HOTEL TRAGEDY

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 694, 20 June 1929, Page 6

HOTEL TRAGEDY

INQUEST ON MISS SARAH LYNCH ACCIDENTAL DEATH VERDICT Circumstances surrounding the death of Miss Sarah Lynch, head waitress at the Hotel Cargcn, were further inquired into at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, when the adjourned inquest was resumed before Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M. Miss Lynch, a single woman, aged 46, died in the small hours of the morning, of June 14, following an accident at the Hotel Cargen, where there was an outbreak of fire. Mr. Terry appeared for the licensee of the hotel. Dr. T. W. Wilkin considered that death was due to a fractured skull. Miss Lynch ‘had been practically dead, when witness had arrived. Helen Harmett, hotel clerk, said she was awakened at 3.45 a.m. by the night porter, who informed her the hotel was on fire. On her way to the fire escape witness had seen Miss Lynch partially in her room as if she had gone back for something. She had called Miss Lynch, who seemed dazed. “The next I saw of Miss Lynch was when she was lying in the basement,” continued witness “She had evidently fallen from the landing near the- fire-escape.” Witness said she had picked up deceased in the basement. The woman had fallen on her face and was breathing, though unconscious. Witness had her removed to the passage of the hotel, where she died. Miss Harnett added that an older and less active member of the hotel staff had negotiated the escape without difficulty. In the opinion of Sergeant Burrett, it was possible that Miss Lynch had climbed down the fire-escape as far as the roof of an outbuilding below and from there fallen the remaining 16ft. to the basement below. The distance from her window to the ground was about 30ft. Miss Lynch had apparently returned to her room to collect some belongings after being told of the fire and the sergeant considered this would indicate that she was calm and unlikely to jump from the escape. Witness said the escape was in good order, but should be altered from its present position or a guard fixed along the edge of the outhouse below. Gideon Lund, licensee of the Hotel Cargen, the opinion that Miss Lynch had either fainted or missed her way. Witness said he had inspected the scene of the accident immediately after it had been reported to him and had discovered a sheet hanging out of the window. There was a white mark evidently made by deceased’s shoe on the fire-escape outside the window. Agreeing with Sergeant Burrett’s suggestion that a guard should be fixed along the edge of the outhouse, the coroner returned a verdict of accidental death.