FATAL FEILDING FIRE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 636, 13 October 1909, Page 8

FATAL FEILDING FIRE.

INQUEST AND INQUIRY. (By Telegraph—Special Correspondent.) Feildlng, October 12. ' The inquest on the death of .Fireman Williamson last Tuesday was continued, and concluded this afternoon bofore Mr. Edmund (aoodbobere, ■ Coroner. Alfred Bade stated that shortly before tho accident ho went on to tho road in front'of the building, and told Superintendent Saywoll that Williamson was in a dangerous position, and Saywell spoke to deceased. Witness did not hear the conversation, but, after Saywoll loft, he warned Williamson, and advised him to quit the spot. William Edwards,-builder and contractor, of Wellington, stated that tho chimney which foil had been well designed and well built. The jury, after a fow minutes' retirement, retnrnpd tho following verdict:— " That Fireman Williamson mot . his death by the fall of a- chimney, while in the . execution of his duty as a fireman, at the Feilding Hotol on tho morning of .Tuesday, October 5." Thoy also added tho following rider: That it is tho opinion.of tho jury that all hotels and pubho boarding-houses should be equipped with fire-extinguishing pliances sufficient to cope with a fire in its incipient stage. .-.' • Immediately aftor the. conclusion of the inquest on the death of Fireman -Williamson,; Coroner. Goodbohere • sat again with another jury to inquire into.the cause of the fire at Hastie's Hotel. ' '. '\ The licensee (Timothy O'Neill) stated that when he retired at 10.45 p.m. on the Monday everything was'safe. He was a loser by.the fire to tho extent of from .£IOOO to .£ISOO, not counting the loss of the business. He.had no idea whatever as to the cause of the fire.' Tho chief witness was William H. Edwards, of' Wellington, who had been brought up by the police to make an' 1 expert examination of the construction "of the building. He stated that the building was bettor constructed'than nine-tenths of the buildings of the same class which had.come under his'notice. ''No wall throughout the building had been cracked, and no chimney, excepting that' which had fallen and killed Fireman Williamson, had been affected. The whole work and material used in the construction of the hotel'was firstclass. Ho was of opinion that the' fire started in the telephone room between the mantelpiece and the chimney. It then seemed to have got a hold inside the chimney breast and travelled right up the breast, remaining inside of it until it reached tho roof. It then burned down through the.ceiling of the bedroom in which it was noticed when the alarm was given. It was an' absolute' impossibility for the fire to have started in the bedroom. The jury , returned the. following verdict:— "We are of opinion that the • fire' at Hastie'e Hotel on October 5 started in the telephone room on the'ground floor, but there is-no evidence to show how it originated."