FIRE INQUIRY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2936, 23 August 1882, Page 2

FIRE INQUIRY.

The inquiry into the origin of the fire at Mr Lyle’s watchmaker shop, Main South Hoad —adjourned from Thursday last—was resumed to-day at the Courthouse, before J. Beswick, Esq., Coroner, and a jury.

Mr Jameson watched the case on behalf of Mr Lyle, and the manager and local agent of the Standard Insurance Company were also present. The following evidence was taken : D. West, architect, deposed that he bad examined the premises and made the plan (produced), Thomas Lyle, the occupant of the shop was then sworn.

Before the examination of this witness was proceeded with, Mr Jameson asked in what position his client stood in the matter. The Coroner said counsel, could challenge any question which he thought would be calculated to prejudice his client, and the propriety of objection could then be considered.

The examination of T. Lyle was then proceeded with—He said he rented the place, in which the fire took place, by the week. He produced his policy of insurance in the Standard Company on his stock and tools. It would expire on September 14. It was for £420, and covered goods sent for repairs. He wak' in the shop till 7,16 on the evening’ of Friday, the llfch ; inst.’' He left the shop as usual; he had taken down the watches and put them under the counter.

That was his custom.every evening. He intended cleaning the window on the Saturday. He kept no account book as he gave no credit. He had a watch ; book, registering the watches sent to him, and this was kept under the counter. He had a similar book for last year, not now in use. He also had' a pocket book, which, was now missing. He recognised the book produced as his property. The book contained no entries after January, of this year. In this second book he could find only three names of persons having property in his shop at the time of the fire. About 70 persons had watches at bis 1 shop at the time. Mr Pender hfere requested the witness to examine the books produced, which were much burned.

After examining them witness said they were the only books he bad. He had the memo.&book to which he referred before, containing (the names of owners, numbers of watches, and value of the work.

Mr Pender here produced the memorandum book referred to, and handed it to witness.

Witness said he had made the entries in the book a few days before the fire. It contained a statement of the value of every article in the shop and of the cost of all work in band. All the : ; entries were made about the same ~ time. There was no other memoranda!' in the book. He bought the book for the purpose, on the Monday previous: to the fire, at Mr TempertonV The > entries, however, were dated on the Saturday. He believed he made the entries on Monday or Tuesday; it might have been Wednesday. He copied them from a rough draft, on foolscap. He tore up the foolscap. On the night of the fire he had the memorandum book in his pocket, He left it in the shop. He took the entries'from the slock in the shop, as,it stood. s He meant’to say that he took thepi from one of the half-burnt stock books, just produced. (Witness was here requested. to compare the little memo, book with the stock book). After comparing r it, he said he found three entries alike in both.

A long and searching investigation of the books was here made by witness, under the supervision of Mr Inspector Pender. '

To the Coroner—lt is a habit of (he trade to attach a memo, to watches left for repairs, before banging them up. I made these valuations myself. I set down the value of the goods for safety, I mean for safety against people die* pitting their value. Examination continued—He totted up the various kinds of goods separately merely to see what was the value of the goods. Some of the goods bad gone on the Saturday. He made the list in the memorandum book on the Monday or Tuesday, from a foolscap list made on the Saturday. Some of the watches set down in the memorandum book left the shop on the Saturday after the rough list had been made out. He had totted up the value of the property and of bis work, and had summarised it-into three items. The total value was £4BB Is. This covered goods, tools, fittings and everything. He made a similar valuation last year, but did not enter it in any book. He did not tell his cub* tomers that his goods were insured. When a customer brought in a watch, witness attached his name to it, hung it up, repaired it and afterwards entered it in his bobki He did not enter them as they came in. It might be the trade practice, but it was not his practice. The first book shown used to be kept in a shelf under the counter. On the morning after the fire it was found in a box. When he left the shop he left it locked, the back door key being in the door on the inside. He shut the back window as usual. It was fastened with a button on the inside. The blind was

drawn across the window. There were no marks about the window when he left.' The front window had shutters.

The door had frosted glass in it. The paling (produced) was in the shop when. he left, but not in the position in which

it stands now. The chisel (produced) was kept on the shelf. He removed the clocks for the purpose of cleaning the windows, and the watches to prevent their being seen from the outside. He removed his goods from the window especially on account of the theatrical company being in town. He always took special care when there were theatrical companies in the place. He removed the goods altogether to oue end of the counter, as he always did. He had seen that the fire broke out exactly where the goods were stowed away. On that night he went to the Good Templar Lodge after leaving the shop. He remained there till about ton o’clock; he then told one of the members to wait a minute, and he went out to the closet at the back, over the fence. When he returned the hall was closed, and everybody bad gone. He was away four or five minutes at the outside. He took away from shop that night some tools and a new gilding battery. He recognised the bottle (produced) as one in which he often got turpentine. It was empty at the time of the fire. It was empty a week before the tire. Quite possibly some had been spilt where it stood. . David Latimer, a constable stationed at Timaru, said he was on duty on tho morning of the fire. He saw smoke coming out of the front of the shop. Looking in he saw the fire and thereupon gave an alarm and tried to break in the front door, but could not, it being secured. The shutters were up. He then went to the back, the door was secured but be broke it in The back window was closed but he did not know whether it was fast or not. He got some buckets and extinguished the fire with Mr Ellis’ help. He left Mr Ellis in charge, while he reported the matter at the Police Station, and then returned to the fire- He examined the place. At the end of the counter be saw the watches ; they were burned. The fire was there. A great number of clocks were on the counter. The book produced was under the counter. The pieces of paling were also there, closer together than shown in Court. The clocks were over the watches at the end of the counter, and some were on the floor round the watches. The fire seemed to burn not very rapid. The back window was closed, and it was the only place by which anybody could get access to the shop, if the doors were closed. He removed the goods with Acting-Detective Black. They were in the same condition as shown in Court. The gas was turned on full at the meter, and the gas pipe was burned. It ran under the counter. One side of the window sash was a fixture. . There was no pppearance of any one haying gone in, no boot; mark or other indication. On the window-sill there were some little things, apparently undisturbed. John Black, a constable, said he went to the shop after the fire. He spoke to Mr Lyle, who said he had had a quarrel with a man a day or two previously about some repairs. . He said this man had said, on leaving the shop, “ I’U-do for you yet,’’ or words to that effect. Mr Lyle drew witness’ attention ' to some marks on the window-frame (referring to the cuts on the outside of the sash as already seen by the jury), and said they must have been made by the person who set the place on fire. Witness examined the window-sill and other things, Mr Lyle being present. There were no marks of anyone passing through. He found the file produced near the back door, in the shop. To Mr Jameson —There was also another file without a handle lying near the window sill. Examination continued—The file without a handle was broken. Mr Lyle was asked whether he kept an account hook, Messrs Shappere and Bower being then present. He said yes, and pointed to the book (produced) which was in the box. At the end of the counter witness saw a lot of watches —sixty or seventy Mr Lyle said. They were under the counter. On the top of the counter there was a number of clocks.

To a Juror—l saw there had been fire under the front window also. Examination continued—There had been two fires, witness thought. The gas pipe was burned. The palings (produced) werenear the fronj) window fire. They were partially burned. On Monday,August 14, ho found the papers (produced) smelling very strongly of turpentine. The end of the counter seemed to confine the fire. He brought Mr ' Craigie, painter, to examine the papers. The bottle (produced) was at the back of the shop near the partition. Ee showed Mr the window. Mr Lyle told witness that he had locked the place up as usual, and left the back-door key in the lock. He gave witness the front door key. The back door key was searched for but could not be found. The back door lock was shot. To the Foreman—l was not at the shop while the fire was burning. Mr Jameson objected that a small mark bad been made on. the window by the police, in testing whether a certain instrument could not be inserted. _ The witness continued, and said that Mr Bower or some other person had made the mark in trying to ascertain the sort; of mark a file would make. Witness tried hard to shake the window, in Lyle’s presence, but failed. He tried to insert a knife, but could hot for the back ledge. „ « John Cullen, Sergeant of Police stationed at Timaru, said he went to the place immediately after being called by Constable Latimer. He went to Lyle’s private residence. Before leaving the shop Lyle said a gilding battery was all the stock he had at his private house. He went again to the private house on the 14th, Lyle then gave witness certain tools (produced) which he said he bad taken home in his coat pocket on the Friday night. Alexander Sinclair, carpenter, said he was called on the Monday after the fire to inspect the windows. One sash was a fixture. The fixed sash would not yield if it were prized. He, witness, made a careful examination of the sash, and stated that the marks had been made by some instrument similar to the file produced. The window must certainly have been opened before the mark could have been made. The insertion of a file from the outside would have caused a much more considerable injury to the other side of the sash. No instrument could have been inserted to open the button, owing to the overlapping. As an expert, he did not consider tho window could have been opened from the outside. James Craigie, painter, said be went with Constable Black to Mr Lyle’s shop on the 14th inst. The constable showed him the papers (produced) which he smelled, and recognised the smell of turpentine. He smelt turpentine in two or three places. He smelt it strongest on the floor two or three feet from the counter. He smelt the bottle, it contained a little turpentine. John Potter,contractor, said he was in company with Lyle on the Friday night, till a quarter past ten. Ho remembered Lyle leaving the lodge when it closed. Some of the members remained to put on their.clothes, <fcc. Lyle did not say where be was going on that occasion. He asked witness to wait a few aainutes. a» ha laft tharoom. Ha then

wont out. He did not return before witness left. It was about five minutes after this that witness left.

A. J. H. Bower and S. Shappere, w .hmakers, gave evidence as to the MJuation made by them after the tire. They valued the stock at £309. The Coroner reviewed the evidence, and the jury, after retiring for twentyfive minutes, returned the following verdict The jury find that the premises of Thomas Lyle were set on fire by some person or persons unknown.” The inquiry terminated at 4 p.m.