GRAND HOTEL FIRE.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 156, 13 July 1901, Page 2

GRAND HOTEL FIRE.

ENQUIRY RESUMED. MISS MORSE'S OPINI'"; OF JESSIE MINN. . [Special . \ kland, last night. At the enquiry . > the Grand Hotel fire Alice Maud alary '! irse, of Gisborne, formerly house-keeper at the Grand Hotel, who entered the room with difficulty.

being vei-v lame, deposed that on the night of the lire she retired to bed at about 10 minutes to eleven o'clock. She slept in a room on the top tloor. next to the three child’™:, and near Princess street. In the room next to witness Misses looyd and Myers slept. Witness was first disturbed by Mr Johnston's voice calling out and then by falling glass. Stic opened her door and tried to get out into the corridor, but was forced back by the smoke and dames. When she awoke her room was full of smoke, probably coming in through the fanlight. In the corridor the smoke was so dense that nothing could be seen. The whole building seemed to be burning. Witness heard no sound, though she 'listened, from the children's room, and concluded they had been saVcd. | Miss Boyd and Miss Myers appeared to awake at the same time as witness did. Witness went and opened her window, and the other two girls did the same. Those below invited her to jump, and'she did jump. She knew less of Henry Jones, night porter, than of the other people in the house. From what she knew of him she thought he was a very steady man. She never saw him take liquor. She looked upon Jessie Minns as a quiet and rather sensible girl, and good servant. Occasionally she seemed a little soft, or girlish, and younger than her age. Witness had no reason whatever to doubt her honesty. She was very slow. To Coroner : After dinner at nights Jessie might gossip with the other servants and make up for lost time by working later. Witness believed her to be truthful.

To Sub-Inspector: She did not have a great many opportunities of judging as to her voracity. Madame Wauters once

complained of the girl being late in coming to her bedroom, and the girl’s explanation was that she was behind with her work. If three men, not boarders at the hotel, had frequented the billiard room, witness thought she would have seen them.

The Sub-Inspector read the description given by Jessie. Minns of the three men she alleged m her evidence to have seen, and asked Miss Morse whether she had ever seen three such men at the hotel. Miss Morse said sho had not. If any three men such as described had been frequenters of the hotel for a month, it would not bo possible for her to have failed to sec them.

MISS MYERS’ EVIDENCE,

Miss Dlanche Myers, formerly barmaid at the Grand Hotel, who also entered the room walking lame, was next called. She deposed that on the night of the tiro sho went to bed about half-past eleven. Miss lioyd came upstairs about twenty minutes afterwards. They had no conversation. Some noise awakened witness, and she ran and opened the door, but was forced back by the smoke and dames, and then after Miss Morse had jumped from her window witness jumped and Miss Boyd followed.

The Sub-Inspector read the description of the three, men described by Miss Jessie Minns, and witness said she had never seen any persons answering to them in her bar. If such men had been daily frequenting' the house for a month and often in the billiard-room, sho must have seen them. She knew Miss Minns and looked upon her as an earnest, “ deep ” girl. To Mr O’Moagher : Witness was nineteen years of age.