at Haleombe aa he bad only been in the dining room aud store ; the price paid for the furniture by Mrs Millard was considerably in favor of the purchaser Frank Buddie, deposed: Was at the Waituna store and boardinghouse on August Ist; arrived there about 8 o'clock in the evening and found Woodgate, Cavanagh, Smith, Mrs Strain, and Mrs Millard's three boys (Alfred, George, and Isaac), on the premises; did not go there by invitation on that night ; went there to spend the evening ; witness was told by Cavanagh that if he would stay there overnight he (Cavanagh) would drive witness to Feilding next day ; spent the evening in the parlor ; understood Cavanagh was manager there; occupied the parlor until 11 o'clock, with the exception of a few minutes when they went to the kitchen for supper ; Mrs Strain and the Milloard boys only spent part of the time in the '(parlor ; could not say at what time the boys went to bed ; Cavanagh may not have been out of their company more than tea minutes at one time ; when they went to supper Cavanagh went out for pro\>-

was in the rooni occupied tij Smith, Wobdgate, ajnd witness, previous to his retiring to bed ; this room was adjoinirig the Shop; they went to their rooms at£ about eleven o'clock ; about a quarter" of an hour after heard a noisr* in the shop like something dropping, and spoke to Smith about it ; they both got out of bed and, after locating the fire 1 , called to Cavanagh ; Woodgate was then called and witness dressed himself ; took aju«ofwater with him and ran to the shop, the door of which was now open 3 believed Cavanagh was in the sitting room; eventually the fire was put out, after about from twenty to thirty minutes' work ; during this time Oayanagb was in thfl passage; he (Cavanagh) only assisted . by removing > table and getting * candle after the flame was was put out ; should say the, fire had been started about! ten minutes when he saw it first ; the fire was all under the counter and up the wall between the sitting room and store; believed there were straw . hats under the counter, where the body of the fire was ; when he went to the shop door first it was shut; there could have been more stuff put on the shelves in the shop; did not smell any kerosene in the shop ; the centre room (No. 5) on the left hand side was the one Cavanagh occupied ; it was possible, .for a person without boots to pass the vropm occupied by witness without being heard ; have not heard ot any thing that would point . to the origin of the fire; on August Ist; referring' to the fire on August 20th, went to Millard's on the Sunday previous at about 6.45 and le£t again at IL4OJ was in the kitchen something under an' hour before he left ; there was a fire in the kitchen fireplace at the time. — / To Mr Prior : Believed Cavanagh was asleep, undressed, in bed when witness called him ; when witness went back to the parlor, -after dressing: believed Cavanagh was there ; did not remember seeing matches pn^H the premises.*. /'.: 'i ! ' : '■':''' '■ ; -- -'«:;'■-■ "'-• To Mr Sandilands: Mrs Millard was in Feilding . when ■ i &jb'fisipi fire occurred; had not been often in the shop ; had never seen saddlery ; in the shop; there did not appear to be Ja great many boots and shoes in the shop; the rooms were' fairly well furnished. „.. ' .. :i r „'/!- V'^'i' ■ To a juryman : Did not' know if there had been any fire in the sitting room during the evening of the first fire. "' '• ' ' : ' '"' : : - : '- ] " 7 ' ■■:■ --O -<._■'■ . ■. : To the Coroner: There was a light in Cavanagh's bedroom they noticed the fire ; did not khoy? where Cavanagh went when he left their room. . ■■'<■< -.;, . . . . ,•■':_. ■li'ij--. : . WEDNESDAY, Sw^MflEß 5- ! '■ / / i Alfred MiDard deposed : Wat the ion of Albert and Bridget Millard,. was 16\ years of age ; remembered the Jlrst fire at his mother's place i; BuddUe, Smith, Wood* gate and Caysnsgh wisre m (He Jiouse^het evening ; witness did not know whether the shop was . open or : not jem, that day I witness was apparently 'very unwilling to answer questions and was cautioned by the Coroner] ; he spent the, greater part of the evening in the parlor with tho before-mentioned persons ij Mrs Strain was in the kitchen most of tho time;, waa in the parlor just going to bed ; was not in the store after tea that evening, neither had he the keja; only know of the oao key which opened the door between the sitting room and store (or bar); did not know if any keys from the bedroom doors would unlock the door in question; qccu* pied the bedroom, right opposite where the three men slept ; his brothers went to bed a little before witness ; about three or four " bob " was the usual taking each day; went to bed about nine; there ware book debts at Haleombe and Waituna, about £10 at the latter place but he did not know how much at the former place ; the books were burnt in the fire 'which took place on August 20; the firat he heard of the fire on August 1 was when Cavanagh shouted: out there was a^fire in the shop ; Cavanagh was not dressed ; when witness went to the shoo the fir* was under the counter when about two dozen hats were stored; took bis own box to Feilding four or five days before the second fire; left it at BUderbeck's ; the box contained wearing apparel; $ook the box away from Waituna as he waa going to work near Bulls ; Mrs Pixoo got the situation for witness, / ' 17 In reply to Mr Prior: Did not actually go to Bulls as the man had l secured another boy; his mother told him, to go to Haleombe and secure a horsVto take him to Waituna, where, he waa to -stay until his mother returned ; the articles in his box/had all been worn. -3 To Mr Sandilande: The goods in tha store consisted of drapery and groceries ; kept bridles at Wsituna but did <not see any saddles . there ; there : were between 20 and 80 pairs of boots in the" store; ' \ To a juryman : Did mainly a cash trade at Waituna. -■- " ■ r At the conclusion of Mrs: Millard'a evidence, and when the witnesses A.' Cavanagh, H. Woodgate, Constable Tuohy, W. Millard, a. Strain, Misa M. Whale, R C. Orbell, W. E. Normao, W. Turner had been examined the jury, after about 15 minutes consideratibn/returned a verdict "that no evidence of the origin of the said fires doth appear to the jnry." ■ . . : {Owing to the pressure on onr space and to the fact that we are publishing the evidence as full as possible, we are compelled to hold over till to-morrow's issue the evidence given by several witnesaea.l