FIRE INQUEST AT GREYTOWN.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4410, 4 May 1893, Page 3

FIRE INQUEST AT GREYTOWN.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) ;' An inquest .was held in the R.M. j Court, Greytown, at noon yesterday, j touching the fire of the house of Mr \ Geo, - Jones : inlvuratawhiti-stree'., j Greytown, before Mr. T. Hutchison j (Coroner), and the following juryj Messrs E, Dunn (fore-man), V. llax-; ton, T. Ingley, W. Brunton, K. Bright, and W, Tully. ; Ball, First noticed a glaro in-the : direction of my house, without sus- i peeling that it was my house. Sent a j man to seo where the .fire .was, as no; alarm had been given. The man returned and informed me that my house Yfas.bumed to-the ground. I visited tho place on Monday afiernoon.. Was not well enough., to go befme, ■ The house had six rooms with a slied ; attached at the back, I valued the . building itsolf at £2OO. It was partly famished. Furniture was worth about XI2. Other goods' were, in .the shed and were also • destroyed," but-;; don't exactly remember what. The; building was insured in the South ' British Insurance-• Office tor £175. Up to three years ago it was insured for £2OO. The agent. reduced it ;as , ho considered it was over insured. I'| have lost about £25 to i'!)p, and have j do idea as to the origin '.of the lire.; Up till December 18'Jl.it was occu- j pied by a tenant, but since that it was ,j taken care of byaseivautmannamed : Frederick Biooks,'who; lived in it, I. have ascertained since the fire'that 'j tho kitchen chimney was defective. ; Tho ooly reason I can conceive for the fire was through the defecive chim- 'j ney , I viited theplice about a foitnight WW™ fire. The chiuincy' has never been on fire to my know- , ledge. My man was not aleepitig iu ' the bouse on the night- of the tire, as bo was helping at the hotel yard. Frederick Brookes, sivqrn, deposed: lama labourer working for Mr Geo.* Jones on his form at Kuratawhiti-st. I was at the hotel on tho night of (he fire helping the stableman, who, was' busy working for the Hospital Bali, I; was at tho house at about 4,50 on the previous ovening, The last lire lit in the house was at about G. 30 o'clc-ck in the morning with niatai wood. I ; left embers iu the lire-place, I lelt the bouse at 8.80 o'clock, i reentered the house at 11.50.o'clock the same morning. The embers were out ; then, I was again in the houso at ■ 4.50 p.m. Thcro was no signs of fire' in the fire-place. The doors were not looked Thomas Fisher,butcher, gave unirn- : moitant evidence, and stated that in lis opinion tho lire was caused through a defective chimney,., ' A verdict was returned to.the effect ; that#? building was accidentally ' burned, and that no blame was at> tached to anyone in the 'matter. '■