CHRISTCHURCH FIRE FIEND

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 261, 31 July 1929, Page 10

CHRISTCHURCH FIRE FIEND

LETTERS BURNT IN POSTING BOX Dominion Special Service. Christchurch, July 30. An attempt to destroy the Shirley Post Office in Warrington Street was made last night, but fortunately the only damage done was to a number of letters in the public letter posting box in the vestibule of the building. The incendiarist placed a quantity of burning paper in the posting box, his object apparently being to set fire to the whole building in this way. The paper was let into the box by means of string. The discovery bf the outrage was made near midnight, when a letter collector called to empty the contents of the box. By this time the fire had burned itself out, and there was a quantity of charred paper on top of the letters.

The postmistress, Mrs. I. M. Palliser, who lives at the office with her two young children, saw a man’s feet pn a ladder- at the window of her bedroom at about 11.15 a.m. Mrs. Palliser got such a fright that she hastily pulled down the blind and telephoned the police. The house is a big wooden one; the letter box is built into the house and had the box caught fire the office would have been burned.