THE FATAL FIRE AT WEST EYRETON.

Kumara Times, Issue 1671, 6 February 1882, Page 2

THE FATAL FIRE AT WEST EYRETON.

INQUEST ON THE BODIES. [Abridged from the Christchurch Press.] On Tuesday last an inquest was opened at the bouse of Mr John Fizzell, West Eyreton, touching the death of Mrs Simpson and her family of six children, who were burned in their dwelling house on the previous Monday morning. The coroner (C-. Whitefoord, Esq.) and jury inspected the ruins of the house and .the remains of the bodies found in the ashes. Henry Simpson, the husband and father, who was allowed to sit, deposed I am a farmer, living at West Eyreton. I lived at the place which the jury have visited. I was the husband of Margaret Simpaon. Yesterday morning I Igft between five and six o’clock to go.reap, ing with some other men to a paddock belonging to Mr Robert Dailey, at Swaunauoa. When I left home I left my wife’s -brother, Thomas Hanna (thirteen),.my wife, and all, my children. [Here the feelings of witness gave way.] There were six children. family were, Margaret Simpson, aged about twentj'-six ; Matilda, seven years • Thomas John, five and a-half; Sarah, four; Ann Jane, two and a-half; William James,, one and a half; and Henry, a baby, three months. When I left, my wife was up out of bed. The children were not out of bed. My wife’s brother was up when I left. The house was built of wood with shingle roof. I had breakfast before leaving, and the fire was lit for tea. There were two rooms in the house downstairs and.two rooms upstairs. The fireplace was iu the room downstairs, used as a kitchen, and the other room was used as our own bedroom. All the children slept upstairs except the infant and the one next youngest, namely, Wiliiam James (one and a half years old), who slept in our room. The fireplace in the kitchen was a grate of two ’standards, with four bars across it, and was an open fireplace. We used manuka wood as fuel, and old stakes ; at all events it was always wood. There was not a high wind blowing when I left home. The wind came from the east. The back door would be facing northwards. The kitchen room was lined with matched boards; the ceiling was of wood. When I left home my wife had three cows to milk and life children to dress. The field in which I was working was about seven miles from ray own house. Mr Sellars one of the permanent way men on the line, told me about the fire about nine o'clock. He said he feared ray house was burned, and in consequence of that I put the mare in the cart and started for home directly. There were neighbors there. On the way Mr Fizzel’s son told me the house was down. Arrived at the house I found (he house down, and the fire was si ill burning. Had never observed that when the wind blew into the kitchen sparks were blown about it; in tact a passage from north to south in the house would prevent the wind going into the kitchen. The house was a comparatively new one, having been erected about two years ago. There was an insurance of £ioo on the house and £25 upon the contents. I could not give the value of the house, as it was put up at different times. It was woith considerably over £IOO. Corroborative evidence was adduced by other witnesses of the finding of the calcined bodies. The Coroner, in summing up, said this was a heartrending case. It was unfortunate the boy and father had to go away, and the cause of tile fire could never be quite cleared up. Whether the fire started from a spark on the roof near the chimney, or in the kitchen, had not been determined, but it seemed to have, so far as they could see, been a case of accident. There appeared no douht but that the remains viewed were those of Mrs Simpson and her unfortunate children, and he, as well us the jury, must deeply com-’ miserate with Mr Simpson in his affliction. The jury brought in a verdict—- “ That Mrs Simpson and her children met their deaths through the burning of their bouse, but that there is no evidence to show in what manner the 1 fire originated.” • (