TOWN HALL FIRE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 0234, 17 April 1926, Page 3

TOWN HALL FIRE.

CORONIAL INQUIRY.

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE AS TO

CAUSE,

An inquest touching the destruction of the Town Hall by tire on March 9th, was held at the request of the Foxton Fire Board, before Mr. Alf. Fraser, Coroner, at the Court House yesterday. Senior Detective Quirke conducted the inquiry on behalf of the police. William Trueman, Town Clerk, in evidence stated that on the morning of the 10th March he was aroused by the Waterworks foreman and proceeded to the Town Hall. Ho was not the first to arrive on the scene and on his arrival the hall was well alight and some hours later was totally destroyed. The hall was the proparty of ,the borough of Foxton and was constructed of wood and iron. On three or four nights a week it had been used as a picture theatre and on other nights for public and social entertainments. The front part of the building had four small rooms in it and the rest of the building comprised the auditorium and stage. Mr. James McKnight was actingcaretaker at the time. Had visited the site of the fire on several occasions and on one visit a man showed witness a burnt tin (produced), discovered after the removal of the debris. Witness was not able bo establish any connection between the tin and the fire but. the man who found it did. Witness thought it to be an ordinary condensed milk tin. The perforations on the tin were easily explained. At socials held in the hall in the past, it was .customary to prepare refreshments in the sup-per-room, and it was possible that a fork had been used to open a condensed milk tin in the absence of a tin opener. It was probably ten days after the fire that witness was shown the tin. The insurance on the hall was £4OOO and £7O on the library books and fittings. The contents of the ladies’ rest room (£2O) were not insured. Witness estimated the actual value of the building at £SOOO. The building could not be replaced except for an amount .considerably in excess of this sum. A few months prior to the fire the whole building had been re-wired for electric ligh purposes, and passed by the Power Board inspector. The contents of the library were valued at £IOO. Witness was present with Constable Owen and Mr. Morrison (Sta.te Fire Office) when an examination of the locks of the building were made. All were locked and did not show any indication of interference. Exceptional care had been taken during the cartaker’s absence against fire. N. A. Boss, stated in evidence that on the 9th March he was present at a Tennis Club meeting held between 8 and 10 p.m. in the ladies’ rest room in the Town Hall. Several members indulged in cigarette smoking during the evening. After the meeting all left the building together after turning off the light. This was about 10 p.m. The front doors were pulled to, automatically locking themselves. Everything appeared to be quite all night when the meeting, terminated. Witness passed the hall between 12.30 and 1 a.m. and there was no sign of lire then.

James McKnight gave evidence to the effect that on 10th March he was temporary caretaker of the hall. At about 10 p.m. on the night in question witness was in the hall. Witness entered the hall to put out a light which was burning at the foot of the stage and to pull out the main switch at the meter. Witness was accompanied by his son. Entrance was gained through a back door, and witness passed the front of the stage and went up the centre of the building. Witness used an electric torch while in the building. The main switch was located in the operating room. Witness looked in the room in which the meeting had been held, but did not notice anything unusual. They both left the building by the front door after being in the hall about a minute and a-half. Except for the tennis party, who had just vacated the hall, witness did not see anyone about. Witness did not know anything about the fire until the next morning. It would be impossible to open the hall doors from the outside. No matches were struck in the hall nor were either witness or his son smoking. There was a small door at the rear of the hall, covered mei'ely with wire gauze, which opened out from the engine room into the police station yard. From the engine room it was possible to gain admission to any part of the hall. The door could be easily forced and it was very near the ground. As far as witness knew all windows had been secured in the hall. The Town Hall engine had not been in use for about five months.

John Wyeth, nightwatchman, deposed that it was part of his duty to watch the Town Hall. On the night of the lire witness passed the hall four times between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. Nothing unusual was noticed on any occasion nor was anyone seen about or near the hall. About 2.15 a.m. witness noticed a reflection of lire in the direction of the hall as he was proceeding up Main Street. Witness immediately gave the alarm, after which he proceeded to Mr. Woodroofe’s dwelling next to the hall and then on to the police-station. This would occupy about 10 minutes. Witness was met at the police station by con-

stable and Mrs Owen. Witness noticed nothing suspicious at any time prior to the fire. The night was very windy. It would have been very difficult to smell, the fire when passing the hall as the wind was blowing in the opposite direction.

G. T. Woodroofe in evidence stated that he lived next to the hall. Witness retired to bed between 8.30 and 9 p.m. on the night of the fire. Nothing unusual was noticed in the vicinity of the Town Hall that evening. At about 2.30 a.m. witness was awakened by a noise, and on looking out discovered the hall was on fire. The whole building appeared to be ablaze, and the smoke was blowing to the rear of the building. On several occasions prior to the fire witness had seen the door of the engine room next to the cartaker’s cottage open between 5 and 5.30 a.m. Witness had noticed this fact as he went past the door to procure water for household purposes.

To Mr. Trueman: Could not swear whether this occurred while the caretaker was away. Witness procured water while the caretaker was away.

John 11. Downes, gas manager, and superintendent of the local fire brigade, deposed that at 2.10 a.m. on the 10th the brigade received a call to the Town Hall. Witness arrived on the scene, within five minutes. The whole building was a mass of flames, which were coming through the building from the stage end. A nor-westerly gale was blowing. Witness could form no definite idea as to where the fire started. After the fire a search was made of the ruins, but nothing could be found that led witness to believe the outbreak was due to incendiarism. At a Fire Board meeting held subsequently, witness was shown a perforated condensed milk tin, but did not think this had anything to do with the fire. George Edward Stone, Salvation Army officer, Foxton, stated in evidence that some days after the conflagration witness met Mr. Murray on the scene of the fire. Witness drew Mr. Murray’s attention to the tin (produced) in a joking way. Witness did not attach any importance to the tin, however.

Frederick H. Murray, bootmaker, of Hillary Street, stated that on 17th March he attended an auction sale and purchased the debris of the building. About the 23rd March, witness.met Captain Stone on the scene of the fire. Captain Stone picked up and showed witness the tin. On the 26th two strangers approached witness on the hall site and he gave them the tin remarking that it appeared suspicious. The only reason witness assigned suspicioun to the tin was owing to the peculiar way in which it was perferated. It was possible that the tin was placed there after the fire. Witness did not place sufficient importance to the tin to notify the police of its discovery.

Horace J. Reid, caretaker of the hall, slated that at the time of the fire he was away on holidays. The door referred to by Mr. Woodroofe was locked by witness every night. On some occasions witness .commenced work in the hall at an early hour in the morning and on such occasions the door would be opened early by witness to gain admission to the hall. Witness had given Woodroofe permission to draw water from a tank near the door referred to.

M. E. Perreau, Mayor, in evidence said that he was a member of the Foxton Fire Board. At the time of the fire witness was away from Foxton. On 26th March witness attended a meeting of the Foxton Fire Board when the matter of the fire was discussed. Mr. Cray, chairman of the Fire Board, produced the tin referred to previously. Witness did not know what connection the tin had with the fire. Mr. Cray advanced a theory that the tin may have continued some combustible substance, and it was from this that the desire for an inquiry arose. There was no foundation in fact for the theory. It was simply a theory formed by Mr. Cray. Witness, personally, was not aware of any suspicious circumstances in connection with the fire.

Oonstable Owen deposed that on llie night of the lire he retired to bed at 11 p.m. The police station is right alongside the Town Hall and witness did not notice anything amiss. About 2.10 a.m. witness was awakened by a noise and found the Town Hall on fire. The flames were then breaking through the roof above the stage. It was then impossible to tell where the lire had started. When witness went outside there was no ane about. Witness looked along the side and back of the building, but could not get quite up to it owing to the excessive heat. Witness had since made exhaustive inquiries as to the origin of the tire, but had failed to find any evidence. The day after the tire an examination was made of the locks of the building, which proved to be all in order. Portion of the rear wall of the engine room is still standing, but the rest of the building was completely destroyed. On March 26th witness was called to a Fire Board meeting and there handed the tin referred to by Mr. Cray, Witness compared the tin with a condensed milk tin and it proved identical. There were two sets of holes punched in the tin which was an ordinary method of opening condensed milk. Witness could not place any importance on the tin as being the cause of the fire as there were numerous tins on the site of the fire which could have been more conveniently used for ulterior purposes. No mention of the tin

was made to witness prior to the 26th March—a fortnight after the fire.

In suming up the Coroner said that the evidence produced was insufficient to show how the fire occurred whereby the Town Hall was destroyed.