INVERCARGILL FIRE FATALITY

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2218, 3 August 1914, Page 4

INVERCARGILL FIRE FATALITY

CORONER'S INQUIRY,

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) Invercargill, August 2. The inquest on tho remains of tho three victims of tho Club Hotel fire was held before Mr. Hutc'heson, S.M. (Coroner) on Saturday. Tho victims were John Thoit is Brook, Frederick Butcher, and Peter Monsen. Tho evidence of John Kerrigan, licensee of tlio hotel,- showed that all was'safe when lie retired. Tlie electric light was in perfect order, and. there was no sign of fire at 11.40 when: ho retired." A little later he was awakened.' by his wife -and- made a search, but could not find any fire, but a.little later ho saw a sign of smoke in the passageway. All the inmate 3 were accounted for except threo. ■ _ ' '■ Janies Torrance, medical practitioner, deposed to examining the three separate remains of human bodies,.

- Tho Coroner found: "That- tlie three deceased lost their lives -through boinp; suffocated in a fire which took placo on July 29, of which firo there was 110 cvidenco to show' how it originated." Ho said he was assuming that tlie re-, mains found in the debris were those of the three persons named. '