FIRE IN LYTTELTON GAOL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 311, 25 September 1908, Page 2

FIRE IN LYTTELTON GAOL.

' ■ , - • " i- ■ ■ OUTBREAK NEAR TERRY'S QUARTERS, (BY TELEGRAM—PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Ghristohurch, September 24. Considerable excitement was oaused at Lyttelton Gaol this morning by an outbreak of fire in the hospitalxsving. The warder on duty on the watch-tower, which ia .situated immediately above that wing, noticed, dense Brooke rising from the centre of; the build? ing, and at once rang the alarm bell' on the tower. The warden who were on duty and the prisoners working about the yard immediately set to work- with' buckets of water on the fire, which was found ~to'Have its seat under the wooden stairway leading from the entrance passage to theuppej story of the wing. The flames were-break-ing through the stairs, but were got under in a few minutes. The damage .done was not very great, the stairway being badly charred, as was also some adjoining .wood* work. A- few pounds will cover: everything. The gaoler (Mr. Cleary) informed a reporter that he was very strongly • of • tha opinion that- tho fire was deliberately staTted by Lionel Terry with tho object of creating some.excitement. . Terry, as is.wolLknowiij has been confined in Lyttelton Gaol for some time. His quarters are in the hospital wing, the dopr- of his room opening'onvto the passage a fetv feet from the.stairtfay under which the fire started. That portion of tho gaol occupied by Terry was gazetted an asylum, and-he has far tnoro privileges than are allowed to th<s prisoners. Mr. Cleary informed a " Trut-Ki" ■rep'ortcTr that Terry would-make no admission of any sort that he had. had a hand in-'starting tho fire.. A quantity .of paper and-.portion of a mat partly burned were found in this recess under the stairway.