FATAL FIRE.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2440, 31 January 1882, Page 3

FATAL FIRE.

SEVEN PSESONS BURNT AT WEST EYREION,

On Monday morning the dwelling-house of Mr Honry Simpson, farmer, was rased to the ground about 9 a.m., and his wife and six young children, forming his entire family, perished. The guard of the train through West Eyreton was tho first to give information at Oxford of the melancholy occurrence. Sergeant McDonald, in charge at Oxford, forthwith proceeded to the spot, and Constable Johnston was despatched from Kaiapoi. Our representative reached the scene of the fire, which is to tho right and near the Eyreton railway station, at about half-past 2 p.m. The house, which stood a chain from the main road, had by this time been reduced to the smallest mass of ruins possible after burning for about seven hours, only a heap of brickbats, utensils, A;,, remaining. The building had been entirely of wood, covered with wooden shingles, a verandah in front, facing the road, covered with iron. The main building stood over a ground area of 25ft by 13ft,and is said to have been newly erected. It was in four rooms, two in the lower floor, and two in the upper story. At the oast end was a brick chimney, with one fireplace only in tho room, which served for the kitchen and dining-room of the house. The other room downstairo in this part was used by Mr Simpson and his wife as their bedroom, and with them slept a baby about three months old. The room upstairs, farthest from the fireplace, was occupied as a bedroom by four children, whose ages varied from one and ahalf years to seven years. At the back was a small lean-to. So far as could be learned of tho affair, Mr Simpson and hie harvest men were about at from five to six o’clock a.m. Tho former bad bis breakfast, and the latter the hot water for tea from tho house, Mrs Simpson (ono of the deceased) having prepared the same. After breakfast Mr Simpson loft the house to proceed with harvest work at Swannanoa, some distance away, and G. Chappell, one of the men, with himself, were the last to leave. As they were going away his wife called out “Good bye,” and hoped they were going to have a fine day. In about half an hour after Mrs Simpson, who had given her youngest brother, Thomas Hanna, about thirteen, his breakfast, bid him also “ Good bye,” he going to catch the train for the Kaiapoi school. The Simpsons’ children were not then up, and whether Mrs Simpson returned to bed or not is not known, but at between eight and nine o’clock fire was seen issuing from the house at the chimney end by Mr Andrew Frizzell, one of the nearest neighbors, and by Mr W. Major, who gave the alarm as far as possible —a matter of no little difficulty in so sparsely settled a district. Mr Simpson was told by Mr S, Sellars, one of the linemen, that he believed it was his house burning. By this time the return train from Kaiapoi to Oxford passing the spot, Guard Woodward was informed, and he told tho police there, as well as kindly telegraphed to a gentleman in Kaiapoi to communicate with two of Mrs Simpson’s sisters, who are in service, and to Mra Hanna (widow of Mr T. Hanna) her mother. When Sergeant McDonald, who reached the scene of the fire at 12.45, arrived he commenced the work of searching for the bodies of those supposed to have been burned. Tho first found was on an iron bedstead which stood in the downstairs bedroom, and proved to be the baby, about three months old. This body was not identifiable, except for some little clothing, though not so much calcined as the others, and the part of the clothing was intact possibly from the fact that the child had been enveloped in the blankets and coverings. The arms and legs were, however, entirely consumed. The next two were children, who were found about three yards from the ruins of the iron bed, and had fallen there, no doubt, from the upstairs room. The body which was the largest and no doubt that of Mra Margaret Simpson, was met with about two yards from the iron bedstead. Another body the sergeant found about eighteen inches from the bedstead. After a deal of search Constable Johnston, who had arrived at 1.10 p.m,, found the seventh body, also in the ashes close to the bedstead. From the manner in which Mr Simpson states the deceased children slept upstairs, it is almost certain they had been suffocated in their room with the smoke, and after the fire the bodies had fallen, as related, into the room below. The bodies found correspond with the number of Mr Simpson’s family, which comprised Mra Margaret Simpson, 28 years ; Matilda do, 7 ; Thomas John do, 6£ ; Sarah do, 4£ ; Ann Jane do, 2?r ; William do, 1J ; Henry do, 3 months. The remains were carefully taken to a safe place, and covered by the officers, who sent an order to tho undertaker at the Oust to prepare shells for their reception. In no [case wore the remains identifiable, tho legs and arms being completely burned away, and merely the trunk and head remaining; the head of tho larger one very much calcined, and the extremities reduced to ashes, showed tho fierceness of the heat. The cause of the fire is not explained in any way except such as may be assumed by inference. The chimney at tho east end referred to had fallen in, during the conflagration, but at the fireplace was noticed among the bricks a fryingpan, which had apparently been on the range at the time of the fire. It is stated this was used to cook the breakfast, and it may be assumed from the fact that when the fire was first seen it wasTssning from near the chimney, the fat in the pan must have caught alight, end then ignited the mantelpiece, and set tho house in flames. Mrs Simpson had possibly made an attempt to save the baby first, and been suffocated then, that the children upstairs were from a like cause prevented from descending the stairs to make good their escape, and so met their deaths. This seems to bo the most reasonable conclusion to bo drawn from tho evidence obtainable on the spot. It is also possible that after the younger brother had gone away for the train at about seven o’clock, Mrs Simpson might have returned to bed, and some of tho fire might have fallen out of the grate and so ignited the timbers of tho house, but on the spot the impression tha*. the frying pan had been a factor in the dire disaster seemed to be the most popular opinion. Very few particulars could be obtained from Mr Simpson who, almost naturally in a calamity of this kind, was unablo to collect his thoughts or do anything in fact but deplore and bewail his sad and sudden bereavement in a manner which was heartrending to the spectators. Tho building is said to be insured ia the Liverpool and London and Globo office for £IOO, there being also a policy held from tho same company of £25 upon the furniture and effects. This sad affair has cast a gloom over the residents in the locality, who deeply sympathise with Mr Simpson, a hard working industrious farmer, and with the relatives of Mrs Simpson, who by her energetic habits and genial manner was a favorite with everyone. An inquest will be opened to-day at 10 a.m,, before O. Whitefoord, Esq., coroner. LATEB PARTICULARS. The boy Hanna, who was the last to leave the house, has stated that Mrs Simpson went with him part of the diatance to the railway station, and he saw her from tho train enter the house again. He says that it ia probable when she got home she would begin milking tho cows, which she usually did before dressing her children, In this case the fire might have originated while she was so employed, and she might have met her death while making a gallant attempt to rescue her little flock. It seems from the boy’a statement that the four elder children were sleeping upstairs, the baby in Mrs Simpson’s bed down stairs, and the next youngest in n cot also i= downstairs bedroom.