THE INQUEST ON THE LATE FIRE.

Kumara Times, Issue 505, 10 May 1878, Page 2

THE INQUEST ON THE LATE FIRE.

Yesterday afternoon an inquest on the late fire in Main street was held in the Court House, before the Coroner (M. Price, Esq.) and the following jury:—Messrs Peter Dungan (Foreman), R. M'Lean, D. Hannan, S. M. George, Jas. Wood, John Tuckey, J. S. Pearn, Jas. Miller, F. Passliouse, Tom Adams, Jas. Drammond, Lewis Moses, Michael Murphy, F. G." Hawkins, and M. Griffiths.

Mr Jas. Chesney watched the proceedings on behalf of the Phoenix Insurance Company, and Mr F. Learmonth on behalf of the South British.

The following evidence was taken : John Bulstrode, licensed victualler, deposed : Was at the Club Hotel on the night of May 2; the last persons who left that night were Mr King and Mr Kebble; after they left a boy named Fred Reid slept in the house] Mr Kebble left between 12 and 1 a.m.; the boy Reid went to bed about 11 o'clock; I went to bed as soon as Kebble left. One kerosene lamp was lighted in the passage, and one in the big room upstairs. I put the light in the passage out, and used the one upstairs. Two stove 3 were in use downstairs that night—one in each parlor ; there are no stoves upstairs. There was no fire in the kitchen after 8 or 9 o'clock. The stoves stood on sheetiron plates. Was in each of these rooms betore going to bed ; there were the remains of a fire in each stove; from the construction of the stoves nothing could have fallen onto the floor. I locked the back-door about 11 o'clock. During the evening no person occupied the back part of the premises. There were no servants in the house that evening. I slept in the back room ; the boy slept with me. The boy was asleep when I went to bed. I put the lamp out when I went to bed. I was awoke by a noise of somethiug falling down. I woke up the boy and asked him if he smelt anything. It was quite dark when I awoke ; there were no flames or light of any kind to be seen. While I was speaking to the boy something else fell. I opened the dporand looked into the passage, and found it full of smoke. I put on my. trousers ; 1 told the boy to do the same. I couldn't get along the passage for smoke, coming apparently from the staircase. I could see no flame. Opened a window at the other end of the passage. The hoy in the meantime had run to the top of the stairs and was screaming. I went and pulled him to the window, and chucked him out onto a skillion. I then goo out myself. The roof of the skillion was warm to the feet. When we got to the edge of the skillion we saw a fire through the roof of the bakery. No fire appeared to be in my house then. The sides of the hotel and of the bakery were close together. When I got down I saw Constable Hatton there. We got round to the back-door, aud burst it in; immediately afterwards the fire burst in from the front of the house. I couldn't get round to the front then as I had no boots on. The smoke I saw first must have been 1 from my own place. All that was saved was the boy's little carpet bag, and a coat. Everything belonging to me was destroyed. When I was on the roof I called out " fiie" and "help." No one came, and we went up towards Griffith's to get into the street. I had-about £24 in my pockets, and a valuable watch and chain ; these were all lost. When we got to the street the front was all on fire. The building was insured for £6oo—£soo in the South British and £IOO in the Phoenix ; the stock and furniture were insured for £IOO, and the Die-shop for £IOO. The house was of timber with au iron roof. The stock and furniture were worth at.least £4OO. I have not the slightest idea how the fire originated. About five minutes elapsed from T awoke until we got out of the window.

In reply to the foreman : I apprehended no danger from the fires in the stoves. I locked the baok-door myself. It was not possible for anyone to have remained in the house after I looked lit. To jurymen : I don't remember hearing the fire-bell; there was no possibility of the woodwork catching from the stove-pipes. To the Coroner: I can form no idea a< to where the fire started; when there was much fire in- the stoves when Igo to bed I chucked water on it. The pie-shop was built of wool with an iron roof; the place ost me £2OO and I have bean getting £1 a-week for it.

Frederick Reid, a boy 13 years of age, corroborated the major portion of the foregoing statement. He had been staying with Mr Bulstrode for the past fortnight as a guest. After being awoke, and putting on his trousers, he went to the top of the Btaircase, and saw flames coming up from below. He thought Mr Bulstrode had gone in that direction. Mr Bulstrode came over to hira from the window. When he got on to the roof of the bakehouse, the flames were going up between the two buildings. He thought it was coming from Mr Bulstrode's house, and reaching to the other. When he got to the ground he pushed a ladder towards Mr Bulstrode.

To the Foreman : I could'nt say how low down the fire between the two buildings was. To a juryman: I did'nt hear the five-bell till I got outside. James Robertson, baker, deposed that he heard the alarm of fire raised by his son and daughter just before the tire-bell rang ; rushed to the back, and saw Bulstrode's window lighted up by a fire inside. He went to save the children, and on returning found his bedroom on fire. There was no fire in his own place at first. Went to bed about 1.3 Q. a.m. Had no fire in his own place that night except in the oven; there were no signs of fire from the bake-house. He lost everything. There was a row of windows in Bulstrode's alongside the bakery. George (Drains; night-watchman, gave evidence similar to his statement published in the Ktjmara Times of the 3rd inst.

Constable Mdncrieff deposed that he was on duty on the morning of the fire. About twenty minutes past three he saw smoke coming from the rear of the Club Hotel. He was at the opening between the Club Hotel and Mulligan's shop. Flames were issuing from the Club Hotel, and had caught the pieshop ; the} were coming through the wall j saw no fire from the pieshop; heard something falling, and thought it was iu Bulstrode's. He s;iw Armstrong and someone else break open the door, and ihe fire then burst out. Was returning towards the hotel when he heard the noise, and all was right the moment before when he passed by. Did not think the tire could have originated in the bar.

Constable Hatton deposed that he was awakened by the (ire-bell. Got,up and saw the Club Hotel on fire ; the flames were issuing from the rooms on the right of the passage at the back,of the liar, and gririg towards the back of the house. Entered and passed through the passage, and saw Bulstrode and the boy at the back ; he was looking at a bird-cage, and told him (witness)-how he got out from one of the top. windows. The flames were coining from the baek of the bar from about sit. up to the top; the bar was not then oh fire, but the next parlor was. He saw no one trying to save the property. When he first saw Bulstrode he had on trowsers, shirt, vest, and slippers or boot i. The buck door was open. He asked Bulstrode a few questions, and went round to the front. The bakery had not caught fire when he first reached' the place. On the weatherboard side the flames were burning up' from the right to the left. ■ John Jorgenson deposed that on hearing the alarm of fire he rushed out, aud saw fire and flight from the parlor, and going backwards in Bulstrode's Hotel. When, he burst open the. front door the bar was not on fire, but the two parlors were ablaze. When he and others burst open the passage door, the smoke was . so thick -that- no one could get in. They could 6ee nothing to save, so they went to Mulligan's.* There was no fire iu the passage, but it was full of smoke. He did not go round to the back, but went to save Mulligau's goods. The fire seemed to have originated either from the stove or stovepipe in Bulstrode's parlors. He did not see Bulstrode then.

This brought the evidence to a conclusion.

I The Coroner said this was one of J those calauiatous tires which had already i been of two frequent occurrence here, J tetiding to cast suspicion on some par- | ties who might possibly be quite in- | nocent of any ulterior motives. He ! then enumerated the three sorts of verdicts which it was competent fur the jury to give, and concluded by remarking that there was net u tittle of evidence to show how the fire originated, although the evidence, especially j that.of Constable H'attou, Was'.f6rjr_ I clear .thit-.i£>-iirak'e out in Bulstrode's" Hotel. He now left the matter in the ; hands of the jury.. 1 The Court was then cleared of the general public, and after the laps<3 of a quarter of an hour, the Foreman; announced that the following verdict had been unanimously agrned to;—" That the fire originated in the house of John Bulstrode, known as the Clrb -H-ytel, but that the cause afcf he said fire is" to the jurors unknown." '