THE FIRE AT SYDENHAM.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 9735, 25 May 1897, Page 5

THE FIRE AT SYDENHAM.

THE INQUEST.

The inquest into the death of Mrs Kelly and her young daughter was held at the Club Hotel yesterday before Mr R. Beetham and a jury, of whom Mr J. Baldwin was choaen foreman. i Mrs Cheritoa stated that she was living with her husband in tha house which was burnt. A short time ago she received Mrs Kelly and a child of five years of age as i boarders. Mrs Kelly told witness her I husband was at Ashbuvtou, and she herself was an employee at Hayward'a pickle factory. Oa the following Thursday a man J named Bennett came as v. boarder. He I occupied one of the upatair bedrooms next Ito that of the deceased. She closed the ; shop at about ten on Saturday night and Bennett had then retired. Witness and Mrs Kelly went to bed about half past ten. A small fire of coke and coal was burning in the kitchen. Witness and her husband wero awakened by a cry of " Boss, fire." Witness's husband I got out of bed, and the room was soon full of i smoke. Witness rushed out, and everything was in a blazo. She opened the window and pushed the child out. Moat of the fire seemed to be coming out of deceased's window. When wituess got out she told those in the street that there was a woman in the house. Win. Bennett said ho went to bed about nine. The next thing he remembered was a sound of crackling wood which appeared to be coming from downstairs. He lit the candle and opened the door and saw everything m a blaze. He called out, tire tvt the top of his voice and rushed back to the window. The smoke was so dense he was nearly suffocated, and could, scarcely get to 1 the window. Hβ got out and fell down ou the roof of the verandah in a faint. He Wftsfiei'tAui the foe eatua originally from downstairs. He did not notice any drink about the house when he came in. He had his arm burnt when he opened the doov after beiug roused by the fire. He lost his clothes and all the money he possessed, i Henry Cheriton said he had been in town lin the evening, and got back at about eleven. He had been at the Working Men's Club, and had two glasses ot beer. The lamps were out when lie catno home, and he did not etriko n light when he gob upstairs. He fell off to sleep and was ■ awakened by an alarm of fire. He opened the door and shut it quickly on seeing smoke and fire. He could not have got to deceased's bedroom. By this timo his wifo had gob out witfi his boy. Ho tried to get a chest of some valuables from under the bed when he saw the fire come in the window, and was'just able to scramble out. John Ashworth, butcher, who arrived at the fire shortly after its outbreak, said he saw Mrs Cheriton coming from the fire in a yory exhausted state. Jle put his mackintosh ronnd her and took her to the hotel along with Bennett. He did not notice any iire iv the back part of the house. , B. Gunn, a branchmau of the Railway Pire Brigade, said there was an obstruction at the hole where the water was obtainable lat the Sydenham bath. He had a. key to the trap door, bub did not bring it with him. In any coso it <fcjuld not have been any use, as the door lAd been nailed up. His idea, of getting the water was to pull up-the sump in the bath and let the water out into the sewer. J. Duggan, constable, said that he particularly noticed the back part of the house was completely burnt before the upper part was alight. The chemical engines were the only ones there when he came. I Ginna Larsen, forewomau at Hay ward's pickle factory, said she could identify the body as that of Mrs Kelly, who was employed at the factory. Deceased came to the factory about four weeks ago. E. Smith, Superintendent of the Fire Brigade, gave corroborative, evidence, and also said he sent the chemical engine, which came to the fire three minutes after the alarm. He' reached the fire a minute after that. Two steamers and the other chemical arrived on the belt half a minute after he did. Witness also gave evidence covering the i *cte whioh have already appeared as to hie having been told that the woman and child were out of the house, and also as to his keeping - the other chemical in reserve until a guarantee had been given. The Sydenham Borough Council paid so much a year for the uae of one chemical. Thoa. W. Hemsworth, Foreman of the Railway Brigade and Fire Inspector to the Sydenham Borough, said he was the first at the fire. No one oould have been saved from the upper rooms. He sent a cabman to the caretaker of the Sydenham Bath w> have the water from the bath let into the main sewer, bub the man was away. Another man was sent to the sohool caretaker, who also had no key of the bath. C. M. Gray, Chairman of the Fire Brigade Committee of the Christchurch City Council, said that the Sydenham Borough Council paid the City Council £100 a year for the use of one chemical. Fires had occurred at Sydenham where both chemicals had attended, and the Sydenham Council had refused to pay an extra fee. In consequence of this the City Council had instructed the Superintendent not to use more than one engine in future unless a guarantee was given. ' t The Coroner said that the two things to be considered by the jury were the identification of the body and the cause of death. The woman had been clearly traced, and they should have no difficulty in comiug to a decision on that point. Then there waa the origin of the fire. A good deal of evidence had been received on the etoppage of the city fire brigade- steamers. Another question was the .impossibility of the water being got for the railway engine through the loss of akeyconsequenton the dismissal of the caretaker; also the interference of the sump. In consequence of some dispute with the City Council, the question of using the chemical engine appeared to depend on the guarantee of some.chance passer-by. The evidence would seem to snow that some better understanding should be arrived at. After a quarter of an hour's consultation, the jury returned a verdict " That Mre Kelly and her, child met their deaths from fire, but that there was no clue to see how it was caused." A rider was added " That in the opinion of this jury tho Sydenham Borough Council should make better arrangements for "fire prevention."