THE LATE FIRE IN TAY-STREET.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 51, 4 March 1864, Page 2

THE LATE FIRE IN TAY-STREET.

INQUEST ON THE BODIES. Dr McClure, the Coroner, -held ah inquest, at the Police Camp, on Wednesday, on the remains of Mrs Hall and Elizabeth Jamieson, _ who were burned to death by the fire, in Tay-street, ion* Tuesday morning. The following are the names of the Jurors : — Messrs (x.M, K. Clarke J. Watson, J. S. Clarke, R. D. Yule, C. Rout, J. Munro, A. Higgins, L. Mueller, A. r Mair, Q. Lumsden, W... Garthwaite, C. Francis, and W. Spier. . . ;■- c :vThe Jury, after beiiig impannelled, proceeded to view the remains of the two poor women which had been placed in two coffins, each simply bearing a plate on which was engraved the. names of the deceased. The gu-1, Elizabeth Jamieson, was only 19 years of age, and Mrs Hall, 21. That the name on the coffin plate indicated which of the -charred masses was all that remained of Mrs Hall and of the. servant, was the result of the jwst mortcni examination by tho medical gentlemen. No . uninitiated, observer could have more than ascertained 77 that tliey were the remains of human bodies. .'After the Jury and the witnesses had seen the remains, the following evidence was adduced : — ... « , William Quinton, storeman at Manning and Whitton's, residing in Esk-street, deposed' to the f ollowing -. effect :— iOn ; the morning ioi Tuesday he was ih the 'Excelsior . Hotel/ Tay-sfcreet. .He had been sitting np until about 1 3 o'clock] " They had been playing cards; himself, 5 Mr Hall, and four others. - : The four. '■- others left to 'go' home 5 kboixt '3 o'clock, when witness bonwed a/rug from Mr '< Hall and laid down on a sofa in the front room. He-went to sleep* and knew, noting ;';fnrtherUtintil he wa? awoke in t the , morning by a stone being thrown through \ihe. window and r striking him onthe.Jeg., He got iip'ahd found- the rooift 'f ull 'ot smoke. '" He ' opened the.. door, leading into the,. p^ HalL's bedrbom^aHd'firidirig'he'couli' hoi- get- down ithe staircase from the volumes of smoke and names Ithat met him, heJreturnectihto the room and broke the window, .facing;- the^street, ..when he made his j [escape' -fey r ,.m^eanß':of r.a' ladder placed jwihdpw-. jy f iJ,.^}irj4-, iy...y4j f-y-J --Li'- i'y'yytAyA-'A- 1 ' y and Jnry'-^-The lights.in^h^roqm. he V^ sleeping. in wer,e. put out before he laidtljjwiu ;He h'ad'beeh? in the'bowlihg*^66n oplaying\uj>0 playing\uj> to,lT; o'clock the , eysuing, ; atVwhich .time tliere jwcre lights andpersons^layih^. "'He'didnotseeMis Half -when- he openedthe passage f dpor.' ti Mrllall and his wife slept in the back roomi'^t^tlie 'time they-were -playing- cards v they-were-smoking; — But"' he believed the fire originated in the bowling saloon, as at the time he tried jbo'lget down the stairs the great body of flames wasjeoming up from it. They were all perfectly soWr'.^H&She^went to bed and the others went away. H^;dni^wtyed.casually at the hotel, and.f.re*tpaine<lf«tl|at solat;e>H, It was quite impossible for_anyo^e to save the house at the time he woke, y When. he went to the jivindow *to get put£Mr HMl^from tlfestreec, cried^oulß^iO-iiim to save his ■wtfe^gThere^ iamps.bun^g/^ were putr out Tje&re* he** went' l^b ' bed] r ~He dia Aot ; y-A-A\. ' " "iTASBIL '.' ' ■""■•" '