Fire at Mrs 4. M. Browne's Repository.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1041, 25 February 1882, Page 2

Fire at Mrs 4. M. Browne's Repository.

CORONER’S INQUEST. [Before M. Palos, E«q., Coroner], An inquest was held at tho Courthouse on Thursday last, at 2 p.m., before M. Price, Esq., Coroner, to inquire into the circumstances attending the fire which occurred on Wednesday night, at the shop of Mrs A. M. Browne, Gladstone Road, Gisborne. Sergeant Bullen conducted tho enquiry. Mr W. Ratcliffe was present on behalf of the Insurance Company. The following gentlemen were empanelled as a jury:—Messrs H. W. Curtain (foreman), A. Y. Ross, J. Whinray, M. Hall, A. Croll, J. Gannon, H. C. Boylan, R. Thelwall, S. J. Bromley, M. Jennings, W. Miller, C. D. Berry, J. Brown, T. Gregson, W. H. Quinlan, and W. Akroyd. Having viewed the scene of the fire the Coroner and jury returned to the Court-house, and the following evidence was taken :—

Mrs A. M. Browne deposed: The shop viewed by tho jury in Gladstone Road is mine. I occupied it, and was in it until 9.10 p.in. on Wednesday. I do not reside on the premises, nor does any one else. My husband left the shop with me. 1 use kerosene lamps in the shop. They were regularly trimmed by myself every day. I extinguished every light when I left the shop on Wednesday night. I left three lamps in the show room and one on the counter in the shop. There is a fireplace on the premises, but it had had not been nsed for months. 1 keep matches in stock ; they were stored in the far right hand corner of the shop going in. There might have been about six dozen boxes tied up in a brown paper pared on one of the shelves about three feet from the ground. There were a few matches lying loose on the glass case in tho shop where they had been spilt by a man during the evening. I have never seen any rats or miee about the shop. There were no other eoinbustiblo goods of any description inside the shop. 1 will take upon myself to say there was no fire in the corner of the shop when I left it. I have no idea about the origin of tho fire. Tho building was constructed of wood. The roof was part shingle and part iron. I was insured for £l5O on building and stock in the Union and Norwich offices. I estimate inv loss by fire and water at from £l2O to £l3O. The building is damaged to some extent, tho roof is off and part of the sides.

By the Coroner: A man had spilt a box of matches on the glass case, where ho spilt them he was four feet from tho corner where the fire occurred.

By the foreman: The matches were stored at the end of the shelf next to the Herald office. By Mr Whinray: The parcel of matches had not been opened during the day or evening. I had sufficient without doing so ; the boxes were tin ovals. John Thomas Morgan deposed: I am a compositor residing in Gisborne. I work at the Herald office next door to Mis Browne’s shop. On Wednesday night 1 was passing the premises where the fire originated towards the Herald office. There is a right of way between the two premises. Just as I was passing the shop I smelt something burning. I walked up the passage and looked iuto the Herald office, and saw nothing burning there, I could see neither smoke nor fire anywhere, but could smell the burning. The aperture between Mrs Browne’s two shops is closed up. I went up the Gladstone Road and to the Standard office, where I was when I heard the firebell ringing about 10 or 15 minutes afterwards. I never looked into Mrs Browne’s shop. By a juror: I thought from the smell it was paper burning. I saw no one about the premises, nor did I report that I smelt fire to anyone. I did not return down the passage the way I went in. I went round the building to have a look round the Herald building. E. H. Pavitt, law clerk, Gisborne, ■deposed ; I know Mrs Browne’s shop. I was going past there on Wednesday might, a few minutes after 10 o’clock, with Mr Barnes. When we got to Rogan and Nolan’s office Mr Barnes •remarked that somebody was cooking his supper I said it smelt more like wood. Wethen went back as far as Page’s, and finding the smoke coming down the street went back again as far as Mrs Browne’s shop when we saw the flickering of the fire through the . glass in the door. I could see the fire was in the right hand corner of the shop nearest the Herald office. We then burst open the door, calling out “fire.” When we got in we found the fire was on the bottom shelf, and -a small parcel burning on the floor, matches. The floor had not then caught fire. I saw it flare up immediately from tho draught, I suppose, caused by opening the door. The fire did not go up from the outside, it seemed to me to be going up the paper inside. Constable Wilson

Was the next to come in afler us. To the Coroner : The shelf had not ■caught fire when we first went in. I made for the comer where the fire was. By a juror: Previous to going into the shop I did not go into the passage. When we first went into tile shop there was nobody about ; there was about two yards of flame stretching *up. The fire appeare! to bo on the shelf. It was from 10 to 10 15 o’clock ■when I first saw the Are from the street. Arthur Barnes, clerk in the Bank ■of New Zealand. Gisborne, deposed: I was with Mr Pavitt on Wednesday night in Gladstone Road, we were ■walking up the street together. Opposite the Loan Company’s office we smelt fire, this was about 10 yards from Mrs Browne’s shop. Looking tabout ne saw smoke, and going past Mrs Browne’s shop we saw a light through the glass of the door and smoke coming out under the door. We broke the glass and saw a fire in the right-hand bottom corner of the shop. We immediately burst open the door, giving an alarm of “ fire.” We saw the fire in the corner and what appeared to be a brown paper parcel of matches burning on the floor. There was nothing burning on the floor but this parcel. The flames were on the bottom shelf; they were Tunning up the wall very fast. We renewed the alarm of fire. I went for water. Last witness went to the firebell.

By the Jury: The parcel was burning; the matches were sputtering just as matches usually do. I donut know what was burning on the shelf; there was a great deal of smoke. I did not go up the right of way. The fire appeared to me to have occurred inside the shop. Cannot say whether the fire occurred between the shop and the show-room. Did not go up the right of way.

M. G. Nasmith, watchmaker, Gisborne: I know the premises occupied by Mrs Browne in Gladstone-road. I was in Page’s Hotel. I heard a noise, and smelt burning, and immediately after aery of fire. When I got up I found Mr Pavitt and Mr Barnes in the shop. The fire was in the right hand corner of the shop. It was only i’ ust catching the paper and scrim when went in. I took up the door-mat and succeeded in beating out a good portion of the fire. 1 saw no fire on the floor underneath the she'f. The building was full of smoke. I noticed nothing on the floor. I tried to stay the fire, hoping that water would be broughr. I went down the right of way afterwards ; the fire was just coming through the side. The seat of the fire was in the inside, not outside of the building. The narrow recess between the buildings was boarded up. I did not remove the boards. I do not know who did.

By the Jury: There was a small parcel on the shelf, which was taken out by Mr Fellowes. Do not recollect knocking a parcel off the shelf with the mat.

William Fellowes, shipwright, Gisborne : I was at the fire on Wednesday night in Mrs. Browne’s shop. I saw Mr Pavitt and Mr Barnes there before I got in. Constable Wilson and I went together. When I got

into the shop I saw the fire was in the far right hand corner. Fre was issuing out of a box on the floor ; the fire then was just catching the paper and scrim. I took off my coat, wrapped it round the burning box, and chucked the lot out into the street. I lost my cnat. I saw no fire rising from the shelf: as far as I could see the fire was from the inside. I took away the two inside 12 m 1 between the buildings. I had a job to cut them out. I cannot say whether the fire was coming from the inside or outside. I saw the weatherboards and studs were on fire between the two buildings. The fire was about three boards up ; there seemed to have been more fire between the weatherboards and lining than outside of them. The boards and studs were all charred. Could not say whether a small fire came through the lining aud caused the fire on the outside. Henry McKay, journalist, Gisborne: I came to the fire about 10.30 on Wednesday night. I saw a number of people engagedin Mrs. Browne's shop, also a number of people in the passage, I went round to the rear of the building, and engaged the lads in the office to fetch wat r. Mr Ledger, Mr Akroyd, and myself were i i the pa sa c throwing water on the buildings. There is a small space (about 0 inches wide) between Mrs. Browne’s shop and show-room. On the side of the right of way that space was boarded up for about four or five feet high ; the remainder quite open. Ledger, Akroyd, and myself tore down this board, which was tightly nailed on. We found the inner side greatly charred all the way up. About a foot from the ground it was burnt completely through. The firo apparently had consumed the board from the inside, and not from the outside. Did observe flames when we pulled the board down. The weather-boarding at the right hand corner of the shop was altogether charred, and partly burnt through. The angle stop appeared to have been burnt more than the boards between the buildings. This concluded tho evidence, and the Coroner having briefly summed up, the jury retired, and after deliberation for about a quarter of an hour, returned a verdict as follows:—"That the fire at the shop of Mrs. Browne arose from causes unknown.”

An important, meeting of the East Coast Association will take place this evening, in ti e Masonic Hall. No one desiring the welfare of the district should be absent.