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A. Yes, definitely. Q. And been able to have attacked the fire in the basement itself ? A. I am not quite certain on that point. Q. Would you have gone down those stairways and attacked the fire in that way had you been in charge ? A. I would have gone down. If there was evidence that laymen were there, I would have gone down there and seen if there was reasonable chance of attacking the fire. Q. Coming back to your statement that you are satisfied with the conduct of the three officers, and again asking you not to particularize, should not some officer during those twelve minutes, and preferably at the beginning of the twelve minutes, have made sufficient investigation to disclose the existence, of that fire-escape ? A. Yes, I really cannot understand how that was missed. Q. You cannot understand how that was not discovered ? A. No. Q. But had it been discovered, and knowing as we do know that two women were able to come down the upper portion of that escape, would it not have been perfectly possible for trained firebrigadesmen to have rescued every girl on that top floor ? A. A trained fireman would have definitely got up into that millinery workroom under those conditions. Q. And brought the girls down ? A. Yes. Q. At any rate you have gone that far with me—it is very difficult to say why no officer did discover that fire-escape ? A. Yes. Q. When Mr. Burrows was led on that stupid errand to the back of the building, should he not have used his own power of observation going and coming in order to see the entrance to Goodman's building and the entrance to the fire-escape ? A. I agree he should have. Q. Any ordinary observant fireman, or fire officer, would have seen the entrance to Goodman's building and the entrance to the fire-escape alleyway ? A. They would have seen the entrance to Goodman's building anyway. Q. You would have expected him to say, " Can't I get in that way ? " when he went past Goodman's door ? A. That is the way I would view it. Q. And you would have expected him to see the entrance to the fire-escape, coming or going V A. He must have seen the entrance between the two buildings, but whether he saw the fire-escape I do not know. Q. Having seen the entrance between the two buildings, even if he did not see the actual fireescape, wouldn't you have expected him to investigate what was in the entrance ? A. Yes, and I would expect Mr. Ballantyne to take him down that opening to give ready access. Q. Had he investigated this opening between the buildings, he would have found not only the fire-escape but the Luney hole ? A. Yes. Q. And that would have given him another access to the fire ? A. That was the best access. Q. Can you excuse his failure to use his own powers of observation to the extent where he would have seen first the entrance to Goodman's building and secondly the entrance to the fire-escape alleyway ? A. I have no explanation for that. In regard to Officer Burrows not going down the lift-shaft at the back of Pratt's building, Mr. Morrison was asked : Q. You cannot yourself see any justification for not going down there ? A. No . . . Q. What effective action was taken by way of covering or surrounding the fire ? A. There was no effective action ... Q. You have told me they could have found the fire-escape and girls could be brought down the fire-escape ? A. Yes, that surprised me. Q. Do you consider—l think you do from an answer given to Mr. Thomas—that, had the electric ladder been despatched at the original call, the girls from Goodman's building could have been rescued with it ? A. I concede that . . . Q. Do you think that every possible use was made of the Ajax ladders in connection with the rescue in Pratt's building ? .4. I was not present. Q. You have heard the evidence ?

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