TRAGIC OCCURRENCE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 40, 17 February 1911, Page 3

TRAGIC OCCURRENCE.

THE FATAL FIRE AT AUCKLAND CONDITION OF THE SURVIVORS. AN AWFUL EXPERIENCE. fBX TELEGRAPH — PRESS ASSOCIATION.] AUCKLAND, 16th February. Further particulars of the shocking tragedy in. Ponsonby-strcet this morning, when two children were burned to death, show the casualty list to be as follows :—: — Charles Porleous, aged 33. Dangerously burned. , Edith PorteoiiE, aged 50. Severely injured ; condition critical. Charles Porteous, aged eight. Slightly burned. Hettfe Porteous, aged seven. Burned to death. Arthur Porteous, aged five. Burned to death. Philip Waud, aged 12. Slightly injured. Herbert Mountfield, aged 29. Severely burned. Ruth Mountfield, aged 26. Burned about the hands and feet. The building was a masc of flames when tho brigade arrived, and the fire had extended to a milliner's shop alongside, occupied by Miss Blomlieict in the lower part and Mrs. and Misa Sydney in the upper story. Considerable damage was done to Miss Blomfield's shop, and Mrs. and Miss Sydney had to hurriedly vacate their tenement, but fortunately this building was saved. The premises occupied by the Porteous family, however, were absolutely gutted. The shop was used for the fish-retail-ing business, and th& other inmates of tho house, Mr. and Mrs. Mountfield, had just arrived a week or two ago from the North, where Mr. Mountfield had occupied the position of accountant to the KAripaka Sawmilling Company. They had stored their furniture in Mr. Porteous'e house } and this was totally destroyed. Mr. Mountfield had an insurance of £100 on his property, but it is understood that Mr. Porteous's property was not covered by insurance. _ This evening Mrs. Porteous's condition was still considered very serious, while Mr. Porteous was in a state of absolute collapse, and was suffering terribly from his injuries, his feeij being^ in a frightful condition as the result of his frantic endeavours to rescue the children. The two boys, Charles Porteous and Philip Waud, were not seriously hurt, though somewhat severely burned about the feet. Mr. and Mrs. Mountfield are making good progress, although both have been badly burned, the former about the feet and Che latter about both hands and feet. Mrs. Porteous and Mrs. Mountfield are sisters, arid are daughters of Mr. Waud, well known in Auckland as musical director for the erstwhile Pollard Operatic Company, and now filling a similar position with the PlimmerDenniston Company. As an indication of what an inferno the verandah was, it may be mentioned that a shilling found on the roof this morning had been practically melted. MR. MOUNTFIELD'S EXPERIENCE. Seen at the public hospital to-day, Mr. Mountfield told of his experiences. "We were sitting in the parlour downstairs till after midnight," he said, " and had only been in bed about an hour and a-half when my wife and I were awakened by the sound of a loud explosion somewhere below. I told Mrs. Mountfield to wake Mr. and Mrs. Porteous, and I rushed into the boya' room.

To escape by way of the stairs was impossible, and at tho back there was a 20ft drop from the windows, so I knew the only way was by the verandah roof at tho front. Having got the boys out of bed I jumped through the window, and lifted them out. They all cried aloud at the hoab of the iron, and my own feet felt a 6if the hot iron were scorching the flesh to the bone, but I waited- to help my wife, Mr. and Mrs. Porteous, and their little girl. Mrs. Porteous fell when she got on to the roof, and rolled full length on to the hottest part of the iron. We got her away, but then I saw that tha two youngest children, Hettie and Arthur, wore unable to stand on the hot verandah roof, and had fallen and were shrieking with pain. Their father and I went towards them, but my feet absolutely stuck to the ironwork, and the flesh came away as I lifted thorn, so that [ almost screamed with the pain. Mr. Porteous got even further towards them, and must have had every particle of flesh burnt from the soles of his feet. Then he staggered back, and fell exhausted. I went to the assistance of the mother, and tried to prevent her witnessing what was taking" place, but mother and father both saw their chil-

dren burned to death betore their ow» cy«s. The one hop© then was thai the fire brigade would come before ife wa too late, and it seomed to mo au eternity before they did arrive. Then all thafc remained for them to do was to lift the dead bodies down into tho street." 3\lr. Charles Waud, grandfather of the two children who were burned to death in the Auckland fire, wsb unable to bake his place as leader of the ■ orchestra for tho Plimmor-Bonnis-ton Company at tho Opera House lasfe night, and his place was kindly fiHod °y Miss Abbey Taylor, leader of MacMahon Brothers' Orchestra.

We shovelled 4cwfc 6f beautiful peaches to the pigs this morning," said a settler to a Gisborne Times representative this week, discussing the effect of the week-end gale on the fruit crops, oevoral orchardists suffered severely, and the loss is particularly felt in regard to peaches, for which fruit the "eason promised to be a record one. Woods' Great Peppermint CHm. Is 6d mad Zb on Der bottlo — Advt