INQUIRY RESUMED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22584, 12 March 1948, Page 6

INQUIRY RESUMED

BALLANTYNE FIRE ANONYMOUS LETTER REFERENCE BY COUNSEL (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, March 11. Reference lo an anonymous letter received by the chairman of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Ballantyne's Fire. Sir Harold Johnstone, was made bv counsel for the Crown, Mr. G. G. G Watson, K.C., when the inquiry was resumed today. The letter purported to be a resume of a conversation between the writer, who signed himself “True Citizen," and Mr. Thomas, a silk buyer employed by Ballantyne's. Authorship of the letter had been traced to a man named Andrews, of Dunedin, who had admitted writing it. said Mr. Watson. Andrews had had no conversation with Thomas, but had obtained his information from Herbert E. Barnsley, who had conversed with Thomas about the fire while fishing from a wharf at Timaru. “As certain tacts in the letter have some substratum of truth. I propose to go over them,” said Mr. Watson. Bituminous Material

He quoted Andrews ns saying that “part of the first floor had been converted into a mrge modern display room.” with a flooring of a bituminous compound Although bituminous material had been used to patch a wooden floor in other parts of the building, it had not been used in Congre\e's building, said Mr. Watson. Andrews’ statement that heavy power lines were being laid across the new floor was incorrect.

A point raised by Andrews which might be a material factor in explaining the quick spread of smoke was a statement attributed to Thomas that the lift in the furnishing department was smaller than the shaft accommodating it. Trevor Ernest Thomas, in evidence, denied that he had told Barnsley that he had been badly shaken up by the fire or that he had been sent on holiday by the firm to recuperate. He might have mentioned that some parts of the building had a bituminous flooring but he did not say that “heavy power lines” were being laid across the floor.

His first knowledge of the fire was smoke coming from the basement and not, as he was alleged to have said by Andrews from “the bubbling up of the composition floor at intervals of eight feet anart, followed by a series of blue lights.’’ Thomas said that he had told Barnsley that the lift shaft was considerably larger than the lift it accommodated. He had not mentioned that construction of a larger and more modern lift was contemplated. He did not know James Frederick Andrews, of High street, Dunedin. Building Construction

The first witness today was Edward Benjamin McGregor Walmsley, civil engineer employed by the Housing Department, who claimed that there was scarcely a building in Christchurch which, under suitable conditions. might not become a deathtrap. To prevent the spread of superheated and inflammable gases up liftshafts and staircases from the seat of a fire these should be walled in with bricks or concrete, and self-closing fire resistent doors should be provided on all floors. Sir Harold Johnston: “This statement amounts almost to a statement by an expert on construction. We are going to get from the Crown statements from engineers and architects who will give their ideas on construction to prevent fires. Your statement will be kept and will be on record and will help us when we get our expert evidence.” When the next witness, Alfred George Wallace, manager of a Wellington firm dealing in fire-fishting equipment, was called. Sir Harold Johnston said: “I think your statement might be of great assistance to us and we will receive and consider it.”