TRAGEDY IN A STUDY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5375, 16 January 1929, Page 4

TRAGEDY IN A STUDY.

PROFESSOR FATALLY BURNED. “ROOM LIKE A FURNACE.” A professor of Edinburgh University was burned to death in a fire at his study in Edinburgh lately. He was Professor Alexander W. Mair, M-A., who occupied the Greek chair, and was. a leading authority on Greek. The professor’s, family, which consists of six sons and six daughters, '•ad all gone to bed at 11 o’clock, leaving him writing in his. study. On coming, downstairs about 7 o’clock next morning Mrs Mair was startled to see smoke coming from the s.tudy. She opened the door and found the loom full of smoke; and flames. The firemen got the fire under. control in about half an hour, and found the charred body o.f Professor Mail in an armchair by the fireplace. He was fully dressed and .wearing his boots. He; had evidently fallen asleep in the armchair. The position of the bedy suggested that he had awakened too late and tried to rise before he had

. It is not known whether the fire was caused by a spark falling, from the fire on papers which were; spread out, or whether the professor .himsejlf had accidentally set the papers alight while smoking.

One young fireman, William Robertson, forced his way into the room as soton as he arrived, but could not see; anything for smoke. His face was scorched! when he came out. Other firemen said the room was an abso-. lute furpace, and the whole study was, burned out.

-Miss Be;tty Mair, the eldest but one of the 12 children, said her mother go.t the family into the garden and summoned the fire br.ig.ade. Her father, she said, oftep tore up papers for which 'he had no further, use and threw them into .the fireplace. He slept in the study very often. Professor Mailr was working c.n articles.for the; “Encyclopaedia Britannica.” He had' just finis,hed 1 a translation of a Greek work, which was to be published in about a fortnight; The walls were lined with a valuable collection of books, which were destroyed.

Thq professor was regarded, in the university as a kindly old gentleman with a deep sense of humour. He took a close interest in the students, and often coached those who no,t able to pay ah outside cpacb, and never asked a penny for it.