FATAL EXPLOSION INQUEST ON VICTIMS

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 79, 3 April 1914, Page 8

FATAL EXPLOSION INQUEST ON VICTIMS

WHAT WAS THE CAUSE? „ EVIDENCE BEFORE CORONER AT UPPER HUTT. To-day, in the Town Hall, Upper Hutt, the inquest was opened by the District Coroner, Mr, W. G. Riddell. S.M., on the victims of the recent disastrous explosion — James Comeskey, iWilliam Flynn, Constable Dennis Malioney, John W. Vivian, George William Taylor, Michael Toohey, and Everarcl Edward Henry Pelling. Chief-Detective Broberg represented the police. i air. C. B. Morison, K.C., and Mr. H. F. O'Leary appeared for Messrs. Benge and Pratt, the storekcepet'3, in whose building the explosion took place. Mr. T. M. Wilford appeared for Mi's., Comeskey, Mrs. Mahoney, Mrs. _ Flynn,' and the relatives of E. Peliing, J. Vivian, and G. Taylor. Mr. H. E. Evans appeared for the Guardian Insurance Company, Ltd., and Mr. E. M. Sladden for the New Zealand Acetylene Gas-lighting Company and the Heat, Lighting, and Supplies Co. The hall was Well filled with waiting witnesses and spectators. The question was asked by Chief-De* tective Broberg as to whether the inquest would be on the whole seven vie tims or on each one separately. ' The Coroner replied that he proposed to take ail the cases together. The evidence might be slightly different, in some cases, but that was the course he would take. WHERE THE MEN WERE. Ernest Charles Thomas, sawmiller, Station-street, Upper Hutt, the first witness, briefly related how he went into Messrs. EdwaideVs office with Constable Mahoney and Messrs. Howe and Twohill, and recovered the property. t-fe then went with Constable Mahoney to the shop of Benge and Pratt, and the constable broke the two front windows of the shop with a spade. He saw the deceased, Taylor and Flynn,. in the south window. The flames wei'o then coming through from the ceiling into the shop. Constable Mahoney said: "1 will get the boys out.'' Witness replied: "Yes, it is not worth it." The constable left witness just at the main ttoor on the > footpath and went inside the door. Witness went to pick up parcels on the pavement. He . had just left the -constable. ■Witness was stooping down to pick up some silk parcels, and the constable could only have taken a few steps when the explosion came, and witness was blown right across the load. Tlis wife ' found him half unconscious across the road. When he regained consciousness enough he helped her to carry Virgil M' Govern away. Just before the con* stable went inside he saw Taylor, Vivian. Flynn, and a man he didn't know, in the shop. He afterwards ihought ifc was & man named Costello. When lie last saw Taylor the deceased was in the south corner of the south Avindow. Vivian was inside the shop inside the counter. Hp was next to the drapery side- of the building — Just about on the division. He was A good deal further north than Taylor was. Flynn was just on the comer of the aouth window, sligjvtly on the north side of Taylor, and close to him. They were in the window when the explosion blew the witnes6 across the street, and Vivian was inside the shop a-s described, the start of the fire he heard Mr. Crabtree, landlord of the hotel, call out to the constable: "Fire, Denny, fire!" "ARE THERE ANY EXPLOSIVES?'.' As he was finishing in Edwards's office witness asked Mahoney if there were any explosives in the shop. Mahoney said, "No; it's all right." Chief-Detective Broberg : Did yon hear any other remark about explosives? Witness : Yes ; a stout man called out about the same time : "Are there any explosives in this shop?" and Vivian, who was in the shop, replied : "NO, NONE WHATEVER." Witness went on to state that he assisted to get Mr. Comeskey out of the ruins of Edwards's office. A man named Slott called out : "For God's sake, help me; here's a man being brfrnt," Witness held np the timbers, and Walters helped to pull the man, who was Mr. Comeskey, out of the debris. They were helped by Mr. Comeskey's son. It would be fully sixteen minutes after the explosion that the witness saw the body of the deceased Vivian. It was about ' fourteen yards from the door of Benge and Pratt's. Vivian was unconscious, badly cut about, and gasping. Witness and his wife carried him out, and propped him up in the vacant section across (tie load with some rugs salvaged out of the store. Vivian wan afterwards taken _to the billiard saloon, and there the witness saw his dead body. The witness recognised the body of Taylor by his railway uniform lying by the side of the road on a sheet of iron. He saw no more of Constable Mahoney until his remains were recovered the following morning. In the shop behind where Flynn and Taylor were he saw a dark man just before the explosion. He did tot See whether this man came ©lit before the explosion. MYSTERIOUS WHITE SPOTS. In answer to further .questions the ■witness said that the firo was in the rear of the shop at the south_ side. He had noticed white spot* on his coat the day after the- explosion. He had brushed his coat, but the white spots had penetrated into the cloth and Would not como out. In answer to Mr. Morieon, thp -witness eaid that tho fire wae coming through the roof on tho south side. BlacK -smoke, just tinged with ml, AVas issuing through the roof when he fir^b saw the fire. Fully twenty minutes elapsed before the explosion, Jt appeared ac if the firo had started m an upstairs* room. There were no flames in tho lower portion for a long time iii'Cei'.wards. lie knew Vivian, and knew Ins voice when ho heard the reply to tho stout man's question; "Are 'there any explosives in here?", There were no gas lights burning in the shop at the time oi the fire. To Mr. Wilford : The Avhite 6pots on Jus coat Aver© well defined but spread irregularly. They were all but two or three on the upper part of his coat. It .was the side presented to the building which AVas affected. He did not &cc similar spot? on any of the deceased, but he saw them on Percy Stott's coat. He was four to five feet from the outside ■Walls of the building Avhen the explosion took place. The flames were just curling down through the back portion of the Window. Did Mahoney get out of your sight when he went into the building?-*- He could only have taken three or four eteps. There is no iioubt whatever that Mahon-ey left you a few minutes before the explosion with the sole purpose of getting those who were inside out because it was not safe? — No, there is no doubt whatever; he said ho was going to get the boysout. He never came out again. The witness, in answer to further questions, said that at the time of the explosion Vivian Flynn and Taylor were in the act of saving propel ty, He heard Vivian say. " Hand out the bulk stuff " — speaking to those in another part of th<! shop. There was a good deal of

smoke in the shop. Witness had helped Mahoney to take two or three loads of harness and papers. To air. Sladden : He could not say whether any Avater was' played on the fire before the explosion. There was just the ordinary smell of fire. c To the Coroner : There were two doors into the street, and a partition between the grocery and the drapery departments. It was in the grocery that the explosion occurred. The distance from the door to the back of the shop was about 16ft. At this stage Mr. Wilford asked if it was proposed to sit all the time at Upper Hutt. tie wanted to cull an expert on explosives, Lieutenant Elmslie, of PI. M.S. Psycbp. The Coroner said he thought the inquest could not be finished to-day. The bulk of the witnesses Were at the Upper Hutt. Wher their evidence was taken he would be prepared to hear other witnesses in Wellington, who might not be able to attend at the Upper Hutt. PLAN OF THE BUILDING. Philip David Davis, settler, Upper Hutt, said he had formerly very often been in the premises of aiessrs. Benge and Pratt and once or twice recently. The building was one of the oldest in the district. The witness then produced a locality plan of the main portion of Benge and Pratt's building, including Edwards's office, and showing the; position of the acetylene gas generator. A second plan was produced by the witness showing the Avhole of the ground floor of Benge and Pralt's premises and tho upstairs portion. The first floor did not extend over the lean-to on the west side, nor on the drapery portion on the hotel side. The upstairs porti'/ii Lad been altered in regard to the stairway. The size of the the four upstairs rooms was lift by 13ft, with an Bft 6in stud. To Mr. J3vans : He could not say whether Benge and Pratt ever sold explosives, Daniel Dennehy, plumber, residing at Main-road, Lowei Hutt, brother-in-law of the late Constable Mahoney, said he arrived on_ the scene of the fire by the special train on its return from town at 4 o'clock on Sunday morning. He was informed that Constable Mahoney's body had not been recovered. He went over to see if he could see any sign of the body in the burning ruins -of the building. About an hour afterwards he saw a Mr. Phillips .remove some sheets of iron from a place about three paces from the edge of the footpath, directly in line with the door, Here he saw the remains of a body. These were removed to the Court House. _ Some time later he saw Constable Melville find some handcuffs. This was between 5 and 6 o'clock. The handcuffs were found directly underneath the spot where the remains had been picked up. Constable John Melville, stationed at Wellington, but now on duty at the Upper Hutt, deposed to arriving at the Upper Hutt at 6 a.m. on Sunday, 29th aiarch. He saw a pair of handcuffs found at the spot where the remains were picked up. They Avere exactly the same make as the handcuffs Constable Mahoney carried. MR.' COMESKEY'S DEATH. James Gerald Comeskey, son of the deceased James Comeskey, postmaster, Upper Hutt, said he was present at Benge and Pratt's fire. He saw his father just outside Edwards's office about ten minutes before the explosion. His father said he AVas going to get a screwdriver. Witness did not see him again until after the explosion. At the time of the explosion witness was outside the drapery portion of Benge and Pratt's. He did not hear the explosion. He saw timber falling around. About a minute after the explosion he went to where Edwards's office had been. He there saw his father under the fallen Avails of the office. The south wall of Benge and Pratt's building was down. They had to wait until the water was put- oi before they could get his father out from the ruins. He then went for Dr. Kemp, Avhom he found leaving home for the scene. Dr. Kemp attended to his father, avlio Avas removed io the billiard room. His father was then put on the special train, but he died before the train left, and was brought back home, To Mr. Wilford i His father had gone for the screwdriver to get the telephone down. When his father was picked up in the ruins the telephone Avas entangled round him. Your father met his death in the act of saving Government property 7— Yes, sir. To Mr. Sladden : He did not know whether any water was being played on the fire at the time of the explosion. 'Edward Pelling, boardinghouse-keeper, Upper Hutt, said his late son's age Avas 18 on Ist August last. He saw his son on the night of the fire carrying goods out ol Uenge and Pratt's store. At about ten to 12 witne&s asked his son to come away and get things out of their own home. They went home and got some of the things. His son thert went back to Benge and Pratt's. Witness found him after the explosion under the fallen north wall of Edward's office. This was about a quarter past twelve. He did not see air. Comeskey there. His son was got out before Mr. Comeskey, Some time after he was got out he was attended by Dr. Kemp, and witness afterwards took his son by the special train into the Hospital, Avhere his son died on Monday about 4.00 p.m., 30th March. To air. Wilford : Mr. Comeskey's son told him that witness's son was in Edward's -office helping air. Comeskey. At this stage the proceedings Avere adjourned to the afternoon. MEDICAL EVIDENCE. Medical evidence Avas given this afternoon by Dr. F. W. Kemp, who attend* cd the injured after the explosion. He attributed the death of air. Comeskey to shock and concussion. He was not able to say whether Constable aiahoney died of shock, avouikls, or burns, but the evidence, in the fact that one of his thighs was broken, was that Jie had been struck by the explosion. The deaths of Taylor and Flynn wem due to injuries received through being struck by the explosion, and not by fire. Toohey died probably through being thrown -down and struck very heavily by the explosion. Vivian's death was caused by fracture ol the base of the skull. Pelling died fiom cerebral injuries. There were no explosions after the main one. The sound of the explosion was more like a bam; than a boom. He left Di» Purdie and Dr. Hector on the spot when he AVent to Wellington in the special traj'n with the Avounded. ' George Joseph Taylor, gardener, I'pp'T Hutt, father of one of the victims, described the noise Oi the explosion sin a "terrible l oar, which ceased suddenly." sSi the time of the explosion he was in the bakehouse at the rear of the building. He 'did not hear a woid spokee by anybody about insurance. Henry A. af. Anderson, ruilway signalman, sai^l that when the railway men discovered tho fiiu from th? j^mlioti thny went over to the town. Hp dwaeribt?'! in detail the scene inside the .'hop immediately before tho explosion. Opoi^o Taylor was carrying goods fc the south window when the explosion ♦ock pine. Witness was behind the counter at the north end of the shop. There Avere so many going in and out of the shou that they had to use the windows to get tho stuff out. He saw Alahoney, Flynn, Costello. und Taylor just at the time of the explosion. He saw no others in the grocery department of the store. (Proceeding.)

Messrs. R. 11. Scott und Co.. mercers, 1, Willis-street, advertise a sale of ijentleinen's mercery and clothing.