THE RED POST FIRE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 296, 18 May 1914, Page 7

THE RED POST FIRE.

! AX JXQUIRY HELD. :i XO CAUSE ASSIGNED. An ciKjiiiry was licld on Saturday, b.'- , t'ii'e -M r. A. C'rooke, S.M., 'district coroner, into ihe circumstances of the fire :tt the Ked I'ost Furnishing Company's warehouse on the Saturday ni«;ht previous. Detective - Sergeant * liodJam conducted t!io enquiry, on hehalf | of the police, Mr. F. C. •). Mlringer was present on hehalf of the Fire Hoard, ind >lr. ,1. C. Nicholson appeared for the Red Post Co., Ltd. Charles liond, grocer, deposed that on Saturday night last he slept in his premises in Devon street, next to the Red Post building, tie went to lied at about 10.45 p.m., and shortly afterwards noticed a glare coming' from two of the north-wed windows at the hack of the Red Post building. He then gave the alarm he opened the side gate between Station. It was a windy night, the winil blowing from the south. Tie wa9 sure that wlicn he noticed the flames they were confined to the north-west corner of the upper storey. To Mr. Ilellringer: There would have to he a considerable amount of flame in the building before he would notice it from his premises. After he gave the alarm he opened the side gate between the two buildings and then went for his own hose to hose, down the hack of his own promises. The efitrance from the hack of his building to the back of the Red Post building was fairly o'pen. To Mr, Xicholson: He did not notice whether the, fanlights of the two windows of the Red Post building were open. lie saw that one window was broken at the time. To Detective Boddam: He had had occasion to complain of the smoke from Mr. Lealaud's bakery, next door to him, which, when the wind was from the breakwater, came into his premises. James William Hayden, manager of the Red Post Furnishing Co., Ltd.. with premises in New Plymouth, deposed that the nature of the business was trade in complete house furnishings, some of which were manufactured by the Company. The warehouse in which the fire occurred was two-storeyed, about 80 feet by CO feet, built of concrete, with an iron roof, wooden ceilings and doors, and no partitions oil the top storey. It had been erected about three years. It was lit by electric lights, of which there were eight in the top storey. There was one light in the north-west corner of this storey. The insurance, on the building was C3OOO in the State office, and on the stock* and fil lings £SOOO ( £2OOO in the State, .€ll5OO in the Commereial Union, and .CISOO in' the Phoenix Co.). Since the fire the companies concerned had assessed the loss at £2700 on the stock, €.15 10s on the fittings, and a'bout £l5O on the building, making an approximate total of On the , day prior to the on?i:r,-ak <!> ere wr-.s : about 15 hales of paper tfored ill a loft ( above the rafter.- of the top storey. Tile roof under which they were stored was of corrugated iron, with no linim. On 'Saturday last, he had occasion to remove mo.st of the kapoc into the north-west corner of the t>'p floor. The reason for this was that 50 bales were due to arrive on the following Monday. Oil the top storey, in the immediate vicinity, the premises formed a receiving', forwarding and packing room. On Saturday morning, an employee named Rimcock was working there, and witness himself was there from time to tim». The bales of kapoc were not. loose, but ''dumped." The premises were closed for the night at 0.5 p.m. It was about 5.55 p.m. wl|gn he wa.s last on the top storey, in company with some customers. They were all within six yards of the kapoc. They left the top storey together. and all the doors were locked, and everything appeared safe. There was a lift from the bottom storey, and th:s was left at night fastened up on the to]) door. The bales of kapoc were in proximity to three of the windows. There were fanlights in each alternate window, and these were left open at night. He had had considerable experience with kapoc, and his opinion wis that a spark came through the window and set alight to the kapoe. One of the windows near the kapoc was broken before the five. He had 110 reason to suspect incendiarism. lie could not believe that the kapoe overheated because it would have 'been noticed when tile kapoe was moved that day.

To Mr. BeHringer: Ho had been in the furnishing business for a great number, of years in England, hut had had no previous experience of kapoc in New Zealand. The kapoc was heavily baled, but the iron bands which originally hound it were removed as soon as they arrived'. The lift was under repair, and was in such a state that a man could swarm up it into the building, hut he did not know this at the time, although it since appeared it was known to Jiis workmen. He was 011 the.best of terms with his present employees, hut he believed there was a warrant out for the arrest of a former employee for wilful damage, to machinery in the factory. Detective Boddam corrected thiri. There was a summons issued against the man five months ago. He explained thai the police eould not serve the summons as the man had left the town. No warrant was applied for, and he .was informed licit the man had left ftew Zealand.

Witness continued that this man had not been in his employ for about five months. There was easy a'-cess to the luck yard, but none at the hack of the building except by climbing up a rope to the top Storey. If the former employee were about New Plymouth, he would 110(1 feel very secure concerning- his premises. This was the first (ire he had Iwd. There were three keys to the building, nil of which he eould account for. lie was told that the smoke from Leahind's chimney was eddving round in his yard on the night of the fire. To Mr. Nicholson: The building did not in-long to the lied Post Company, but to the estate of the lute Jf. IT. Parker, and he was riot personally interested in the insurance 011 the building. The value of the, stock and fittings was £7200. The stock was recently inspected by the assessor for the insurance companies, who was satisfied with the risk. The financial position of the Company was such that it could pay ,£2 10s. in the ,C, and trade had improved considerably in the last two years. To the Coroner: In the hales of kapoc, thei-f; were rat holes made 011 the shin, and kapoc might have been protruding from these.

William Simro[-k. an employee of the ■C'oiiipmiy. who was on the top storey of thi' kiildinK on Sat unlay moniin". also s*;ive evidence. The kapoe was not there when lie was pre.-ent. lie did not consider that Hip kupoe was in a dangerous place. There was a certain amount of loose kapoc on the lloor. He had gained access to the building previous to the (ire diy means of Hie lilt well, but luid afterwards blocked it up so that no one else could do the same. lie would not say that it was then impossible to swarm rp flip lift well, Imt it would l>e difficult. Tie lwd noticed at times smoke inside the building, but had never found

a lire in tlie premises. He did not think a spark from Lealand's chimney would have got in with n wind from the south. The Coroner said that there were three theories as to the cause of the Are. The first was spontaneous combustion, which had been dispelled by the fact that there was no, sign- of heat in the kapoc when it was moved on Saturday morning. Then there was the theory of incendiarism, but the only person who might be supposed to have had a grievance against the Company was stated to be out of New Zealand. There then remained the theory that a spark had been blown in through the window. There was a possibility that the Are could have -been caused through a spark, but there was also evidence that the strong wind , was blowing away from the building. There might have been various causes for accidental lire, and on the evidence lie preferred to return an open verdict.