Pungarehu Fire

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 50, 20 July 1914, Page 3

Pungarehu Fire

AN ENQUIRY HELD. UNKNOWN INCENDIARY. Considerable interest was aroused among coastal residents l»y the enquiry on Friday into the circumstances surrounding, tiie total destruction liy fire on Mav 10 last of the store owned by the Gibbons estate. The Pungarehu Hall, where the enquiry was held, was well filled with Pungarehu residents, who stayed until the clo-e of the proceedings, despite the fa- I that the verdict was not delivered until 11.30 p.m. Mr. T. P. llughson. J.P.. was on the Bench, and a jury of six was empanelled. Mr. F. E. Wilson appeared for the estate of Gibbons and Knott, owners of the building, Mr. A. H. Johnstone for Mr. W. Gibbons and Mrs. Rowe, who were selling the stock at the time of the fire, and Mr. Sheppard, of the National Insurance Co., appeared oil bohalf of the company, who were the issuers of an insurance policy on the building and stock. Senior-Sergeant Haddrell conducted the enquiry on behalf of the police. OCCUPIER'S EVIDENCE. Alexander Hammill deposed that he lived in the Pungarehu store prior to May 19, and was manager for Gibbon ! and Knott up to March 31. Continuing, witness said: "The business was sold, I believe, to Messrs Howe and Gibbons. We continued to occupy the premises. Occasionally my wife or I went into trie store to oblige a customer if Miss Gibbons was away. She ran a clearing sale. When I gave up, stock was taken, and the value was .S7SS. Stock was taken by taking the cash price marked on tlie goods, save in the case of one lot of boots. The sale was a good one, and there was n considerable amount of goods moved to other places. The stock did not appear to me to be of much value on the day prior to the fire. I do not think there was more than £IOO worth. I was away from the store on the evening of May 10'witn Mrs. Ilammell. left at 7.50 and went to Harrison's to spend 'the evening. It is about ten minutes' walk away. We left the baby in the house. We 'left Harrison's after 11, having been there all the evening. When I came home crcrvthing was in its usual condition. Tt was blowing a- hurricane. The back door was locked when we left that evening. There were two front doors—one into the shop and one into a store. Ido not know whether or not they were locked. There was a door into the shop from the (lining-room. This door had a lock, but no key. There was free access between the shop and living apartment. My wife woke me later, saving that someone was iu '-he shop, because there was a light shining through the cracks of the lining boards. 1 lit a caudle, and with my wife went to the dining-room. We found the door leading into the shop fastened. 1 could not open it myself, but assistance of my wife forced it in. Ihe chief resistance was at the centre of the door. When the door opened Tdo not know what gave way. A NARROW KSCAPE. -f -aw tire blazing in three different phvc» The shop had a long frontage, divided into two. The fires were in the shop-all ill the front. They were separate iircs. a counter being between two of tl'.eni. The llames were reaching to the roof. I got the children out and got out my=elt' as soon as possible. I «ave.l a few things of mv own out (>' the -bedroom. T believe 11; lost about jjlOO worth. I was not insured. 1 i'iiit U.Vi in mv to C»inbnns ami Knott. This was lost. ' culled for help after seeing the fire in the shop. lam a heavy loser. Tdo riot l-now if anvone would be acquainted with the fiie't that T was gom- out. To Mr. John-tone: The (lining-room was full of smoke when I trud to get I lirtrk aft''!* in.''' tue nuldTvu. Thcrr* wi'iv four rooms in the liv niL5 1)101. I (lid not value the stork at the time of the fire. ->>'"• llamson valued part of the -tock. There was very iiltle stuck in the throe places where saw the Rr( —a few boxes of celluloid collar* The onlv books on the premise. were those -lis.-il bv me during my occupancy. They were not to be sent ia till the end of May. The Mr. TTar-ri-nn to who-c house we went is a juror. Tile Mr. Gondii! who is also oil the jury | was one of those I called in on the nig '. . lof the fire. Ido not know how much ' idmh'V was tnb n lu-bvivn Muvli an '' the tone of the fire. 1 judge there WHS ft fourth lire, because the fire get quickly into the buck room. The bull'.in? wA9 of wood and ivon ami old. J was Mirprised how quickly the fire d( moli-hcd it. Only a few minutes elapsed between the time when I first saw the lire and when I got out at the bock The -lied at the back, six or eight feet awav. was not even s:orched. Son., water was thrown on it from a bucket I don't know how much. To Mr. Shepherd: When managing, 1 bharod the profits. There is an agree Kent made between the late Mr. Giii

bon» and Miss Knott as trustees. At the end of eight months I received notice that the agreement had terminated. It was signed by Miss Knott. Mr. Gibbons, senr., was then dead. Miss Knott in her notice said they were giving up the storu. There was nothing to show that the business was changing hands. I handed the stock to Mrs. Rowe, who was a Miss Gibbons, on April 2. I took no further responsibility in respect of the stock. The £785 included two horses, cart and harness, wire in the yard and stuff in the shed. To Mr. Wilson: I remained on the premises by permission of Miss Knott, and iu her interests. I could have seen if 'any fire had been in the shop through the windows. I had a fire on the pre[mises that day in the dining-room. It ! was in an open fire-place, lined with brick. I could not get in the door of the dining-room for smoke. i Re-examined: I got home, about 11.30. | The fire was at about 12.45. To the Coroner: The fire in the fireplace was a rata fire. I drowned it with less than a kettleful of water. Minnie Hammell, wife of the last witness, gave corroborative evidence. There was not more than £IOO worth of stock at the time of the lire, and most of it was old stock. To Mr. Johnstone: I judge the value from seeing what was in the shop. 1 have heard people express their opinion as to its value. Ido not care to mention who they were. There was not £l5O worth there. 1 know roughly what was sold and what was taken away. No person had anything to do with the stock except a member of the Gibbons family. lam on the best of terms with them. AX EYE-WITXESS' STORY. Arthur Henry Gooding, a blacksmith, of Pungarehu.'said: "I live within 40 feet of the store that was burned. I went to bed about ten minutes to 10. There was hammering going on in the store for a few minutes. I thought Hammill was working, or someone nailing up boxes. It lasted for five or six minutes. At about ten minutes to one o'clock I heard someone calling: 'Harry, Harry, quick; I'm "burning out!' I raised the window, and Mr. Hammill passed his two children through. I gave them to my wife, roused my father and brother, and went outside. I went to the front of the shop, where the flames were coming through the two windows. I could see that there were three fires. The windows were broken, and tongues of flame were cowing through. The building was all burnt down in half-an-hour. There was, no chance to save anything. It was blowing a gale from the back of the sliop, eistuvlr. The building was pretty old, being of wood and iron, and in fair condition. To Mr. Shepherd: The budding had been painted a long time ago. There was no paper or ceiling. To Mr. Johnstone: I have only 'been in the dining-room of the private part. It was papered. I didn't go to the hack. When I saw the fire first there was no hope of getting in at any part of the building. The fire had run through it like matchwood. To the Coroner: On looking through the window I could see the fires, which were then through the window. The fires were distinct. To the jury: The shop was fully on fire when I first arrived, the back part bring full of smoke. The wind wis in the S.E. corner. An I ran to the factory the smoke was pouring out of the back door. It was too dense to allow one )to enter. I know nothing about the {condition of the other rooms.

STORY OF THE ESCAPE.

Svdnev Lawrence Gooding, blacksniil.li. of Pungarcliu, said: "Between 0 unci 10 p.m. on the night previous to the fire .1 was on the road in front of the store. I saw a light in the front window of the store. I was alone. I judged the blind to he down and the light was showing at the side. I was 70 to 8(1 yards away. I saw the light at an angle. I judged it he a light m the window. I saw no one about, and heard nothing. I went to the fire from our house on to the road. I saw three lights in the front, but do not know if thev were flames or reflections through the* windows. I went to HammiU's rooms at the hack. They were .throwing things out of the window, some of which f picked up and carried away. I didn't trv to get in. The wind would tend to blow the flames away. To Mr. Johnstone: I do not know whether the blinds in the shop were up or down. The three lights that I saw were, as far as I know, the flames corning through the window. My brother was out before me, but I did not see him. Verv little was saved. To Mr. Sheplierd: As Mr. Hammill got out. the whole building collapsed. The bedroom would he the last part of the building to be. destroyed.

13URMXG SUGGESTED.

Wi Kupo. of Pungarehu, said: "I leased to Mrs. Gibbons the land on which the store stood. One of the conditions of the lease was -that a building was to he left on the land to the value of£oo. The lease had one Year and ten months to run vet, I know Wilfred Gibbons. I had a" talk with him about the buildin«s, ouWide the new blacksmith's shop, on mv land. He said, 'Well, Kupo, are von willing to take the place back?" 1 'said, 'But if the building is not worth £fil) vou ought to make; it up.' He replied." 'You said before that you would take it as it was.' I said, 'Look here, Willie, if you took and shook the house it would fall to pieces.' He said, 'The best thine vou can do is to bum the house.' I "said, 'You burn it yourself. If vou made me kirn; of the world I wo'M not do it.' \Ye then separated. It \ ;••; burnt down about three weeks [after. It was had luck for me that the house was burnt down." To Mr. Shepherd: I. did not tell W. Gibbous that Ilammill was to take over the buildings. To Mr. Wilson: The talk with Willie Gibbons was before I saw you in Xew Plymouth. I know that he is not one of' the trustees, ami that the trustees are to make up £6O to me. Vou wrote to me to see if I would take back the lea-e before the time was up. 1 signed a paper agreeing to take back the buildin"s on dune 10. This was dom' before the fire. 1 said: "T want to eaten Ttammill." I agreed to take back the buildings as they were. Hickey Martin said: "I remember the n'mht the store was burnt down. 1 was there. I don't know who set it on lire. T did not tell anyone that 1 knew who set it on are. T am positive of this." \faud Booth Gibbons, daughter of tht late F Gibbons said: "At thi' time ol the fire 1 resided at Puniho. 1 took over the management of the ptore foi W Gibbons and Mrs. Howe. I believf the htoiv was to be shut up. 1 «';v bedding a clearing sale. The estah ],.„! two other stores-one at Punim. and one at Pihama. I was told tin value of the stock at stock-talcing, by, Tdo not remember the amount. 1 ha: to keep an account of sales. 1 kept a book at Puniho, entering cash takings T kept an account ot goods sent U other stores. I believe the stamen produced to be correct, slewing thai CW 4s 2'/ a d worth went to Puniho, £4< V Ws 7%d worth to Pihama, and -£W 14e 4d worth of goods were sold. Ihi

money was paid to Mrs., Rowe weekly. [ was supposed : to Bell at cost price, joodfi taken.away were at cost price. [ got down about ten o'clock and left it any tims between three and six. ', Mrs. Hammill used to sell after I left. ' At first the outside store-room door had i lock and key, and the other front door lad a bar. Tho door leading into the lining-room was never fastened. There wns no key for it. The store-room door ivas never opened. I used to leave shrough the dining-room. One day vhen I went to lock the front door the jar was missing, and next day Mr. Rowe •ame down and fixed a lock, with a key. rhat was ahout ten days before the lire. After that I locked the door and took ,he key away. The day before the fire : left about 3.30. I locked up, and ;ook the key away. I heard the place vas burnt down. There was no heaing appliance in the store. There were natehes tlicre, and a bottle or two of nethylated spirits, but no kerosene or jenzinc. lam aware of nothing that vould cause an outbreak of fire. There vas only one key to the front door, rod I kept it. No one could get acicss to it without my knowledge. No me else had the key. It was hard to indo with one key. I think there was ibout £7OO worth of stock in the store vhen I took possession. When I left t for the last time I do not know the ?alue. lam not directly interested in my of the businesses. The stock was sold to Mrs. Rowe and W. Gibbons by ;he\trustees.. I was working for them. ; was paid by Mr. Rowe." To Mr. Wilson: She remembered that kfiss Knott told her that she wished the door between the dining-room and the shop to he locked, and kept locked, wd the lock vfaa brought down to iffix to the door. Rowe preferred to iave it open. Mr. and Mrs. Rowe, witless and her brother spent a social n-ening at Ptiniho on the night before the fire. They stayed the night there m the night o'f the fire. On the dcatu jf her father the estate was divisible imong four children. Miss Knott con"erred as to the disposal of the business, wd witness and Mrs. Rogers wanted to *et out of the store. °'W. Gibbons, farmer, of Warea, said ic had a stove at Pihama as a beneficiary under his mother's will. After ■vidence as to the amount of stock, and lis purchase of it, he referred to the jonversation with Kupe, saying: "He started the .conversation. He asked .vhat we intended to do with the buildng. I said that tho matter was settled, as he had agreed to take it over ind put up a "blacksmith's shop on the :amc section. He said that he had igreed to take the building for £6O, nut there was nothing signed to that :-ffect. I said I thought he had better take it over, as if we declined to let urn have the shop he would be in rav thcr an awkward position. He said le would think about it, and I replied jokingly that if he didn't think the Duilding was worth £OO he should get ihout £2OO insurance and put a match to it. I think the building was worth £OO at the time of the fire. I have :nade no claim in my nape in respect of the insurance. I understood from the agent that there was no need to have the policv transferred. I estimate am- loss bv the fire at over £4OO. Constable. Kelly, of Rahotu, also gave L'vidcncc. TIITC VERDICT. Mr. Johnstone addressed the jury, who retired at 10.15 p.m. and returned at 11.30 p.m., with a verdict of incendiarism igainst some person or persons unknown.