Further Evidence By Brigadesmen At Ballantyne’s Fire

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 March 1948, Page 6

Further Evidence By Brigadesmen At Ballantyne’s Fire

(P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. The evidence of the first members of the Christchurch Fire Brigade to arrive at Ballantyne’s fire was continued before the Royal Commission of inquiry today. Station Officer Thomas George Oakman said he had never seen anything like the rapidity with which the flames spread. The flames appeared to be more dangerous on the first floor than on the ground floor. While he and another fireman were playing a lead of hose, there were two other firemen idle at the salvage vah. He was quite satisfied that while he was on the lead his superior officer would look alter the other leads. He was not aware at any time that girls were at the windows ot Goodman’s building, or that they might be trapped. He had seen girls it the windows in .Pratt s building. No civilian had drawn his attention to the trapped girls. Screaming By People Oakman said that incessant screaming of people in the street had drawn his attention to the girls in Pratt’s building. The smoke was thick, but intermittent. He continued to operate his lead and did not attempt a rescue. The crowd urged the girls to jump and one girl did so. He saw firemen and civilians on the Oakman said that he had an intermittent view of the rescue of Ken Ballantyne. He had seen a figuie surrounded by flames at a window. Two leads from Colombo street and two leads from Cashel street were played on him to keep the flames at Telephone Delay

When the inquiry was resumed yesterday afternoon, second class Fireman Reginald Royce Barson, who was ordered by Officer Burrows to give a brigade call, said that there was some delay in answering the telephone, and when Questioned by R A Young (for the Crown) said. “I could not state any time.” Barson said he left the fire station on No. 1 motor, which pulled up outside Beaths. Smoke was coming from the right-of-way. He assisted to put a Roberts respirator on Inernan Shaw, and a life-line was on Shaw. While witness stood by tne machine, he saw girls in the windows just before he gave a brigade call. He said: “I was in Colombo street when Burrows gave me the order. I waited a moment for someone to take over the branch. That would be less than a minute. I went into the chemist’s shop about a chain away. I asked if I .could use the ’phone, and the chemist showed me where it was. I rang the brigade number, and I was not answered immediately. I was just going to ring again when I was answered. Mr Young: Was it a minute. 1 could not say. Lapse of Time To Mr T”. P- Cleary (for Ballantynes): I did not leave the branch immediately. Perhaps it was half a minute or quarter of a minute until Someone took over. There was some difficulty in getting though the crowd and the bicycles, but I went as quickly as I could. I knew the numk Cross-examined by Mr Thomas, witness described an attempted rescue. He said he saw firemen Dobson, Campbell and Tripp struggling with a ladder on the verandah. He did not see any fireman go up the ladder. There was a tongue of flame coming from the first floor while they were erecting the ladder. To Mr Penlington: There was quite a hold-up in getting through the crowd to the chemist’s shop. How long did all this take? I have no idea. Could you have left immediately you were given the order? —No, not at the time. The pressure was too much for one man. Re-examined by Mr Young/ witness said that he had not told Burrows that he could not leave his delivery immediately. Mr Young: Is there not an unlisted telephone number for fire-calls?— No. Is there no secret number. Not that I know of. , ' Fire Alarm Systems In cross-examination, Oakman agreed with the evidence of Officei Burrowes, that if he had known tim the fire had been smouldering for some time he would have approached it more warily. The majority of the buildings of a size comparable with Ballantyne’s..in Christchurch had fire alarm systems. He had seen a gas jet burning under the flooring of the ground floor of Congreve’s building. It was an ordinary household jet and was two or three feet below the flooi.