The Oriental Hotel Fire

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 137, 5 December 1901, Page 3

The Oriental Hotel Fire

Wellington, December 2. The enquiry into the death of William Crawford, a victim of the Oriental Hotel fire, was continued to-day. The --evidence given hy the boarders who escaped showed that they were, considerably in the dark as to the means of exit from the building in case of fire. The Superintendent bf the fire Brigade said -ho had always regarded the place as extremely dangerous to live in. He had ordered the owners ■boearry out certain work to facilitate exit. This had not been done. The. Superintendent said that ropes were not an efficient means bf escapefrom a burning building. There, should bo railed balconies with fixed iron ladders leading to the ground. Decembers. •

The 'enquiry into the death of Mr William Crawler;!, a victim of the .Oriental Hotel fire, concluded tonight. The evidence throughout the enquiry had shown that there was au over-lapping of authority m regard to ordering owners of hotels ! so provide pibp'er fire escapes. The Coroner remarked that there seemed to be two distinct authorities now dealing with this question, but the Licensing Committee had the power to refuse licenses to hotels which were not properly equipped with meahs of escape.

The jury returned a verdict that Mr Crawford’s death was accidental, and added several riders, in which the Opinion was expressed that when licenses are granted licensees should state 4ihe limit of'boarders the house is to accommodate; that plainly printed notices'should be posted in each bedroom of every hotel regarding the tire escapes ; that complete systems of electric alarms should be installed on each floor; and that there should be a careful quarterly inspection of all licensed premises. The jury also strongly deprecated the action of the City Council in not appointing an inspector of hotels and lodging houses sooner, and thought that sufficient information had not been given as to why an Act passed last year was only brought into force in September; they further "thought the Council to blame in not having had a house list prepared under the Municipal Corporations Act, limiting the number of persons allowed tb sleep : in each hotel. There would then have been less than si'xty-twb persons sleeping in the Oriental Hotel, which had only thirty-nine "bedrooms.

The. Wellington city authorities have decided to prosecute at once persons who havfe not complied with notices to equip their premises With proper 'fire escapes.