Tragic Hotel Fire

Manawatu Times, Volume 65, Issue 4, 5 January 1940, Page 2

Tragic Hotel Fire

EIGHT PERISH AT BRISBANE. GUESTS JUMP TO DEATH BRISBANE, Dec. 30. "For God’s sake, save my child!'* screamed a woman an she stood on the balcony of the blaziug Grand Hotel at Goomeri early to-day, with flames roaring around her and men gazing horrorstricken in the street below. She threw the baby, an 18-months-old girl, to a man. He caught it, saving its fife—but the mother disappeared in the in-| ferno. She and seven other persons lost their lives in the blaze and it is believed others may have perished. The Are was one of the most tragic in the history of Queensland. The licensee, Parker, died in hospital at Wondai, a neighbouring township, shortly after midday. Parker jumped over the balcony on to the bitumen roadway about 12 to 14 feet below, severely injuring himself. He was also extensively burned. He had been awakened by his wife’s screams! and he called to her to follow him. In a' state of hysteria, she ran from him, back into the blaze. He then jumped over the balcony. The barman, Mr. Peter Bendel, wa?! awakened by screams. He opened his door, and in the smokc-filied hall nearly lost consciousness, but managed to stagger to a window, where he fell to a lower roof. He then jumped to a footpath. Miss Eva Buchanan jumped 12ft. from a balcony and was caught by a man standing on the footpath. It. is believed that many of the guests escaped by jumping from windows and balconies.

Many guests were unfamiliar with * the stairs. They dashed to the lire- < escape, only to find it inaccessible, and, < thus trapped, they ran back into the flames. i Police are investigating a report c that the door to the fire-escape had j been nailed up. ( The fire quickly spread to the post office, a large building, situated across J a lane from the hotel. 1 Two men, Arthur Boyce and Arthur i Roy Collard, who were staying at the i hotel, scrambled through a window £ and jumped to a laneway at the eastern t side of the building. 1 Mrs. Edwards standing on the bal- < cony, with her baby girl, aged IS 1 months, in her arms, called to Col- ! lard, “For God’s sake, save my child” 1 and threw the baby to him. He caught 1 the baby and saved its life. Then he 1 called to Mrs- Edwards to jump, but 1 she had disappeared, apparently hav-' : ing been overcome by smoke. The 1 baby suffered an abrasiou to the left ‘ side of the head, and was taken to the Wondai Hospital. Miss Una Dunne, housemaid ut the 1 hotel, who was taken to Murgon, a township nearby, suffering from smoke > fumes, is believed to be the only one who knows how many persons were in the hotel at the time of the fire. She ' is being given every attention by doctors, and all are anxiously waiting to know if others perished in tho blaze. Goomeri has no fire brigade, and when the town was aroused, a bucket brigade of about 40 men was organised. They had to concentrate on saving adjoining buildings and the post office residence. They also saved many official documents and stores and 95 per cent, of the Christmas mail. There was little wind, but so intense ; was the heat that the Boonera Hotel,' 3 about 70ft. across the road from tho ■ Grand Hotel, was blistered and ca- • dangered. Bitumen on the road near the blazing hotel was melted for ten feet. With the telephone exchange out of commission, it was necessary to obtain an ambulance from Murgon to send the appeal by railway morse. Postal officers also brought a portable tiegraphic set into operation. Telegrams, received over this set, conveyed 1 Christmas greetings to some who were victims of the tragedy. A concrete wall saved a number of - other shops from catching fire. At 9 a.m., the hotel was still b%rning, and bottles of spirits in the cellars were exploding at intervals. Rickßon came from Victoria about 12 months ago and had been pine-cut-: ; ting. He was only paid off yesterday,’: and came into Goomeri for Christmas.'] Mrs. Edwards, whose husband lives’ < outside the township, was staying utl the hotel to celebrate Christmas with ]

him. Carter arrived in th town last night. He had loft his parent** at a late hour. That was the last they saw of him. The hotel, one of the biggest buildings in tho town, was built about 12 years ago.