The Recent Fire in Fergusson Street.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 193, 14 February 1895, Page 2

The Recent Fire in Fergusson Street.

THE INQUIRY. \ An enquiry was held at the Feilding Courthouse this morning into the cause of the recent fire, by which the premises owned by Mr W. D. Nicholas, and occupied by Mrs Barrett (draper) and Mr Prior (solicitor) were destroyed. The inquiry was held before Mr J. Lin ton, district coroner. The following jury was sworn in — Messrs William Carthew (foreman), W. F. Bramwell, Geo. Spence, G. Johnston, John Bishop, and W. G. Shearer. Mr Prior appeared to watch the proceedings for the owner of the premises, Mr Nicholas, and for the Liverpool, London, and Globe Fire Assurance Company. Constable Tuohy conducted the enquiry for the police. F. A Howell deposed : Occupied premises at the back of Mrs Barrett's shop with Mr D. Barrett ; on the night of Saturday, Feb 2, left off work about 11 p.m.; went to bed about 11.45 p.m.; went into the premises by the back door ; had no access whatever to the shop ; kept no kerosene iv his room ; was awakened by some pups yelping at about 12.40 a.m. on Sunday morning, and noticed the reflection of fire on his window ; then jumped out of bed, threw up the wiudow and got out into the pas- . sage between Mr Prior's office and Mrs Barrett's shop when he noticed the front portion of the latter was ou fire ; gave the alarm of fire and in a few minutes Mr Petherick and Mr Hodges came on the scene ; was undressed at time ; his clothing was in the room he slept in ; there were two boxes of articles belonging to his wife in a shed at the back which he intended to occupy as a sleeping room on the Sunday ; had no idea how the fire started ; the last time he was in the shop was on the previous Thursday or Friday ; had no idea of the value of drapery ; had never been burnt out before ; his effects were not insured. To the Foreman : The reason he was going to shift into into fcho shed at the back was because Mr Barrett told him lie wanted the room as he was going to bring his wife to Feilding ; had no interest in any insurance. Alice Hall deposed : Lived with her parents ; was employed up to February 2nd in Mrs Barrett's drapery shop as assistant ; have been occupied there off and ou since before Christmas ; on the night of February 2nd believed Mr Barrett was iv Wanganui ; this was the night of the fire ; the iast time she saw Mr Barrett in the shop was at about 10.30 a.m. on the Thursday morning previous ; Mr Barrett drove away ; did not see Mr Barrett again until the Monday after the fire ; the shop premises consisted of one room with a small portion partitioned off as a show-room ; there was a door leading from the shop into the kitchen ; this door was always kept locked by Mr Barrett's instructions ; the key was left in the lock on the shop side ; was certain the door was locked on the night of the fire ; left the shop that night between 20min and a quarter to 10 o'clock ; her step-father assisted her to shut up ; the shop was lit up by three lamps, one in each window and one in the centre of the shop ; saw the lights extinguished by her stepfather ; under the right-hand counter entering the shop there was packing paper loose ; was only on. that side of the shop once that evening at about 8.30 ; was by herself iv the shop since Mr Barrett left for Wauganui ; the shop was pretty well stocked ; on the night of the fire was in kitchen between 6 and 7 o'clock and locked the door immediately after ; had charge of the shop-door key, at the time of the fire ; there was no other door leading to the shop ; there was a window on the west (Halley's) side of the shop giving light to the show-room. To a Juryman ; The lamps were in good order. To the Foreman : Only knew of one key to the shop door. David Ross deposed : Was a tobacconist and hairdresser in Fergusson street ; the last witness was his step-daughter, and had been assisting Mr Barrett for some time ; ou the night of the fire lit the lamps and put them out again for his step-daughter ; closed the shop between 20 minutes and a quarter to 10 o'clock ; locked the door and gave the key to Miss Hall ; the door leading from the shop to the kitchen was locked on the night in question ; the key was left in the door on the shop Bide ; was certain of this because he examined it ; knew nothing about the window on Halloy's side of the shop ; had no idea how the fire originated ; had no interest in Mr Barrett's business. To Mr Prior : Knew Mr Barrett in Wanganui before he camo to Feilding and that was partly the reason witness' step-daughter went to work for him. To a Juryman : Mr Barrett was a baker by trade, bat his wife kept a drapery business. Herbert G. Flyger deposed ; On Saturday night the 2nd instant, was in company with Messrs Hodges and Petherick ; met them about 11 o'clock and stopped talking to them till about 12.30 when he left them to go home ; was going along Fergusson street and when passing Mr Barrett's shop noticed a glare of fire in the window ; the fire was on the right hand side of the shop between the counter and the shelves ; it had a fair hold when witness saw it ; at once shouted " fire " and went to ring the firebell ; tried to open the shop door before ringing the bell but it was locked ; did not know the cause of the lire ; had been in Barrett's shop about a fortnight before the fire ; the shop seemed fairly well stocked ; have had some experience with drapery and should roughly estimate Barrett's stock at .£600 ; there might have been much more or less. F. J. Petherick deposed : Was in company of H. Flygei.' at the corner of Stafford and Fergusson streets at 12.30 a.m. on the morning of February 3rd, at which time they parted company to go to their homes ; Mr Hodges was also present ; about three minutes after they parted heard the alarm of " fire " ; immediately ran back to Fergusson street and saw the fire ; the fire had then a strong hold ; hurried round to the back as he knew Mr Howell was bachelorising in rooms at the rear of the shop ; the back window (in Howell's room) facing Mr Mr Prior's office was open and Howell was in the act of getting through ; Howell was undressed and witness assisted him to remove his clothes ; Howell's room was full of smoke and he was yery much excited. David P. Barrett deposed: Was a baker and confectioner by trade ; at the end of June, 1892, his wife commenced a drapery and millinery business in Wanganui ; about the following September or October gave up his traae a.s baker and started hawking drapery; continued this until September, 1894, when he opened a. drapery and millinery business in Feilding in his wife's name ; when he first came to Feilding brought fifteen cases with him, which consisted of men's clothing and general drapery ; took these goods from his wife's shop in Wanganui ; the value of this stock would be from £'850 to .£900; had taken stock about six weeks before coming to Feilding, and thai; was how he arrived at the value ; all the stock was removed from Wanganui ; from that time to the date of the fire purchased about i'3oo worth of stock; his average monthly cash takings in the shop would be about J6O ; his book debts for the four months were about £30 ; his books were' all burnt ; he banked all his takings in Feilding, which included money received' for back debts fj:oui tliOproYiou^ buai-

ness ; his stock at the time of the lire was worth about £950 and .£1000 ; wit- , ness produced his bank-book, which showed money banked in Feilding amounted to .£285 17s 7d ; bis present indebtedness for goods was about £600 ; was owing about £350 when he came here ; insured his stock in Feilding for £700 during the first week in January ; on January 31st left Feilding for Para- ' wanui money hunting ; stopped in Bulls that night, and the following day drove to TurakiDa, where he stayed all day, and drove to Wanganui the same night ; stayed in Wanganui till Monday, when ! he returned to Feilding; the insurance j policy was in his wife's name ; there were heavy goods on tne right hand side of the shop ; the only side window in the shop had a patent catch and was never opened while he was there ; estimated his loss by the tire, above the insurance, at £300 ; Howell had no connection with witness in the business ; had no idea how the fire originated. To Mr Prior : Until he came to Feilding Howell was a stranger to witness. (Left sitting.)