INQUEST.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 395, 21 February 1880, Page 2

INQUEST.

An inquiry was held before' the District Coroner at the Royal Oak Hotel, Carterton, on the 19tli. inst., to enquire into the destruction by lira of .live staoks of. grain at Mr St-rawbridge's farm at Wiahakeke. Mr Simpson attended from Wellington to represent the New Zealand Insurance Company, with whom the grain had been insured. A jury was duly empanelled, Mr T. Golo'being elected 'foreman, and a rough sketch of the 10-., Cality tabled by the Coroner. v ' : , Eli Strawbridge deposed OnWedne3day, the 11th insfc., about seven o'clock in the evening, I was going from Carterton ■ homewards when I met a boy in Olliver's line, who informod me that my stacks were burnt down. There were five stacks, four of oats, and one of'wheat. I said, "is it possible, or are you joking 1" 1 knew nothing of it till I was on OUiver's line. I had been to several places during the afternoon, I rode ' on to ray. place, and when I got there I found Mr Cadwallader there. The stacks were all in a blaze, and nothing could be done at that stage. The stubble was burnt for a few yards around the stacks, but did not extend further after I arrived than it had already reached. The stacks were about ' four or five yards from the..road leading • to Mr Maunsell's. Three of the stacks , were thatched, one of them secured, and * one not quite completed, .The stacks contained the crop off about 35 or 36 acres. I had had a very good crop, I should say about 70 bushels of oats to the acre, I reckon the value of the stacks is oats 2s Gd and wheat .5s per bushels, and the straw at £l2O. I don't think it likely, that any children liad'been about. Ido not know or suspect any cause to account for the origin of the fire. .

. By the foreman—l left home at three. My brother and I had been working at tho ataoka in the morning. We had knocked off about midday. Everything was • then light. There is no chimney near from which a spark would fly. The home is five or six hundred yards off. The grain was dry when stacked, and I do not think combustion spontaneously likely, . I was insured in the New Zealand office for L 175, L4O on the s wheat, and L 135 on the oats, a few days before the fire.

William Cadwallader deposed Juat about dusk on the evening of tls fire, I wiia turning some sheep out from one paddock into another, when inKyvjf.o, who was milking, called out that Straw • bvidgo's house was on firo. I went down and found that it was the'stacks burning. They were all on firo. I looked round to see if there were any tools or things about noar, I'could do nothing to save the stacks, as they were too much on firo. My house is about three-quarters of a mile off. A little boy went part of the way with me. He came out of a gate on to Olliver's line, and lie afterwards. turned back. I am not certain, but I think i t was one of Hanna's boys, There was no bush fires about that could have caused the fire. Tom Strawbridgc's is house about la yards off. The last person I saw was Mr Maunaell, who passed, going towards his houje, about a quarto;' of an hour before my wife called to -me. I cannot say whether he had come past tho stacks, or down Oliver's line. I was working at carting oats to the stack with the Strawbridges in the morning, and .everything was all right when wo went'to dinner, The agent for the Insurance Company examined the witnesses at' considerable longlh as to tile local value of the grain and straw, cost of thrashing, and whether delivered on tho ground or elsewhere, but there seemed to be no certain or ascertained value.

Verdict, That the five stacks of grain on Mr Eli Strawbridge'B farm at Wiahakeke - were dostroyed by fire on the 11th of February, 1880, but that there is no evidence before the jury to show the origin of the fire.