FIRE ENQUIRY.

Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1051, 20 February 1882, Page 2

FIRE ENQUIRY.

An enquiry was held at the Court House on Saturday last, before W. H. Revell, Esq., Coroner, and a jury of twelve, into the origin of the recent fire in Broadway, Reefton, whereby the premises of Donald Ross and the Herald pffieen^ere destroyed. .

Previous to vis.tu.ar the scene of the fire, -the Coroner jpxhorted the jury to make a searching enquiry into the circumstances to be brought before them, as the frequent occurrences of fires hi Reefton appeared somewhat mysterious, and required careful investigation.

The jury having visited the scene of the late fire, the following evidence was taken : —

Donald Ross, a lad twelve years of age, son of Donald Ross, carrier, residing in Reefton, said : I remember the fire on a Saturday night last month. I went to bed at 9 o'clock on that night. I slept in the side room next to the printing oflice. My brother slept in the same , room with me. We' went to sleep. I woke up by fire dropping on me. A piece of scrim of the wall was on fire and dropped down on me. I immediately got up and called out fire, and woke up my mother, who was sleeping in the front room on the side next to the printing office. When I got up I saw the fire on the inside wall between the kitchen and our bedroom. Did not see any fire on the other wall towards the printing office. I got out by the front door. We could not get into the kitchen aa the door was shut. We all went out by the front. Did not try to open the kitchen door. There was no fire-place in our bed-room, nor in my mother's bedroom. There was a fire-place in the parlor, where fire had been burning on the afternoon. There had been a fire in the kitchen which had been put out after tea. A sister of mine also slept in my room. I woke her up also. The fire broke out about two o'clock in the morning ■ I woke up at that time. Tliere was no fire in the bedroom, and we had no matches there. Matches were kept in the kitchen. The smaller children could not get at them, but I could if I wanted to. There were eight of our family sleeping in the house that night. My sister is older than I — the rest are younger. I fancy I heard a noise under the house before the tire. I thought it was a dog. There is a right-of-way between our house and the printing office. It is not fenced either in front or at the back.

By a juror -. The fire in the kitchen was let burn out by itself. I was lying with my head towards the passage or Cereseto's. My mother had a lamp in her room that night — I had none. At the time of going to my bed my mother opened the parlor door and showed us the light to go to bed. My sister came to bed after me ; I did not hear her ; I do not smoke.

Maria Ross, the wife of Donald Ross, carrier of Reefton, said : I was living in a house in Lower Broadway belonging to ourselves. It was burnt down on a Saturday night about three weeks ago. I had a small fire in the front room in the evening ; I went to bed between 10 and II o'clock that night. Tliere had been a fire in the front room. There was no fire in the kitchen ; I went in befc.ro going to

bed and found the lire there out. I had a lighted kerosene lamp all night in my own room ; I Blept in the front room on tho side of the house next to the Herald . office. There was a passage in the house which contained four rooms. Tlie parlor , was on the side next to Cereseto's. After having gone to bed I thought I heard some steps in the right-of-way, but I could not be positive about it. I waa awoke up by the boy in the next room calling out lire. I got up and opened my bedroom door, and saw the reflection of light in the passage from the children's room. I ran and opened the front door ; I then went to their room ; I saw my son Donald be* side his sister's bed calling out fire. At that time he had one of the smaller children out ; I saw the fire in the wall between the kitchen and the children's bedroom. Th#fire appeared strongest in the corner next the passage. The fire was all over the wall between the kitchen and the children's bedroom ; I did not notice any fire on the wall towards the Herald office. There is a window in that wall. The beds of the children were along the partition to the kitchen ; I did not go. into the parlor, but I could see that there was no fire. The fire had not crossed the passage. A cheffonier or a dresser, and a bed were standing against the wall in the kitchen. The dresser was high; I could not reach the top shelf without getting a chair to stand on. The dresser did not go quite half way up the partition— it was next to the door leading from the passage ; I believe the house was insured, but not by my husband. It was insured by Mr Martin. None of our furniture or effects were insured. We were paying rent for the house. The rent was paid up to within 10s. I have no suspicion as to how the fire originated. To me it appears very strange. A person could get into the kitchen from the window which was open. The door was bolted. We lost everything through the fire. We had no time to save anything. The matches were generally kept in the kitchen on a high shelf of the dresser. My own lamp was alight when I got up. The weather-boards round the house were nailed, but not very tight. There were some cracks. The house stood on piles high enough to admit children under it. By a juror : When I went to the children's room I did not notice if the floor was on fire, but all the scrim on the wall next the kitchen was burning. I

Arthur John Bamford : lam amounted constable stationed at Reefton. I remember the fire in lower Broadway on the night between Saturday and Sunday, the 28th January. Coming off duty, I went to bed at one o'clock. About twenty minutes afterwards I heard the alarm of fire, and ran out. I then saw it was Ross' cottage, from whence I saw Mrs Ross and children coming out. I called out to Sergeant Neville, and ran back to dress. I came out again, and noticed Ross' house on fire about the centre. It was burnt down, and also the printing office next door. Some type and other material was saved from the printing The fire burnt^-ut^OT^qujgJk y JjL went off like a box of matches*. |

Charles Mirfin : lam a printer and journalist residing in Reefton. I recollect the fire in lower Broadway. My premises known as the Herald office were burnt down. I was last in the office on the evening previous at 5 o'clock. We have no fire at this time of the year. The premises and stock were uninsured. My loss I estimate at £500 to £600. Mr Martin holds a policy on the premises occupied by Ross, which also were burnt down. I arrived on the scene about ten minutes after the fire-bell had rung the alarm. When I got there I could see that the fire had originated in Ross' cottage, but at what place I could not say. Mr John Dick, a brother-in-law of Ross, told me that on looking through the kitchen window there was no fire in that room. I have my suspicions that the place waa set on fire, judging from the time of night, about ten minutes after the moon went down, but having heard the evidence of the children, • the place could not have been fired from the outside. By a juror : The presumption is ridiculous to assume that the children could have set the place on fire, considering the early hour they went to bed ; I never saw a light in the children's bedroom. This was all the evidence brought before the jury, and the Coroner in summing up pointed to the evidence of Donald Ross and his mother, by which it was apparent that the fire could not have originated in the parlor, but was first noticed in the partition wall between the kitchen and children's bedroom. The evidence also disclosed than Ross was totally unsecured, doing away with the possibility of a surmise that the house was set fire to inter - tionally, as no motive existed. No person was suspected of having set the place on fire, it was therefore difficult to arrive at anything but an open verdict. The jury returned an open verdict.