EGMONT STREET FIRE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 257, 28 March 1914, Page 6

EGMONT STREET FIRE.

MAGISTERIAL INQUIRY. At the Magistrate's Court yesterday the Coroner (Mr. A. Crooke, N.M.) held an inquiry into the circumstances attending the recent lire at Mr. U. 0. JJawke's shop. Senior-Sergeant Madili I'll conducted the inquiry on lielialf of the police. Mr. E. C. J. Beliiingcr represented the fire jioard, and Air. W;. Taylor Davics the Underwriters' Association.

Air. .1. K. Avery, bookseller, deposed that at about l.:it) a.m. on Sunday, .March ±l, he gave an alarm of lire at the Central Eire Station, his attention having been called to the lire by one of the boarders in the Grosvenor Hotel, lie saw smoke, and llames issuing from llawke's building on the north side against the brick wall. The lire appeared to have a pretty good hold. It was Wowing a fairly strong gale from the south-east. Witness returned with the liremen on the motor. Just as he was leaving the station the alarm was given by telephone. Witness did not see anyone in Egmont Street on his way to the station, nor did he notice whether the front door of the shop was open or shut.

To Mr. Bellringer: To his knowledge, ilawke's shop was closed when he passed along Egmont street at about 11 p.m. At that time there was no signs of fire, From the appearance, when lie gave the alarm, the fire appeared to have been burning some considerable time. From the time he left to give tlie alarm until he got back with the brigade would not have been more than seven minutes. To the Coroner: lie could not say whether the clock chimed before or after tiiu lire bell rang. F. Uoberlson, storemau at Messrs. J. B. McEwan and Co., deposed that he was in company with the last witness when tho alarm of fire, was given. From Egmont .street witness saw smoke and Humes issuing from what he thought was YVooller's buildings, which is separated from Hawke's by a brick wall, He went across the road to avoid the smoke, which was choking him. lie could then see smoke and flames issuing' through Hawke's roof near the corner of the building next to Wooller's. The brigade arrived soon after. To Mr. Bellringer: He did not notice anyone in Egmont Street. The lire, appeared to be in the centre of the northern side of the building. Norman West deposed that he was omploml at his l'ath..'s livery stables in Egmont Street. On the morning in question he was sleeping at the stables in a room adjoining Egmont Street and almost opposite Hawke's building. A cry of lire aroused him. Witness looked out of his window and saw the lire ip. Hawke's shop. It appeared to be up against Wooller's ■back wall, but mostly in the front facing Egmont Street. There seemed to be a good deal of llame, which was coming round tin; corner, on to Wooller's. The brigade arrived shortly after. To Mr. F. {'. .1. Jiellringer: He arrived at the stables about 11.31) p.m. lie came along Egmont Street from Devon Street, passing Hawke's on the opposite side. He did not notice any signs of lire, nor did he see anyone in Egmont Street. After the alarm had been given, but before the brigade arrived, witness thought that Iff saw someone come out of the front door, lie then noticed that the door was open. He did not notice which direction the person took, as the smoke was dense. He sould not tell who the person was, but it appeared to be a man of medium height, lie was quite certain somebody came from tile building before the brigade arrived.

To the Coroner: Ho could not say how long elapsed from the tine he heard the alarm of lire until lie saw the man emerge from the building, but iio had bivil watching the building all the time from the window of bis room. The man shut the door after him. He appeared to be wearing a soft felt, hat. Witness mitunilly thought the man «as a member of the brigade and so did not, take any particular notice, lie was certain this was before the brigade arrived.

To Mr. !•'. C. J. Jiellringer: Witness did not think be could recognise the man again.

Charles Octavins llawke,stationer and fancy goo'ds dealer, deposed that he carried on business in Devon Street and Egmont Street. The hitter premises were used as a bulk and retail store. It was a large two-storeyed building., the ground' lloor being entirely occupied by the shop. A narrow staircase led to the upstairs portion, where there were seven rooms. I'p till within two years ago, the .'family resided three. Since then, as a family, they had resided out of town, but those who came into business had had their meals there, the kitchen being used for that purpose. Occasionally some of the family slept there. The building was insured in the Standard olliee for a-dod and £11)0, the first policy being in the name of 'Hie New I'lymouth Harbour Hoard, and the latter in his own name. The Harbour Hoard was his ground landlord, but the building was his own. The insurances on the stock were .CI2OO in the Standard, C7.")0 in the Alliance, ami JLMIM) in the N'ortU Queensland, a total of Xi 4,")(). At the time of the lire he valued the building at £7IH) though to re-erect it would cost C!)IH>.

In reply to a question as to the value i;i his stock at the time of the lire, Mr. Ilawke produced a copy of I he sialenient made bv (he assessors giving I heir value of the stock, the salvage, and Uie damage done, but he slated that Mr. JJavies had asked hiin to object lo ils eonli-iils being disclosed, as the companies interested did not wish the public to know the details of their business. After a little argument it was decided In keep tlie details out of the depositions, and to submit the statement as an exhibit. Mr. Ilawke. estimated his loss on the lire, outside the building, including personal effects, at £1(1011. The assessors had, he thought, undervalued the stock to the extent of about £SOO. The cost of reinstating the building would be about ,£:io0. On the night in question witness went upstairs about seven o'clock, remaining four or live minutes. He used the. electric light. The room was the centre room of three on the north side of the building, ft contained principally basket ware. Witness was a very heavy smoker, but could not say whether he was smoking at the time or not. Witness closed the premises that night. Witness always tried the front doorbefore lie left by the back door, which lie padlocked. No one slept, in the shop that night. To bis knowledge Mrs. Ilawke was the last person upslairs. lie could not suggest any way in which the lire originated, lie had no reason, to.suppose that he had an encmr that would set the place oil file. lie was informed of the tire next morniiijj by the police. On going down to Ihe shop, he found everything intact. fn consequence of a statement made to him, he went to see the barman of the (Irosvenor Hotel, who told him that he had pushed his shoulder through the door of the shop as he was afraid someone might '

be sleeping on ilie premises, and had banged two pieces of crockery down on I lie lloor as hard as he could so as to awaken aiiybml;, that might be sleeping upstairs, .lie.then told witness that he went to W'ooiier's, and smashed his hands through the' glass in the door to awaken them, and in doing so cut his hand, which he had not been able to use for a Jew days. Witness interviewed the barman Jm Thursday afternoon. The cooking arrangements upstairs were a gas ring and an oil stove. Only the gas ring was in use on Saturday.

To Air. Bell ringer: The entrances to the premises were from Egmont Street, the passage at the right-of-way, and the back door. Witness could 'not bcmemher whether he lucked the side door. One set of keys was always placed in a certain position, where any member o, the family <■uu.il obtain them. When he left the shop on Saturdav he did not know if any of the family intended to stop in town. The kuvs 'were not left in the usual place, but the side door could very easily be. pushed open. In continuing his evidence, the witness said that lie thought both sets <>. keys were in his possession on the Suurday night. At all events, they were on the Monday morning. A lad'named Wooller occasionally slept with his son. ■l»dt did not know where the keys w'r; hidden. The most damage was .'done in tiie middle room, on the -right-hand sidi upstairs. A Are might, burn, here for •■ cuisidcrable time before being discovered. He did not think that the rubo-." tubirtg of the gas-stova came in contact with the wood. The ail-stove had ujl, btix used for over three weeks, 'flier' Wi,s not moro than one. tin of kero» u • in the kitchen. After he left the sin.) no one went back without his autliorit/, All the boys were home that night. To Senior-Sergeant lladdrell: Witiie-s lived about three miles out of town.

To the Coroner: He. left the precis-a about half-past ten. He did not friins anyone else knew of the easy l..\ the side door. He had never missed am thing from the storeroom. As far as he knew the front door was securely Icdieil when lie left.

Senior-Sergeant lladdrell said that the front door lock was not a very secure one, having often been bumped open by boys. Albert -Ronald Crcen, a member of the New Plymouth Fire Brigade, residing at the central station, deposed that when he arrived at the scene of the fire on the motor-engine, the fire was coming out of some of the windows at the back, and a lot of smoke was issuing from the Egmont Street windows. Witness noticed that the front shop door was standing wide open, but did not know who opened it, nor did he know who broke Wooller's door.

To Mr Bellringer: He was absolutely certain the door was open. Joseph Meade, employed as barman at the (Jrosvemir Hotel, who luul been ordered out of the Court during the evidence of Mr Tlawkc; deposed that on hearing the alarm of lire he thought that Wooller's was on fire, and ran and smashed the glas- in Wooller's door. Mrs Wooller came out, and he was soon •atiafied they were safe. He tli.-n rushed to Hawke's, and found the door slightly ajar. He at once pushed the door open, and smashed some crocke-7 in order to give the alarm, if anyonj was sleeping there. lie was positive that hc did not open the door. .Witness admitted that he told Mr and Mr Davies that he bashed the dojr open, but. he was not then telling the truth,

The Coroner explained to witness tint lie would lnive been quite within his rights in cashing open the door, in older to give warning to occupants, uiit the witness insisted that the door was ajar when lie arrived. To Air iiellringcr: lie hud only been at the Crosvcnor for six weeks. I'reviolisly he had been report ill}- for it sporting paper. .11,. was half asleep in his room when lie heard the cries of "iMi-e!" lie did not know .Mr Jlawke'* boys and had never previously been on the premises. Jle \vu'.« too excited to remember whether he closed the door after him or not.

To the Coroner: He iiad no hat on that night. Constable J. ,1. Xnian gave evidence that when lie pass-d llawke's buildings at \->.H) a.m., on the opposite side of the street, there was no sign of lire. Mrs llawke, wife of i| u . owner of the premises, deposed that on the .Saturday evening, at about a ouartcr-past live, she had lea in the kitchen. The gas-ring, about a yard from tlte wall, was utiTised. It was quite safe. Witness was tile last to leave the upstairs portion before they unit home at Jll.IJO* p.m., and, as far as die knew, everything was then quite safe. ' -Mr i'. C. Uellriuger said that the Fire Board did not impute any neglect, or carelessness on the part of Mrs llawke. Miss Dora Emily llawke gave similar evidence, and said the onlv light she used that night was the electric l^lit Senior-Sergeant lladdrell, who arrived at the scene before the brigade had got the water on. corroborated previous witnesses as to I lie position and progress of the lire. The back door and Mile door were secure, but the front door was open two or three inches, lie inspected the premise, later with Superintendent liellringcr, an.l found thai two-thirds of the'upstairs portion was practically gutted, tin.- Hour burnt (> u< and the wall gone at the centre room, ilicre were the remain-, of Iravvllini; trunks, sonic having contained sialiou" cry. Downstair* the damage « s done by w.ater and the embers of the lire (n.; ; , the roof, lie had examined the fn,„t <l<J<»- hick. l|e did not consider i,, par ticularly >ale, as a sudden hhiu would cause it to spnng open. The apiraiancc of the shop was such as he would expect it to be when left bv th" owners. To Mr liellvinger: The lire j„ the shed dill not appear to him to be suspicious, as he understood thai Lieut. Iloon had seen the embers fall there from the burning building, and had put them out. \VJth such a gale this was not surpris-

Mr i'. P. Corkill.. chief agent for the Alliance Assurance, Ltd.. in Taranaki, and Lloyd's agent for the Provincial District of Taranaki, said lie held risks for £750 on the stock, lie- took out the lirst £SOO in IUOII, when there was another risk of £OSO in the Standard office, anil the -slock was valued at £3OOO. In April, 190.1. he took another £250, the stock being valued at between £IOOO and £-1000. in the interval he had satisfied himself that the stock was being maintained at about that value. This applied to the Egmont .Street premises, lie had a further insurance on the furniture Hjnl household effects, but on the home being removed to Frankley Road this was transferred. The furniture remaining in Kgmout Street was uninsured. The matter of the lire loss had been adjusted as far as related to the stocks, and was now being settled by the com pa nies concerned. Mr Corkill was about to give the ligures on which the. adjustment had "been arranged, when Sir Daries again objected. Mr Corkill contended that Mr Davies had been employed by the companies to

adjust the claims, and, having dono that, his duties ceased.. Witness did not know what status h c | uu [ before (,1k; Court. Tho Alliance Cumpanv laid no reason for concealment.

Mr Davids argued that he was appointed by ilie head oll'ice, and whilst he had no objection to give the Court all information, he objected to it being given to the public, wiio were not interested in the matter.

The witness, continuing, said the assessment made showed a stock of £.r>Wl at the time of the lire, and the amount of the lire and water damage had been fixed fit fl.'ioO. This the companies would lose out of their total of f2-l."i(). The enquiry had been asked for by the fire Board, of which witness was a member. Tho Coroner found that the building was partially -destroyed bv fire on Sunday, March 22, but he was unable to find from tho evidence how the lire originated.