FIRE IN BROADWAY.

Inangahua Times, Volume IX, Issue 1497, 16 January 1885, Page 2

FIRE IN BROADWAY.

Inquest. An inquiry into the origin of the late fin* in Broadway, Beef ton, was , bell at the Convt House, R^fton, on i Wednesday laat, before Fi-auk Bird ; Esq., R.M. A jnry, of which Mr C. B. King was chosen foreman, having been empan nellcd the following evidence was taken :— Morris Levy : I am the owner of the premise* destroyed on Thursday «-veu ing; paid a man to fasten tip th»building, when the la«r tenants left ; I have not been on the premises for four mo.ithi, sihco J JUMSton ami Watkiu'a left ; the k«y* of the premises ware nt the possession of M. P. Salmon; the pi ice was instiled tip to the Sr.l or 4fh of January wlieu I allowed the in snrance to Ups* ; the agmit Mr Wise told me that th« policy was about to espit* »u«L-X said I wooi<l uot jq»^ insure tfntil the pla*e was ocenpWl; have n* idea as to how the dre occurred ; haVft aiuoe heard that the back door of th« premises was sern open for several weeks before the fire ; the house is built some seven or eight feet above the grouti I, an there is a hollow under it ; gave no p» vmission to anyone to occupy the. hutlding. Alfred J. M'Kenney : lam assistant clerk iv the National Bank, Beefton ; recollect Thursday evening Bth instant ; l«ft the hank on that evening at 10.30 or 11 o'clock ; I saw M • Levy's house on fire ; the house ia sitnate in Broadway opposite the Bank of New Zealand, th« fire, was in the bjck part of the house ; could not see the back door ; the die was coming otlt at the side of the nous* nuder the shingles; there was no one a'»out the street at the time ; I sang •at fire and Harry Kater came out and we ran to the lire- bell ; did not see anybody about the burning house when I came out of the bank : it was uot raining. Hairy Eater: I reside in Beefton and recollect Tuureday evening, Bth imttant; I was in Reeftnn on that nigat and heard a cry of tire at s'wit 11 o'clock ; believe it was A. M'Keuney who gave the alarm ; a id cowing to the door of the. Exchange otei, I saw a glare of light ia Mr Levy's house that was liurut down ; the hou«e was situate opposite our place ; did not stm auyliody anom the house- on that night previous to the fire ; never saw any boys in the house ; conld not say whether the back door of the house was opeu or closed. John MoManus : I am a cmstaMe of police stationed at Beefton; I recolleot the evening of Thursday, Bth instant, and was on duty in Baefton on that night ; at about . aqi irter to 11 o'clock heard an alarm of tire and ran up the. street to where the fire was at Mr Levy's house ; the fire was jnst breaking through the roof ; I burst the front door open and went inside to the Hack room ; the side wall and ceiling of the back rooni was on fire ; ia the room in which the fire was the heat was very great ; conld not see whether the bade door was open or shut ; there was one. chair, part of a stove and an American broom in the room, which was full of smoke. By a juror ; Don't believe there was a fire-place in the. room : | was the first who entered the burning i>mlditi« ; saw . nothing to indicate that anybody had b«eu living in the house. Archibald Moore : I am a latarra* maa residing in R«efton ; know the house of Mr Levy which was Hnrnt down ; was in bed oa the. ni^ht of the fiie and it was blazing when J got out ; I was iv bed when the alarm was given ; I live on the adjoining section ; it was about 11 o'clock when th* alarm was given ; I went to bed about 9 o'clook ; saw no one about Mr Levy's house on that night; saw a man putting pile* under the house about a month ago; saw no Hoys about the place; the hack door of the premises burnt was open for the last three weeks ; don't know how it got open ; I was not in the haUit of going into the house; went in once after my goat; never went into the house bunting fur By a juror : Never saw any fire in the premises after Johnston and Watkins Irft Mr Levy recalled: Value the premises destroyed at about £100 ; don't think the ire was malioionsly occasioned. In reply to the Bench Sergeant Quina «Ut«d that the polioe had made every effort to trace the origin of th** fire, bat had been unable to gain any information. The jury then retired and after a few minutes deliberation found that there was no evideuce to shew how the fir* originated.