TRAPPED ON BALCONY

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 442, 25 May 1937, Page 2

TRAPPED ON BALCONY

EXCITING FIRE Coonty Club Guests Sydney, May 7. Twelve guests.', all in their night attire, were trapped on the. balcony of the Bon. Accord Country CluTi—-a guest-house at Springwood, on the eastern close of the Blue Mountains —during a fire which subsequently ruined the building, causing damage to the extent of £15,000-. With flames sweeping round them they escaped down a ladder. One guest got out by climbing down knotted sheets, but when near the ground was struck by e piece of timber and fell to the ground. His injuries were severe and he was taken to hospital. The alarm was given shortly after 5 a.m., when it w: : discovered that flames were leaping fl cm the- storeroom. Early efforts to quell Tse flames were in vain, and members of the stiaff pluckily proceeded to awaken the guests. The electric lights had already failed, and it was with difficulty that the 25 guiests- found their way to safety. The- darkened corridors were choked with smoke, and the flames spread with great rapidity. The fire was first noticed by Miss Lola Kirby, la member of the staff, who hastily donned a dressing-gown and ran to the staff quarters, where two brothers, William and Kingdom Smith, were sleeping. Each seizedi an overcoat, and, while Miss Kirby called Mrs. A. Sealy, they connected two hoses. Tongues of flame were leaping from the store room nelar the stairway, and

1 ■ l‘ for ten minutes the two brothers andl the three women tried to quell the outbreak. They were almost overwhelmed by smoke and flames tend when they saw that their efforts were hopeless, Miss Kirby entered the blazing building and knocked on the doors of the sleeping inmates. A guest, Miss Esme Hilton, who had met Mr Ernest Westrup, another guest, along the passage, was horrified to find when she escaped down a ladder that he not still with ' her. She said that a crackling noise awakened her, and realising what had happened, she seized her portmanteau and dashed into the passage. In the dim light she saw a man and called oult. By his voice she recognised Mr. Wettrup. “‘I know th© way out,” she called. They groped their way towards the front door, but a wall of flame prevented escape in that direction. Miss Hilton led Mr. Westrup back from the stairway towards the balcony. She found that she was one of a dozen others trapped on the balcony, with fixe below and above. William andi Kingdom Smith had propped an old ladder against the wall, and William Smith hastily mounted it. He lifted the girl s over the railing and saw them safely to where his brother was waiting at the foot of the ladder to receive them. ’Then he assisted the men -to escape, andi barely had time to reach the ground himself. Several people were surprised when it was known that Mr. Westrup was still In the building .. He had apparently returned to effect rescues. Suddenly h e was seen lowering himself with Ihe aid of some knotted sheets’. He was half-way down when some blazing timber crashed an-di struck him on the head. He fell to the ground, but was quickly rescued and taken to hospital.