FIRE AND LOSS OF LIFE AT PAROA.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1819, 4 June 1874, Page 2

FIRE AND LOSS OF LIFE AT PAROA.

The township of Paroa, at the mouth of the Saltwater River, was almost entirely destroyed by fire shortly after midnight on Tuesday. The glare of the fire was observed in to 7m, and also as far as Hokitika, but it was only considered to be a bush clearing. However, early in the morning the sad tidings were brought to town that at Paroa six houses had been : either burned or destroyed," and" that a five young girl, named Elizabeth Houghton, nursemaid to Mr O'Connor, at the Bridge Hotel, had been burnt to death. From all the reports to hand, the fire appears to have originated in the billiardroom of the Bridge Hotel, which was entirely destroyed. It then spread to the Paroa Road Board Office; a private house owned by Mr Williams ; anda new building owned by the same person, which was intended for an hotel. By the exertions of the residents, two buildings — a butcher's shop, the property, of .Mr Hamilton, and a private house occupied by (Mrs Alexander, were torn down, and the fire stopped— all that mas saved , being Mr Barnhill's store and Mr Davison's hotel. The police were early oh the spot yesterday, and the fullest inquiries instituted, the result of which are embodied in the following report made by Sergeant Moller to his superior officer : — Last night a fire occurred at Paroa, ,by which a young girl named Elizabeth Hougliton, daughter of George Houghton, a miner at Rutherglen, got burned to death. Deceased was 12 years of age, and serving as nurse girl with Mr James O'Connor, who, for some time past, has been residing iv and conducting Mr Maurice O'Connor's Bridge Hotel at Paroa. It appears that last night (2nd instant), Mr James O'Connor went. to 1 bed. early, leaving Mrs O'Connor, deceased, and the barmaid (Miss Cendrick), in the sittingroom. There was also a miner named Daniel Mackler sleeping in a bed-room u pstairs. Mr O'Connor, wife, and three children slept in a room behind the bar;, with a door leading into a small bedroom, where Elizabeth Houghton slept, and the barmaid slept upstairs. Mrs O'Connor was the last person in the house going to bed, between 10 and 11 p.m., and Mr O'Connor 'asked her if there was any fire in the billiard-room, to which she replied there was very little,, an & that she raked it all up against the back of the chimney. As near as can be ascertained about 12 o'clock; Mrs O'Connor saw a glare of light on the window: in their bedroom looking into the bar.; She called her husband, who, on looking into the room where the . nurse-girl was sleeping, saw that the whole house was on fire. He caught up the youngest child and ran into the yard with it, and in passing through Elizabeth Houghton's room, oaught her by the arm and pulled her out of bed, saying "follow me quick, or you. will be burned." After leaving his own child in the yard, he rushed in and found his wife, Miss Cendrick, the nurse girl, and Mecklar altogether in the diningroom or the girls' bed-room, he is not sure which, and rushed for the other .ni;M»», ;ta v; v - mo grown-up people to follow him or they would all be burned. None of them had anything, but their/ night-dresses on except Mackler, who did not undress going to bed. The heat of the burning building was so great that the women's linen and hair caught fire, and the smoke so intense that they could not see one another, but followed O'Connor by the sound of his voice, and got out of the building, all except the little girl Houghton, who was missed shortly afterwards. Mr O'Connor is sure that he pulled her out- of bed, and : in the excitement of the moment trying to rescue his own family,, thought that she was able to follow the rest. Mrs O'Connor is also .sure of seeing the girl with them and speaking' to her just before they got out;, and Miss Cendrick is certain she heard the girl speak to them, but cannot say that shesaw her out of the bed. It was. only a few minutes altogether from the time Mrs O'Connor called her husband until . the whole place was in full flame, and the remainder of the inmates had barely time to save their lives. The body of the-de^ ceased was found by Mr Michael Dowling about 5 o'clock this morning, all com° pletely consumed by flames. It was lying as if she had rested on the bed when she died. The origin of the fire is not known, but it seems probable that some sparks from the fireplace in the billiard-room started it, as at least on one former occasion the floor of that room was ignited by that means ; but there is no reason to suppose that it originated' otherwise than by accident, and it must have burned for some time before it was discovered, or it could not have had so great a hold; All the witnesses agree to the- above statement, and Mackler further states that he went to bed about 9 o'clock last night, and feeling very cold he did not undress, but took a lot of bed-clothes from another bed and put over himself. „He slept, as he thinks, a couple of hours, and woke ' very thirsty. Ec got up and had a drink of water at the washhandstand,but did not strike any light, nor did he then notice any sign of fire. He went to bed again, and lay awake for about an hour with, his eyes closed, when he suddenly felt the room till with smoke, and on rushing to the door found the passage and stairs all ablaze. He went back trying to get out of the window, but that was also burning. He turned back and rushed through the flames*' and fell down stairs with the barmaid.' u They were so completely smothered with smoke that they could find no egress from where they were, and Miss Ceridrick was saying to him— •" Oh, Dan, we will I be. burned to death," when O'Connor came rushing past them, and called out— "Follow me, or you will be burned." They were at the time either in the diningrroom or the girls' bedroom, and following O'Connor by the sound of his voice managed to get out, the woman all burning. He also stated that it was impossible for any person to -go into the house again after they got out, as the heat and smoke was too great. The whole of Mr O'Connor's hotel, furniture, money, clothing, and valuables are burned, also the Road Board Office and a small house occupied by a man named Murphyjvtramway driver, but he saved a good many of his things, more or less damaged. His house belongs to Mr Kirn Williams, late tram driver, as also does another large

house which was occupied by him and lately put in repair aj7.a%shb|Bi, nearly everything; was burnecPrnfihatJ A small cottage belonging to Mr s Eeach and occupied by Mrs Alexander, yfeq pulled' down, but most of her things\!were saved; A" butcher's shop, next to Barnjiin's old store and belonging to Messrs J. Hamilton and Co., was also pulled down.