Inquest on the late Fire

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1036, 14 February 1882, Page 2

Inquest on the late Fire

The inquiry into the cause of the late fire was held in the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Gisborne, before the District Coroner, M. Price, Esq. The following jury were empanneled : — Walter Good (foreman), Thos. Adams, Peter Henry Bourke, George Wesley Bishop, J. 11. Aislabic, W. Lavers File, Thomas Grigson, James Craig, AV. P. Finneran, James Robb, George Robert Moore, James East, A. J. Cooper, AV. J. Quigley, and Rev. J. Dellow. 'The first witness called was T. W. Carr, who deposed as follows:—I am a merchant residing in Gisborne. I remember the sth of the current month. Between 7 and 7.30 of that day I was in church. I heard the alarm of fire given. I went to the fire. I found my woolshed burning in Custom-house street. The part that was burning was in the centre of the buildings. 1 left at 9 o’clock on Saturday night when everything was safe. The woolshed was closed at 5 p.m., on Satur day afternoon. AVilliam John Dickson, iny storeman, had charge of the woolshed. 11 was his duty to keep the key. AVool, grass seed, oats, maize, all produce, and kerosene were in the store.

By the Coroner: How much kerosene. AVitness: About 70 or 80 cases. They were on the Custom-house street end. The kerosene had always been kept outside until the newspapers drew attention. It was ten put inside, and at the time the fire occurred was at the opposite end of the building. The paints, turpentine, and other inflammable goods were at the end where the fire commenced. Have given orders to my men to take every precaution. Had always a pump and hose ready. Could not get to it at the time of the fire. Had remarked many times that tiiey (my employees) should not smoke in my store. Persons coining

round the place smoke-1. Have seen some of my employees smoking. Gave instructions that the practice was to he discontinued. I think the instructions were given to Dickson. AVhen I came down from church the whole of the wool store was in flames. At that time it had not caught the large store. AVool paints and turpentine were kept where I first saw the fire. Started to save tho main building.

AA’e put wet blankets under the- skylights in main building in Gladstone Road. Graham’s place was on fire. It was a small wooden building between the woolshed and the main store, the two latter had iron roofs. A fter Graham’s building was on fire we observed smoke coming through the joists of the first floor. Stationed a man there with buckets of water. Also stationed men along the upper floor, and poured water into the casings, also used wet blankets. The flame then flashed up two feet, and then about six feet, and then ten feet. Seeing this 1 said to the mon, “ Clear out and save the books.” >\’e then went down and saved all books, and as much stock as we could. The whole buihiirg was shortly afterwards destroyed. When I first arrived I could not get to the pump, owing to the intense heat. No other source of water excepting the well, was available in my place. AVe got water then from S. M. AVilson’s. Had there been a lire engine the premises could have been saved. 1 estimate the property saved at about £7OO. Nothing was saved from the wool store. The buildings and stock were insured for £13,800. I estimate the loss sustained between £3OOO and £lOOO. It. is supposed the fire from the woolshed ignited Graham’s premises, and other buildings. By the Coroner: Matches were kept in the premises. Until the newspapers complained we kept the kerosene in the yard. The woolshed ran the whole length of the section. The kerosene was about 132 feet from the paints under the same roof. The grass seed and wool was in good condition. I have no idea of what caused the fire. Opposite to one end of the building there were some puriri post. There might have been an accumulation between tho posts and the wall. A spark might have got there. By the Agents through the Coroner : To wlmt extent had you purchased goods since buying the store. Were all the goods burnt

your own property. AVitness : All the goods burnt were my property, with the exception of two boxes, and I believe that there were some odd things, but I do not. I think Mr Matthews of the Bank, had some things there. The wool was not my own. It was brought there for dumping. By the Coroner: AVhat was the average of goods stored or removed per month since you began business ?

AVitness: About £1,600 or £1,700 per month. 1 cannot answer exactly. 1 have purchased much more than I bought. The stock was very small when I took it over. The books will shew. By Mr Aislabie: Some wool came in about a week or ten days before that date. My storeman will be able to answer that question. I do not know if any of the wool was dumped. By Mr Quigley : None of the insurance is on the wool. The wool is insured generally from the sheeps' back to England. There were only two or three bales of my own. By the Coroner : My storeman was there when 1 arrived. The door was open. An attempt to save the premises was fruitless with the means at our disposal.

AVilliam John Dickson deposed— I am storeman for Air T. AV. Carr. I was present at the late fire. There were four doors, two opening into Custom House Street, and one opening into Dickson’s. The gate from the yard into Custom House Slreet was kept by George Feary ; the one into Gladstone Road was kept by Mr Carr, junr. Whenl eatne down, the gate into Gladstone Road, was open. There were four or five men in the yard at the time. Don’t know who opened the gate. Access could be made to the premises through Mr Butts’ yard if the two gates were locked. The fire was inside the building. Pitt and Bennett’s place was burning at the same time as the wool shed. The flames were only coming out of the door. The smoke was coming out of the roof. I had charge of tho woolshed. Left it about 5 p.m. or 10 minutes past on Saturday, after having locked the door. All the doors were bolted on the inside except the small one near the Bank which I came out of, where I saw the flames afterwards. Grass seed, tallow, kerosene, some machinery, mowing machine, salt, carriage nails, paints, case of turpentine were there. From 80 to 90 cases of kerosene were also there, at the opposite end of the building to where I saw the fire. There were about 30 casks of tallow. The turpentine was stored at the side nearest tho Bank. The grass seed was about 30 or 35 feet from where the wool was stored. Examined all the wool before being stored, and it was in good order. One bale was stained before putting it in. I cut it open and found it all right. The paints, oil and turpentine were stored near the end where witness saw the fire coining out. AVhen 1 got back 1 found the key in my pocket all right. The watercloset was on the side where the fire came from, and about two feet from the building. Captain Porter, Mr Brown (the engineer), and some others were there. 1 am positive that the wool was in good order. Many people had not been there on Saturday, the 4th. Did not see anyone smoking that day. I had not been smoking. The men cleaning grass seed might have been smoking. I was the last one who left the store. I locked tho place up. I. carry matches with me. I am not aware that I

dropped any matches. The foreman : Pitt and Bennett’s was on fire when I came down. By a juryman: lam quite sure the door leading into Dickson’s yard was fastened on the inside. A person could have obtained access to the premises by the right-of-way from Dickson’s. By Mr East: The stained wool-balo was quite away from the fire. By Rev. Mr Dellow : The grass seed was all dry and in good condition. No appearance of it sweating. The tallow was on the opposite side of the store. Do not know whether there was much combustible material under the building. By Mr Bourke: I believe a man 1 named Campbell opened the door when the fire was discovered. By Sergeant Bullen: There was a little sawdust on the floor. The tar we kept outside. The floor was stained from paints and oils. Could not tell exactly where the fire took place. AVas not in the building on Sunday. By Mr Dobson (through the Coroner) : Did not know what gasolene was. The wool press was worked by hand. James Harwood, sworn, deposed: I am a laborer, residing in Gisborne. Had been working in the store. AVas standing along with Mcßride at tho ferry. My attention was called to some smoke coming from the roof of Mr Carr’s woolshed. 1 went over, along with Mcßride. The gale was open. AVe went through Custom-house street. I found Jim Campbell there. He was there before me, five or six others were also there. Saw the door burst open. It was a folding door, the one nearest to the Bank was forced open. That was the only part of the building we saw on fire. There was was too much smoke to allow of us to get inside the building. Tho floor of the building was not burnt through. It, was about two feet through. The tire was running up the scantling. The only part we saw on fire was the portion on the surface of the floor. The flame was in the one place at that time. The flame was just underneath where the paints were kept. By the Coroner : AVas anything being done ? AVitness : No ; there was water. It was od that was burning. AVater would have been no good. Sand would have been required. I did not see Pitt and Bennett’s on fire at that time. AVitness continued: I went into , Graham’s then to carry the books out. The pump was on the other side towards the main bildings. There were oil stains on the floor. The paints were nearest to the door. The wool was some distance off. By Mr Rqbb: AA r hen I saw the fire first it was not where the oil or turpentine was. The flames were running up the wall near the door. I believe the fire occurred on the top of the floor, not underneath. By Mr East: My suspicion was not excited by the quantity of oil on the floor. It was merely the droppings from the drums. 1 did not see any one use the pump. The place was lighted from the door and window. I looked round the comer and saw tho flames. I was inside the buildings. There was too much smoke there for me. By Rev. Mr Dellow : If the fire was only two feet square was not your first impulse to extinguish it? Witness: There was too much smoke. By Rev. Air Dellow : AVas the large woolshed filled with smoke from a small fire like that ? AA r itness: Yes. By a juror: AVere you there before the fire-bell rang. Witness: Yes.

James Campbell, sworn, deposed : I am a laborer, residing in Gisborne. I remember the night of the late fire. I was opposite the Argyll Hotel in Gladstone Road when the alarm was given I ran to see where it was. Found it was in Carr’s woolshed. I found the gate on to Custom-house-street open. George Feary was the only person I saw there. I went into tho yard, and saw the fire at tho extreme end of the store nearest to the Bank. 1 burst the door open that was nearest to the fire. I saw the fire in the corner to the right of the door. The fire had caught the rafters of the roof. Oil or tar was burning in the corner. The burning portion on the floor was about ten or twelve feet square. I did not see any hole in the floor. I did not attempt to save anything. There was nothing to extinguish the flames with. Bags of salt were the nearest things I saw to the fire. I saw no fire outside, nor in any other part of the building. I do not know whether or not the door leading into Dickson’s yard was open. James AVilson, sworn, deposed: I am a laborer, residing in Gisborne. I remember tho fire. I went into Pitt and Bennett’s first. The flames had not then reached their place. The fire came from Carr’s to Pitt and Bennett’s through an old door that was fastened up. I was not in Carr’s yard. I saved what I could in Pitt and Bennett's, and then went to Carr’s.

George Feary, sworn, deposed: I am » storeman in the employ of Messrs Graham and Co. I had the key of the gate leading into Graham and Co.’s yard. I heard the alarm of fire a few minutes after 7 o’clock on Sunday, the sth inst. I was in front of Mr Carr’s store, Gladstone Road, at the time. I saw people running. As soon as I got opposite to Carr’s gate in Gladstone Road, I saw smoke issuing from the woolshed. I immediately, along with others, wont round

to the gate in Custom-house-street and opened the gate, l‘having the keys at the time. I then went to get the keys of Mr Carr’s concrete store, and. the keys of Graham’s store. I saw a dense volume of black smoke coming out of the woolshed. Somebody shouted for the key of the woolshed. I said that I had not got it; I then went for it. The key of the Custom-house-street gate was always in my possession. I was in the yard about 5.10 p.m., on the Saturday evening close where the fire was. I went there to get two buckets of water, as usual. There was not the slightest appearance of fire. I may say I was almost touching the place, as the tauk was against it. There was no indication whatever of fire. By a juror: The tank is in the corner. John 11. Carr, deposed —I am son of Mr T. W. Carr. I know a man named Dickson in my father's employment. I have kept the key of the gate facing Gladstone Road. I remember the late fire. I was not in the yard on the sth. Left my father’s store about 9.30 o’clock of the night of the 4th. The key was in mv possession at the time of the fire. I was in church when the fire broke out. G. F. Bourne, sworn, deposed—l am a Bank Clerk in the Union Bank. Was the only person residing on the Bank premises. No fire whatever had been in the Bank for the past three weeks. No papers were burnt there during that time. It was possible to go to the back of Carr’s premises through the Bank premises. The whole of the Union Bank premises were burnt. Constable Farmer deposed: I was coming up from the wharf and saw smoke arise at the back of Carr’s premises. Seeing that it became larger I ran up. When I got to Custom House Street I found the gate leading into Carr’s premises open. Saw that the woolshed was on fire. Saw Messrs Feary, Goudy, and Campbell there. Asked for the keys. Found the shed was all burnt. Got what things we could out of the Bank. A number of people by this time had arrived. There appeared to be nothing available for extinguishing the fire. Was sent away then to look after the things that were being removed into the street. By Sergeant Bullen : The fire I saw in Carr’s eventually destroyed the Union Bank, Pitt and Bennett, the Argyll Hotel, Brassey and Frazer’s, Mr Finn’s office, the Union Company’s office, and Mr Graham’s office. This was all the evidence called by the police. After a short consultation the Jury, at 1.35 p.m.. returned a verdict to the following effect:—“The jury are of opinion that the fire originated in Carr and Son’s wool store, but there is no evidence to show how the fire originated.” They also added the following rider : —“ The Jury are of opinion that had there been any means of ex tinguishing the fire much valuable property would have been saved.”

Jbr continuation of news see 4-th page-