TE ARO FIRE INQUIRY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4903, 8 December 1876, Page 2

TE ARO FIRE INQUIRY.

Iho adjourned inquiry into the recent fire m Majoribank street was held yesterday in the City Hotel before Dc. Johnston, coroner. Alexander Dodsworth, being sworn, deposed, that he was a cabinetmaker residing in Staf-ford-street. Was a member of the Central Volunteer Brigade. Eemembered the night of the fire at Parker’s house. He was called to the fire between half-past 11 and 12 o’clock. He went into the house on arriving there. He was in the company of Mr. Webb and others. They entered through the front door. Witness was of opinion that no one had been in the house during the fire before him. On entering he could perceive no smoke or fire down stairs. He struck a match, lit a caudle K and proceeded upstairs. He did not meet with any obstruction like a door. If there had been one between the front and back of the house, it must have been open when he entered the house. On going upstairs ho went into the right-hand back bedroom. The room was full of smoke, but he could see no fire. Ite looked for beds, but there was only a small-iron cot there. There was no bedding upon it. If there had been other furniture he should have seen it. Witness then entered the front room, which was a large room. On his left-hand side there was a piece of furniture, which he took to be a; -couch, with a sack over it, but with no bedding. In the corner near the window there ‘ was a basket with some material in it used for stuffing beds. That was all witness saw in the room. If there had been furniture or bedding of any kind in the room he must . have seen it, as he had a lighted candle in his hand, and there was very little smoke in the room. He then came downstairs, and entered the back room, in which all he could see was a broken chair and a dresser with plates and dishes upon it. He then entered the left-hand front room on the ground floor, and there hesaw a double bedstead, which had a mattress upon it, but no blankets or bedding ; it was simply covered with a tarpaulin or piece of old sail. In the corner of the room was a washstand with jug and basin. There was a piece of board nailed under the window, with a looking-glass upon it. Witness took the jug and basin ana looking-glass from the room, and placed them outside. Had there been anything else in the room worth saving, he should have done. so, there being plenty of time. The bedstead, of course, was too heavy for one to handle. Also went into the righthand front room on the ground floor. In it there was a large table and two chairs, and some china ornaments on the mantelpiece. Thera was also a . cupboard in this room, which Witness took to be a fixture, but it was afterwards removed by someone else. This was all he saw in the house. Had the house contained stretchers for six or eight people, with their bedding, he should have seen them, and could have saved them, as bo had plenty of time. The fire appeared to witness to be between the floor and the ceiling, about half-way up, and about three or four feet from the chimney, between the lining and the weatherboards. It was in the back room upstairs. Witness met Mr. Parker about nine o'clock on the night of tho fire, some 200 yards from Iris own house, in Majoribank-street. Parker was going towards his house.

By Mr. Allan: X was one of the tour who first went into the house. I found the front door open, and Mr. Walker, who lived opposite, told me that he had broken open the door, but had not been in.

By Mr. Brandon: On going downstairs I heard an explosion, such as might be caused by the bursting out of flames. It did not strike me as being caused by any explosive material.

By the Coroner: The house 'was not wellfurnished. One of the parties who went in wi'h me remarked on the scarcity of the furniture, and said to me, “ Why they have all moved out.” I replied that the family were there during the day, as I had seen the children running about. By the Foreman: I am quite certain that I lit a candle after entering the house. There was another caudle burning, but I could'not say which of the party lighted it dr carried it it about subsequently. By Sergt. Monaghan: The wind was from the S. W. on the night of the fire, blit there was very little of it. : Louis Baker deposed that he was a car-' peuter, residing in Majoribank-street. Remembered the night of the fire. Witness was roused by Mr. Bellars, who said there was a fire, and asked where the firemen lived. Witness got up at once, and on coming out was joined by Firemen Webb and Dodsworth. They went together to Parker’s house. Witness did not go upstairs. As soon as he went into tho house, he was asked by Webb to ring the bell In obedience to this request witness went, but had only got as far as the Albion Hotel when he heard the firebeil ringing, and consequently returned at once. He did not enter the house again, however, but went to look after his own place, about which there, was a quantity of shavings, and he thought it might be in danger. When ho went into the house he remarked that the people appeared to have cleared out, as he saw no one about except those who had entered with him. He could not make any observations on the manner in which the house was furnished, not having remained there suffi6iently long. Joseph Henry Williams deposed that he was a commercial traveller, living in Dixonstreet. He remembered the night of the fire. At the first alarm, given by a handbell, at about five minutes past twelve, he was standi iug at Chew’s comer in Willis-street. Soon after the alarm of fire saw a girl coming, he believed, from tho south end of Lambtonquay. She passed witness, and ,went down the lane towards the water. She looked across the bay from that point. Witness rei marked that the fire was close to Murphy’s, She said, “No; that’s mother’s house.” Witness stood there, and the girl rushed away towards Majoribank-street, saying; “ I will go and tell mother.”

Alice and Ruth Parker were brought in at this point. Witness ; I recognise the youngest girl (Ruth Parker) as the girl I saw under the cir* cumstances I have mentioned in my evidence, G. R. Young, clerk to Mr. R. Port, deposed that Parker bought the house and land from Mr. Port on deferred payments. These sections were bought in February, 1876. The price agreed upon for the sections and house was £240. There had been a previous agreement at a different price. The original price of the land, as marked down by Mr. Port, was 60s. per foot frontage to Majoribanks-street, without the house. The price of the house was £4O. He had paid in all .£33 towards the £240 and the interest. This payment of £33 did not represent the interest due to date, and Parker had not paid up any of the principal. Had visited Parker’s house. The upstairs rooms were freshly papered. The house was in a bad state when Parker went into it, and it had been improved.

By the Foreman ; The interest on the purchase money up to the present time would be £42, and therefore there was a balance of £9 against him, without reference to the purchase money, so that Henry Parker at present stood to owe £249, which included purchase money and balance of interest.

Detective Farrell said he visited the scene o! the fire on the day following the occurrence.

Saw Ruth Barker there. Asked her who was' last in the house previous to the fire. Ruth Barker said she was, and that she left at half, past seven with some of her brothers and sisters ; that before going away she had put water on the fire, and that she had bolted the back door and locked the front one ; when she proceeded to the shop in town, having ■with her the key, which she gave to her father, and subsequently went to the theatre with her mother and some of the children, Alice made a different statement to thin, saying that the key_ was given to the mother. The witness gave* evidence as to his enquiries of different members of the family, from which it appeared that the statements made by them varied considerably. He then proceeded to state the amount and date of the insurance policies, corroborating what has been already published. In answer to a question from witness as to why he had increased the amount of the insurance by £2OO, Mr. Parker replied that it was in consequence of the improvements he had made to the house, and in reply to a further inquiry stated that the improvements, including his own labor, were calculated to have' cost £SO. Barker made a statement to the witness regarding the furniture in the house quite at variance with the evidence of Webb and Dodsworth. He described the kitchen as containing six chairs and other furniture; the upstairs room on the left hand as containing eight pairs of blankets and as many sheets and . counterpanes. He then described the room in which the fire occurred, and said that there had been in that room three dozen blankets and as many counterpanes, together wiih furniture, Ho also informed the witness that other rooms in the house were well stocked, and calculated his loss in furniture and goods at £l7O, Witness asked what he meant by goods. The wife then answered that goods meaut stock in connection with the trade of umbrella-making. Witness then told Parker that his statements appeared strange, inasmuch as he had made a thorough search of the building, and could not find any remains to indicate the destruction of the various articles enumerated by him. Witness again visited the ruins next morning, and failed to discover any sign of important improvement made in the building. He believed the rooms had not been papered, but simply patched; and the outside wall was mer-ly patched with boards in different parts. Witness asked Parker where and how the blankets were kept ? He replied'- that they were piled one on top of the other in the corner of the two rooms mentioned. Witness asked this question, because he knew that blankets packed together could not have been completely burnt, leaving no trace at all of their having been there ; and having made a minute search, he could find no trace of the things mentioned by Parker. Mr. Wallace, acting-manager for the National Insurance Company, said the books showed a policy of insurance for £IOO on the building, effected in December, 1875. The books did not disclose any policy for £2OO on this house. Hs knew of no policy but that of £IOO mentioned.

By Mr. Allan ; I could not be certain that the note received by Messrs. Johnston and Co. contained a notice of the number and amount of policies of insurance over Parker’s house. It is the usual custom to examine a house before insuring it. There were no further witnesses called, and the Coroner intimated to the jury that they could consider their verdict, which they proceeded to do, the Coroner, reporters, and others leaving them in the room by themselves. The verdict they returned was—“ That there is no evidence to show how the fire originated, but the jury are of opinion that the circumstances are exceedingly suspicious.” The following rider was added:—“That in the' opinion of the jury the effect of Insurance companies insuring properties so greatly in excess of their value, as in the case now under consideration, is practically offering a premium to unprincipled persons to ■ commit incendiarism.”