CORONER'S INQUEST.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 13, Issue 664, 15 March 1869, Page 2

CORONER'S INQUEST.

THE LATE FIRE IN THE BOILING-DOWN ESTABLISHMENT. At 2 - 30 p.m. on Thursday last, 11th March, an inquest was held on the premises of the Boilingdown Company, West Give, before Thomas. Hitchings, Esq., Coroner, and a jury, of which Mr 11. Cashmore was chosen foreman, as to the causes which led to the late fire. The following: is a summary of the evidence taken;—Owen Cowen, sworn, deposed :—I am a work-, man in tha employ of the manager of the Boilingdown Establishment; my occupation is wooh washing. I left off work on the evening of Thursday the 4th March at 6 o'clock, the usual hour,, At that time I neither saw nor smelt anything uncommon about the place, At about 3 or 3 a.m. on Friday I was disturbed by the barking of dogs kept on the premises. The barking of dogs was peculiar, and gave me the impression that people were about the place. I got out and looked about,, but saw no person. On coming into my room I remarked to the cooper that I was sure there was, somebody about the place. I then went to bed again. In about twenty minutes after I was aroused by a man named Barrows, who slept in the same room calling out fire, I then looked out, and saw the flames blazing through the roof of the building on the south side close to the cooper's, shop. There was wool stowed immediately under or contiguous. I don't think it could have been burning long. It was a clear, moonlight night* In less than half an hour the whole building had caught. The place where, in my opinion, it originated was some eight or ten yards from the en-gine-room, The fire reached tlie latter last of all There had been no strangers about the day before-! that I know of; and I have never hoard anyone] in any way make any threats. There were a dozen or more'slept in the room with me that night. I believe they were all in bed, I once saw a wool, ship on fire in Sydney harbor, and another in Mel-j bourne, The cause of the fire in both cases was attributed to the combustion of wool, I have quently seen wool become heated both in and out of a hale I am unable to say if heated wool, would ignite shavings or other combustible maw ter. '! B, E, Friberg, sworn, deposed.—l am managed of the Hawked Bay Boiling-down Establishmenty I was sleeping on the premises on the morning o£j sth inst., and was aroused between 9 and 3 a.mJ by an alarm of fire. The fire, when I first saw itl was contiguous to the cooper's shop. The fati&m

were bursting through the roof. There were 133 bales of wool in the building, mostly in the grease. T was in the building and left it for the night at 9 p ra. The evening before I locked the doors, and no one could have gained access except by getting in through the windows. There had been a fire in the engine-room nil day on Thursday. The live embers in the furnace were raked as usual to the back of the furnace, and I left everything secure, so fi' r as * ne usua l precautions went. I have examined the furnace, and have no reason to believe, it faulty in its construction. lam unable to give anv opinion as to the origin of the fire. When wool is burning it emits so strong as mell that vour attention is drawn to it. There were six [ ons of tallow in the building. We use tallow candles in lanternsi ngeneral. There was one man (the engine-driver) at work up to nine o'clock with me. We neither of „ s went to the cooper's shop that night. It is w v impression that the fire was the work of an incendiary; but lam unable to fix suspicion upon anyone; my reason for so thinking being that the building could scarcely have caught fire of its own acc ord after having been left so many hours in apparent safety. Ido not think that any of the contents of the building took fire spontaneously. I do not keep a watchman. Richard Barrows, sworn, deposed:—l am tC workman in the employ of the manager of the ]?oiling-down Establishment. On the morning of Friday, the sth March, I was sleeping in the barracks. Between 2 and 3 o'clock I awoke and saw a glare of light. I rushed to the door and gave the alarm of fire to the other workmen. The fire commenced at the south-east side.of the building, near to the cooper's shop. There were over a hundred bales of wool in the building. They were jtovred three tiers high. Ou Thursday evening, to close the windows, I stood upon the wool, and if any of them had becu smouldering, I should have detected it. I am unable to assign any cause of fire. I saw the cooper at work that day. I never saw him smoke in the building when at work. There is a chimney in the cooper's shop, used in his trade. There was no fire lighted ou the Thursday. The jury returned as their verdict that there was n o evidence as to the cause of the fire.