HOTEL FIRE TRAGEDY.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 262, 5 November 1929, Page 23

HOTEL FIRE TRAGEDY.

"I Will Come Back."

HOW BOARDER ESCAPED. CORONER'S SHARP COMMENT. "YOUR MISERABLE SUITCASE." ; (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) INVERCARGILL, Monday. "Perhaps it is not fair to criticiss tha actions of a man in the stress of terror of fire, but it seems to me that if you had devoted those two minutes to alarming the household, instead of trying to save your miserable suitcase, you might have been able to the lives of the woman and child who perished in the fire." Mr. W. H. Woodward, S.M., addressed this comment to a man named Moses Reid, a hawker, after he had given evidence to-day at the inquest into the death of Mrs. W. Trembath and her child in the fire which destroyed the Carriers' Arms Hotel at Riverton.

Senior-Sergeant Fox said Reid, who was a hawker, had left Riverton, but had finally been found at Dunedin. Flames Outside His Window. Reid said he was occupying a room in the hotel by himself on the night of the fire. He went to bed at 11 p.m. and was soon asleep. The next thing he remembered was seeing flames outside his bedroom window. He immediately leaped out of bed. There was no noise of any kind except that made by the flames.

Witness called out "Fire," pulled on his clothes and seized his suitcase, which contained soft goods for hawking. It was the first thing he thought of. He called out "Fire!" about five or six times while he was dressing. .He heard Mrs. Bradshaw, the cook, calling out to Mr. Trembath. There was only one room separating witness' room from the cook's. Mr. Trembath's room was at the front of the building. Witness considered that it took him a minute or two to dress, and he then opened the door to go out. Dive Through Smoke. The smoke was very thick in the passage. He put his overcoat over his face and made a dive through the smoke into the bathroom. By groping he found the window, which he opened. He let his overcoat and suitcase down and then got out himself. He left certain belongings, which he estimated were valued at £3 or £4. Having reached the ground witness met Mr. Trembath. There was no one else about at the time. Witness asked Mr. Trembath where his wife and children were, and he replied that he thought they were upstairs. There were no children with him. Mr. Trembath was scantily clothed. Witness said: "What can we do? See if you can climb upon my shoulders and see your wife through the window." Mr. Trembath tried to do so, but the wall was so hot that he had to come back. His hands were burned. Witness said: "Take my overcoat and see if you can go in by the fire escape on the far side of the house."

Both men ran round the building until they reached the front. Witness said: "I will take my suitcase to the nursing home and then come back to assist you." He went to the nursing home across the street, leaving Mr. Trembath attempting to force in the door of the bar with his shoulder. He finally succeeded. When witness returned Mr. Trembath was still there.

Witness said he neither saw nor heard Mrs. Trembath. He did not know whether she had been in the same room as Mr. Trembath. He was there to assist, but could do nothing. There were a number of people about at the time. The value of his suitcase and contents would be about £15. Ho was fully satisfied that he had done all he could to assist in the matter. He had a narrow escape himself. The inquest was adjourned.