THE ISLAND BAY FIRE.

Evening Star, Issue 8553, 27 June 1891, Page 4

THE ISLAND BAY FIRE.

An inquest into the circumstances attending the fire at the Island Bay Hotel began at Wellington yesterday morniDg. Charles Snow, an officer of the Salvation Army, depored to assisting to extinguish the fire, which he and others discovered in various rooms, of which the doors were locked. Hansen (the landlord), he said, appeared quite unconcerned, and waa smoking his pipe. Hansen swore at witness, and Btruck him several timeß. He also threatened to punch witness's head,4f he did not clear out. Witness accordingly got out of his way and called for assistance to extinguish the flames. The first fire was discovered in a bedroom downstairs, and after this was put out witness and others proceeded upstairs. Looking through the keyhole of room No. 4 witness saw fire and smoke coming from underneath the door. Hansen declared there was no fite there, saying " It's all out now," , arivl Mtanted them to go away. Witness insisted that there was fire, and broke open the door with an axe. The room was full of smoke, and a man named Howard rushed ic with a bucket of water. They found that the mattress, which was turned up on its edge against the wail, was on fire, and the wall waß also burning. In No. 3 room, which was not locked, they found the mattress turned against the wall, apparently having been set firo to, but it had not burned. After this they looked about upstairs for another trace of fire, and observed smoke coming from underneath the door of room No. 1, which was also locked. Bursting it open, the bedclothes were discovered to be on fire, which was suppressed. Alexander Russell, a butcher, who assisted to extinguish the fire, corroborated Snow. A dozen witnesses were examined, the evidence being mainly corroborative of that given by Saow. The jury returned a verdict of arson against Christian Hansen (the landlord), and declared that there was not sufficient evidence to implicate his wife. The surface of the Lake of Geneva is now found to be 224 square miles in extent; its i volume, 89 milliards of cubic metres; and its mean depth, 429 ft. Priscilla : " Goodness gracious ! What's the matter with your nose, Cornelia ? Have you been painting a dado on it ?" Cornelia: " No ; but Jack Frost has been painting a freeze."