MEAT WORKS IT WAIROA

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 143, 19 June 1931, Page 9

MEAT WORKS IT WAIROA

EARTHQUAKE OR FIRE ?

(By Telegraph.—; Press Association.)

GISBORNE, 13th June.

', A. further, witness, to-day, .for. t»i> .plaintiffs in the claim for £.77,850 in-surance-on the Wairoa" meat works,- destroyed by fire. on sth .February, .was Constable-Tuck'!. He said the. first ho saw of-, the fire, was what appeared to. be, a naked flare .over the .loading-out door of ."G" store.. He .thought -it was a,light pla-ccd there..to.-assist. loadingout- After, the alarm...had.'been...given hi;. went to. the. .works- On., the day after..the big earthquake.he.noticed; a certain, .amount of., damage .at ■. the works. .. ■ : ;...-.:. . ■;_-.:. :'. ".' . "-•■ '.. Croas-iixaminctl by ,Mr. Groy^for the de-fence, :witiiess said., a. good-. -.manybuildings- in Waivoa had been damaged by the earthquake. -. The. New. -.Zealand Shipping Company's,store,.-five:hundred yards.- from: the .^freezing.. -works-,--.;had been , badly . damaged. .-'. He.; examined tho "works only, out: of ..curiosity,;:, and saw a board projecting on the.south-, westcorner: of the building.- When ; the fire broko out two 'days ..later, twentyfive minutes elapsed between when he saw what he tookvto be-.a flarcand the sounding of the. alarm.. ...'.The. -earthquake oa the night of the fire .-.was. nothing serious. ■• There had been worse tremors .; between:.\the . big earthquake and then. The fire was inside the. dpor.Oir his arrival the pressure-.from tho hose, was not as good as the town-mains, usually give. The board he saw- projecting .looked as if "it.had .been pulled out, but :it. might have..been- sprung. ,

- William Marshall,:::'chief:.-, engineer,' said- that -before tho' earthquake-the works were in ■ first-class:.condition. About four years:ago repairs^weremadc to "C" ■ store/- but the- :old! electric wires on the . middle ■■ .floor . ivero: dis-, connected. -The wires. .vfoto cut .outside the building,-and'the !wiring of.the, top-' floor '; was -left untonched, ; :Af.tov; the earthquake the electrical .equipment, at the- works was -first-class;. The- pumps, werojust as usual after the earthquake. Soon after his arrival at the.fir.o the superintendent -of the brigade said tho. position was hopeless, and ordered; theshutting off of the-power for fear.1, of-. live wires~'falling'-and'-' injuring., somebody* '•' •■■ ■'• ' ■ ■ ■■•' "■' ■ ■■■ '-■ ■■ -■ " "■ ■<''/■ Cross-examined, ■ the witness ■ said that if lie-had been told after the big earthquake tliat. the:■• power: would bo off for a week he; would ;havo started up- the. s'toaih plant. " Tho; fellmongery end: of the buildings.was,:weaker' than tho slaughterhouse end. ' -The' earth-, quake broke • a il-ange off a condenser pipe. None of the-buildings had to be shorn up. ': ~...-■-..■ :-;-. ■■■.'-.•:■,-:,■•:■.; ■''Why did you' swear affidavits of discovery as to documents-in possession of the company?" asked counsel. Witness: '-'The management was away."' J ' ■ '"• '■■■•■: ■ "Did you know what • documents wore in possession of the company?" —"No." '(Y7as_it the act of an honest man to sign affidavits in tho -circumstances?" —"I-thought it .was a,^matter of routine';" . ■ ■"• ' ; "".,I :.'i': • Continuing, witness said tho boiler could have 'functioned without tlie chimney stack. , ■ . Mr. Marshall said the company hatl not had nujdi..difficulty.in the matter of power dislocations. As long as tho steam, plant was. in order tlie company had no reason to fear, but would not bo. so comfortable.

At 10 p.m. the hearing was adjourned until to-morrow.' ■ .'■..■ .. '-.