A NARROW ESCAPE.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 51, 1 March 1909, Page 5

A NARROW ESCAPE.

SEAISfIAN'S CRITICAL, SETUATION. A narrow escape from a terrible death has been the lot of an A.B. named Simonson, just paid off the Northern Company's steamer Waitangi, now at Onehunga. Simonson was staying at the Mamikau Hotel, Onehunga, and returned to his room yesterday afternoon during the absence of the licensee and his ■wife, who did not arrive home until about five o'clock. They noticed smoke issuing from the window of one of the rooms, and rushed in, finding, however, that the fire was in the adjoining apartment. On preceding thither, Simonson was discovered lying asleep in bed, the mattress and bedding being already nearly consumed. He was aroused in a half-suffo-cated condition, but, strange to say, quite uninjured, his having evidently acted as a buffer in preventing the fire from reaching the wall-paper before the flames were noticed. The top cash of the window was fortunately open, and to this fact Simonson probably owes his life. Had the outbreak not been discovered on the arrival of the landlord, it is proljable that the seaman would bardly have escaped as luckily as