INQUEST ON THE GREAT FIRE AT INGLEWOOD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 309, 16 December 1862, Page 6

INQUEST ON THE GREAT FIRE AT INGLEWOOD.

An inque>t was held in the Police Court, Indewood on S;itur«'ay. 6th December, by Dr H. li. Radcinv' c roner. Mr 'hvens attended'on behalf of Mr Andrew Hurley, on whose premises th..^ tire o"nginated ■Superintendent Geary conducted the ca«e on the part ot the Crown. The court was d nsely crowded. The coroner pointed out to the jury that th-y were im-p-melled for tlie purpose of discovering the cause of the late fire.

M s Hurley, wife of Andrew Hurley, draper, lately carryingl on business at Manches;er House, Brookestreet Inglewoo.l, deposed that, about G.3U on the evening <>f t.h« 3rd to my knowledge there weye no other than drapery goods in my Jius»aud's s:ore. My brother. Mr Quirk, my little buy. and myself were ihe only persons in the store at this time. My little boy was playing with a chisel and some boxes at the rear of the *h"p. He came running out of the shop, crying to me for lollies. I went to the shop and requested his uncle, Mr Quirk, to take him to Rolf's for some cherries. Quirk, my-elf, au-t child, were all that were in the f-tore at this time. We ail left together. Quii'K put on his hat, and I walked with him and ihe chill as far as the end of the shop window nearest to ihe Dunolly Hotel. Returned to Jo-k after fe store, there being n-j oue insid-, and paced to and fro in front of it, where the goods w re exposed for sale, under the verandah. Whru doing- so a cellar in the fancy window attracted my attention. Was then about to enter the shop to tab; the s line from tht window, when on reaching the door s.w the fl-imes rushing out. I immedinttly turned round and streamed out "fire.'' Siw a great Uaiae irv the centra of the roof of the store. Cannot say whether that was the portion <>f the building that tir.-t cnught fira. The iufr-rval ot time elaps-d from my bo\ Joseph first crying for lo lies, and my obs rving th'j lire, was from three to four minutes. There was a room where the lamps were trimmed, detached from the stoic, and about '20 feet in rear of it. Often left the store same way a3 I did on the evening of tli- fire. Lost all I was possessed of by the fire. Swear positively that I saved no policy o't in urance oj written document* of any kind. The premises were insured for Li,loo. The pol cies at the tim eof the fire were in my dwelling- home ir c Grant-street. Never ?aid toany on<! since the fir that, the policy was «ll I >aved. There was no fireplace in our store ; nor were there any lights to my knowledge used in the store that afteruooon. Can form no ideaof the origin of the fire. This winess's examination was continued ar gr at length, but nothing of any importance waselirited, (s;jve thar she had taken iCne i:ion<y from tha ti!l on lh" <lay ot the fire.) To the best of my knowledge, believe we have lost £3,000 by the iiestrumon ot our stvk.

James M 'Mahon : Was in the employ of Hurley, of Maue.hester House. Went, into the store about ten minut' s past six a.m. Was cleaning lamps in th<rear of the premises, when I heard a scream of fire. I then ra i and opened the back door. Wa- met by gusts of fkme and smoke. Snotild think ifc was about. two_ seconds from the time 1 heard the shout of fire until I opened the door. Think the tire proceeded from the hack The kerosene and naptha used for lighting the premises were not kept in the store. Tlx-re could not have been any there without my knowledge. I have been nearly three months in the employ of Hurley and Co. It was the usual hour for cleaning the lamps. There was a quantity of mole trousers, crinolines, and other inflammable article* hanging round the premises Should say ten minutes ebiiise.,l from the last, time I entered the premises until I heard the cry of fire. Cannot say whether the (ire originated in the front or {jack of the prem sos.

Phillip Quirk, who is a brother of Mrs. Hurley's, corroborated her evidence to a greit extent. We sometimes smoked on the pre t>i e% hut not until night time. If a digger came in the shop with a lighted pipe, should not order him t'< put it out. Henry Carter, in t 1 c employ of Hurley and Co : Remembers the day of the fire. Saw a Mr. Rvan, of Newbridge, smoking in the store. That was about two p.m. Have seen boxe> of mutches ou the ca-h dertk, also on the desk where the books \ve?v> kept. Mr. Hurley's boy is about four years od Thinks he is tall eno- gh to put his hand < n the de fc k and reach down the matches. Don't think it possihle a fire could be smouldering from two o'clock, that afternoon. Knows Hurley was insured, having had the policy m my hand. Miss Linsey, the young lady employed, depo.ed : Jhere was a large quantity of goods in the showrooms chiefly consisting of mantles and ladies' ware. Left to go to tea about, ten minutes past six. Don't beheve it wa3 possible for Hurley's child to reach the matches where they were, as he was not three years old. Did not believe any fire could have been smouldering there that day. _ nenry Hansen, butcher in Inglewood : Was standing in fiont of my shop on the evening of the fire, saw a fire in the Manchester House, nearly in the centre of the shop, and about six feet from the ground Saw Mrs Hurley at this time as close as possible to the fire, running away from it, and crying out "Fire" Hurley's store was distant about seventy feet from my shop. Frederick Bolwell, a waiter in the United States Hotel, deposed to seeing a glare of fire in the windows of the Manchester House. Waited a second or two to make certain it was a fire, when before I gave the alarm. Mrs Hurley came rushing out of the shop crying out " Fire !' f I ran into the dining room of the hotel, and gave the alarm to the boarders. Sergeant Acton, of the police, stationed at Inglewood, was on duty that evening in Brooke and Grantstreehs. Going up Grant-street about eight p.m. the evening of the fire, saw Mrs Hurley opposite her private cottage. She was in the company of her brother and some other persons sitting on furniture, which had been removed. Asked her if she had all the things out of he> cottage. She said she had. Told her I considered the things unsafe where they were, and that she had better remove them. She asked me if 1 had heard how the fire originated. I said no • only every one said it began in her estabii-hment.' She was much excited, saying she saved nothing but this trifle, showing a roll ot paper. Asked her what J it was ; when she replied a policy of insurance for a ' mere trifle. Advised her to go down to my quarters ! nud I would watch her property. In the course of an hour I went home for a jumper. Mrs Hurley was there, and she reiterated the expression I have already stated about the policy. Some more witnesses were examined, but their evidence threw no light on the subject. The Coroner summed up, commenting on the discrepancies between the evidence of some of the witnessess, nnd leaving' the jury to rtetermine whether the fire was the result of accident or not.

The jury, after a few minutes' consultation, returned a ver.lict to to the effect that the fire originated in the premises of Hurley and Co, but that there was no evidftiice to show how or in what manner it broke out. Thus ended thi* inquiry, without elucidating the mystery of how a fire could break out iv a store in which there were neither lights burning nor any infl •mniable goods stored. A l;irg« number of people are completely destitute, having lost everything they possessed, and we hope that JBendigo, which .subscribed bo largely to the Lancashire and Irish relief funds, will set an example of liberality to the rest cf the country on the (iresent occasion, and not listen'unheeded to the cry of distress from their neighbors. The loswes of the insurance companies by this fire are the Victoria, JL3,000; Australasia, L 3.50); Colonial, 1.800 ; Allianc?, LI60; while the property destroyed ia over £70,000,-- JtendigQ Advertiser, (

OaTAGO DAILY TIMm