DEATH BY SUFFOCATION

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 30 March 1926, Page 5

DEATH BY SUFFOCATION

THE ELTHAM TRAGEDY.

INQUEST CONCLUDED

SURVIVORS'’ GRAPHIC STORIES,

“That Priscilla Rebecca Crenfcldt, Irene Cecelia Harrison, George Charles Nielsen and Victor Davidson met their death by suffocation and burning in the lire at the Dominion; boarding-house on Wednesday, March 24, 1926.”

Such was the verdict returned in the Eltham Court at 9.40 last evening, when the inquest touching the death of the persons named was concluded. The jury added the following rider:

“That this jury strongly recommends the strict enforcement, of the borough by-laws dealing with the licensing and regulation of boarding-houses, particularly regarding the provision of efficient fire escapes.”

The hearing of the inquest, including the evidence of identification taken on Thursday, occupied 12 hours and 10 minutes. >

On resuming after luncheon at 2.15 p.m. yesterday, the first- witness called was George L. Nees, a member of the Eltham Fire Brigade, who stated that at about 12.45 a.nr., when he had passed the boarding-house, there had been no sign of fire. Leslie A. Gower, a taxi 'driver, said' that, returning with some passengers from a dance at Cardiff, he arrived in Eltham at about- 2 a.m. on the 124th inst., and from the corner of High and Bridge streets had noticed the glare of a. fire. At the corner of Bridge street and the street in which the brigade station was situated, two of the passengers left the car and ran to arouse the brigade. Witness and others in the ear had been calling “fire” to arouse the town, and on the return of one of the two who had run to the station the car went direct to the scene of the fire. When, they reached - the boarding-house flames were issuing front the top storey windows, and Messrs Calder, Maiieer and McQueen, three of the occupants of the house, were standing in Railway street. Calder was partly clad in street ciotlies, but the * other two were clad only in niglit attire. The brigade was on the scene within about five or seven minutes from the time the passengers had left, witness ’ ear to give the alarm. Replying to Superintendent Nuttall, witness said the time the brigade had arrived on the scene would, not be less than five minutes from the time witness’ ear had stopped at the corner. The passenger who called the brigade had about 200 yards to run.

ESCAPED IN NIGHT ATTIRE. James McQueen, motor lorry driver, said he was a boarder in the house and. occupied room No. 1, facing Railway street, at the. back of the house in the upstairs portion. He went to sleep at about II pan. on the night of the fire, and some time later was aroused by shouts from the street to find the room full of smoke. - After groping around the window witness found the rope fire escape/ and after throwing two portmanteaux into the street, descended by the rope. While in the room he had been dazed and was almost choked. Had he been there for another three minutes he would, he thought, . have been suffocated. ITe was one of the first out, and lie did not think anyone still in the upstairs portion of the house would have had much chance of getting out. His room was next to that occupied by the cook and the waitress, but witness heard no sound from them. Just as,' witness reached the ground the windows of rooms Nos. 2 and 3 burst as if from an explosion. This, witness thought, indicated that the heat and pressure was greater in those rooms than his own. Consequently the occupants at the time witness first atvoke would have had less-chance of escape than witness had had. Witness had not heard anyone calling for help from within the building, He considered the brigade had been, very smart in getting to work when the members arrived at the fire. They had wasted no time in connecting the hydrants and playing water on the fire. To Superintendent Nuttall, witness said lie had not called to the brigade notifying the presence ( of anyone in the house, but Calder had shouted that there were people upstairs. Questioned further by Sergt. Henry, witness said that after he had reached the ground it would have been impossible for anyone to have entered the building in an endeavour to rescue anyone inside. Tire place was practically covered in flames, and he did not think that any fire brigade could have done anything to stem the outbreak. To Mr Chrvstal, witness said that - when lie left the sitting room at about 10 p.m. the fire in the fireplace had been reduced to embers.

William Henry Mancer, butcher, employed at Eltham, said he was a boarder at the Dominion boardinghouse. He occupied room No.'S, situated upstairs in the rear portion o£ the house on its eastern side. Shortly before 10 o’clock on the night of the eoeurrenee he went to bed, and some time later was 1 aroused by cries from the street. His room was full of smoke and, opening the door, lie found the building also reeking, while • flames were mounting from below. He considered it was then impossible for him to have descended the staircase, and he 5 made his exit by the rope fire escape *) from liig bedroom window. He could not remember liis actions after., reaching the ground, liis first recollection being that he met his brother in a right-of-way a short distance from the hoarding house. Witness was -then wearing only the clothes he had slept in, and went with liis brother to the Eltham Hotel. He had not heard hnv- /

one calling out- from the inside of the building. His room was next, to that occupied by the Davidson brothers, but lie lrad hot heard any sounds coming from them.

THROUGH SHEETS OF FLAME. *' Ernest Edward Henry Stone, employed at the Eltham gas works, "said lie had resided at the boarding house and occupied room No.. 5 upstairs. Tlic room faced Bridge- street and the .door gave access to a small passage, from which the main passage could be reached. On the night of the fire lie went to his room at about 10.30 o’clock. Before-going to bed he wrote a. letter, and as the light was bad he lit three candles. He was positive that before going to sleep he extinguished the throe candles. He could not sav what aroused him, but afteV lie was " awake he heard a cry of “fire” coming from the street, and going to the window saw Mr Calder standing below. Wit-

ness then saw a reflection of fire from the sitting room. Tint no flames were then visible to him. Galling out “fire” witness returned to his bed and put on some of his clothing. He then went into the passage and repeated the cries of tire. The sin ole e was very thick and prevented him from proceeding down the passage for more than approximately nine feet. Tn going back to his room he had to stoop close to the floor. 'Reaching the window for (he second time he found flames entering (he room from the cornice, • TTe hoard Colder shout "Throw out the rope and jump through the window. ’’ lie felt a vibration as from an explosion'. and throwing the rope fire escape through the window he commenced climbing down. At that time flames were ascending and possibly burnt the rope through, causing witness to drop some feet to the ground. Witness had descended through a sheet of flame. Within a few moments the fire had spread with the rapidity of a forced draught furnace, and practically covered the whole building. A high northerly wind was blowing and had a. big effect on the progress of the fire. The smoke and flames would have been more intense in the rear of the building. When witness first went into the passage the smoke was suffocating, and no one could have lived in it for more than a moment or so. TTe heard no response to his cries of fire given in the passage. To Mr Clement: Witness said he considered the smoke was so dense when lie went into the passage that without smoke-resisting apparatus it would been almost impossible to have effected the rescue of anyone in the building The vibration mentioned previously might possibly have been caused by a fall of timber in some portion of the building. RESCUE WORK IMPOSSIBLE.

George Victor Phiipotts, a member ol tne Eltfiam Eire Brigade residing on tne station, deposed to having been awakened by cries of “fire” at about 1.55 a.m. on Wednesday. The cries had been given by Dick Attrill, who. when he entered the station, also called out that the Dominion boardinghouse was alight. Within three minutes of the time when the alarm was received at the station the engine, with witness and Eiremen Page, Little and Cooper, was on the scene of the lire. Witness saw immediately that there was no hope of caving the building. Elaines were shooting out from the front of the building, the east side and through the roof. The front sliding room was ablaze, and flames u eye ascending the outside wall. On the side of the house facing Railway street volumes of black smoke were issuing from the upper storey windows. One hose was immediately brought into use, playing on the sitting room window, and another was played on to the adjoining building. There was a good •pressure of water. Witness did not think it would have been possible for anyone to have entered the building through any of the upper storey windows. Through the front door, which was open, entrance could have been made to the room occupied by Calder, but it would not have been possible to go any further. Not.until 20 minutes after his arrival did witness hear anyone say that there were people still in the house. By that time the building was down. Even had he known _of that immediately witness did not think it would have been possible to rescue anyone upstairs. Had, however, tho brigade then known which tooths the missing people were in. the ladders would have been run np to the windows and an attempt ,nt rescue would have been made. To Mr Clement: Witness said that owing to the roar of the fire and the wind he might not have heard persons shouting directions, hut he could easily have been approached and spoken to.

FIREMAN’S RISKY VENTURE. Deputy Superintendent J. S. Murray, of the Eltham Eire Brigade, said he arrived on the scene and took charge of the brigade just as the other members were connecting the second lead of hose. The house was then burning at all corners, the place being a furnace. In answer to an inquiry from witness Fireman Philpotts had said he did not know whether anyone was still in the house. Witness then entered the building through the front door, but was unable to approach closer than three feet to the staircase. The passage taken by witness was bounded overhead and on each side by leaping flames, the space leading from the open doorway being for the time being a funnel along which the wind rushed, leaving it temporarily clear of smoke and fire. Even if the brigade had known of the presence of the people upstairs it would then have been impossible to effect their rescue. Witness was on the look-out for someone connected with the boarding-house, but did not at first see either Calder or Mrs Taylor, and it was not until 15 or 20 minutes after his arrival that he learned that four people were believed to be still in' the house. Of the three chimneys in the house the one from the sitting room was the last to fall, 'ho two on the west side came down when the structure collapsed. The other fell subsequently when the wind veered from north to south. From what was left of the chimneys it appeared that they had been faithfully built. Witness did not think it would have been possible without the aid of an axe to chop the partition away to have succeeded in getting an injured person through the window of rooms two and three upstairs. A half of a window did not allow sufficient room for that, and it would have been difficult for an ordinary person to have "■utered or left the room by the window unless the partition was first removed. Witness flid not think that anyone who might have been in the 'pstnirs portion of the house when witness arrived would have heen alive. H> did not think that any of the persons who perished in the fire had left, their beds. From the position of the bodies and the bedding with them when found witness was of the opinion that the deceased bad been suffocated in their sleep. Replying to Air Clement, witness said that when he first sajv Calder the latter did not know who had succeeded in getting out of the house and who bad not. but later Calder bad said he believed Geo. Nielsen was still in the building. The ton of the structure was then practically down.

To Mr. Chrystal: Witness said he first saw Calder about eight or ten minutes after be (witness) arrived at the fire. It must have been 20 mintes after this that Calder had said he believed Nielsen was inside. Witness did not previously bear* anyone calling out that there wore people in the house.

To the coroner: Witness said that, fanned by the high wind, the fire had made exteremely rapid progress, and was the most fierce witness had ever attended. About three years previously a life-saving practice had been held by the brigade "at the house. He would snv that rones were not satis-fo-fnr** firf* rasonnes. and should be ••ondemned. Proper escapes should be provided. The court adjourned for tea at 6.45 p.m.. and tesumed at 7.40.

‘ MENACE TO THE PUBLIC.” Superintendent !L. A. Nuttall staled in evidence that he had examined the building from time to time. The window of rooms No. 2 and 3 was 3ft. tin inside measurement in width. Only the nosing of the silk about two indies in width, kept the partition from the window glass. 1 here "as therefore a space between the partition and the architrave of about 1.) inches e ach side of the partition. Whan the window was lifted it would be.possible for a. small person to get in or out, but a fireman would have no chance of getting a partly iin conscious person through the aperture. Witness bad inspected the house last October, aud, as far as h« could go, he was satisfied with the lire escape appliances. The place was regarded as a particularly dangerous one in the event of fire, and six months ago a rescue and fire-fighting practice had been conducted there. The deputy-superinten-dent had not been present on that occasion. Witness had mapped out all the danger spots in the town with a view to providing for possible emergencies. ~ , To the jury: Witness said he understood that the Borough Council had power to insist on the provision of proper fire escapes, even though the particular premises were not licensed. To Air Chrvstal: Witness admitted he had made the inspection mentioned ; n his capacity as brigade superintendent. and also as fire inspector for the borough. He considered that the partition made the compartment dangerous in case of fire. He thought Niiel«en. could have effected a passage through the window. Witness had not made a report on the building to tiic council. Mr Chrvstal: “Why?” Witness.: “Because I had made any •amount of reports to the Connor's and 1 did not get much assistance, so I dropped .reporting these sort of things. Also I had no power or authority to inspect the buildings, so I did not need to report to the council.” Ai r Chrvstal: “How long has the parition been there?” Witness: “Some 14 or 15 years.’ Mr Chrvstal: “And you have never made a report on the danger of this ■ vpa rtment?” Witness: “Well, I may have, but the council has no power so far as I know to a'ter that. The house was not licensed. neither was any other house .in Eltliam. 1 have- been bringing the matter un for years and years, but no notice was taken.” Ml- Chrvstal: “Did you, when practising, hold any exercises in this room P” „

Witness: “No. 1 did not want to risk mv firemen in such a place.” Mr Chrvstal: “Did you point out the danger to Airs Taylor?” Witness: “1 could not swear to that, but J am certain I brought the matter to the attention of the previous lessee.” To Sergeant Henry: Witness said lie con'd not offer an opinion as to where the fire originated, hut from what- he had learned of the circumstances, it appeared that the sitting-room chimney had had some defect in the masonry about four feet above til© mantelpiece. From this source the fire had possibly spread, it. was unusual for chimneys to fall during a fire. His opinion, gather-d from an examination of the b icks, was that they were of a very poor quality. 11 e would consider that the Dominion boardinghouse was so constructed as to be a menace to the public. The bui'ding had not been built as a boardinghouse, the passage upstairs was very narrow, and there were not suitable or adequate fir© escapes. He had a strong objection to rope fire escapes, and considered they were particularly unsuitable for use by women. A woman would not go down a. rope, and if she did she would probably break her neck. POLICE EVIDENCE.

Constable F. H. Townsend deposed to having arrived at the scene of the lire shortly .after the brigade. The whole of the inside of the building: was then blazing and the issuing to the outside and covering the walls. 1,4 e considered that even had it been definitely known anyone was imprisoned upstairs it would have been madness to attempt a rescue. The heat was so intense that it was impossible to get within yards of the building. Windows of premises on the other side of Bridge Street had been broken by the heat, oven though the wind was blowing in the opposite direction. Walking down the Railway 1 Street side of the house, witness saw flames belching from the upstairs windows, and he considered that it would have heen impossible for anyone to be in the rooms and be then alive. There was some suggestion to the effect that someone had not managed to get out, and Calder had. informed witness that he feared young Nielsen wa.s still in the bui’ding. There was some doubt as to the whereabouts of Miss Harrison also, so witness had inquiries made, and found that neither had been to their respective homes. It was'then discovered that a total of four were unaccounted for. From th e position of the bodies when .subsequently recovered and the bedding found with them, witness came to the conclusion that none of the victims had left their rooms. AVitness could not offer an opinion as to the cause of the outbreak, but when lie arrived on the scene the fire seemed fiercest in the upper storey on the side on which the sitting-room wa.s ’nea.ted.

GEORGE DAVIDSON’S EXPERIENCE. A statement received by the constable from George Davidson was produced. Witness explained that as the result of injuries received in the fire Davidson was still in hospital and was unable to attend the court. Air. Clement objected to the statement, on the grounds that it could not be accepted as legal evidence, but the Bench ruled that the statement could be admitted. The statement was read by witness as follows: “I am 20 years of age. Victor Davidson 'was my brother. I came to Eltham from Palmerston on Tuesday last, ..arriving about 6.30 p.m. I went up to the Boys’ Home and there met my brother Victor. We went down town about 9.30 p.m. and went to the Dominion boarding-house to get rooms for the night. 1 paid for bed and breakfast for Victor and myself to Mrs. Taylor. We bad a yarn aird then went to bed. There were three beds in the room. I occupied the one nearest the door mid Victor was on the other side near the wall. I woke.up with the heat jumped out of bed, and opened the door into the passage. I yelled out to Victor that the ‘joint’ was on lire. There were flames in the passage and I could not get out. It was then that T got scorced on the face and hands. I believe I picked up my trousers when 1 jumped out first. I slammed the door twice. The first time it did not catch, and I rushed to the window. I yelled out to Vic. to smash the window and jump. I. broke the window with my hand, around which I had wrapped my trousers. Vic. was not at the window when 1 got there. 1 crawled through on to the- window sill, and before I jumped I called to Vie. to come on. I heard Vie. in his corner make two or three slight moans, but that is all 1 heard. I was cut about my feet in getting through the window. I did not know about the rope fire escape. When I landed I rolled away from the building, and then got up and went round the back. I had on only my

.shift Ido not know what happened to my trousers. 1 had £l2 or £l3 in my pocket, but it was all burnt. When 1 awoke there were no flames in the room, but it was stifling with heat and smoke.” This concluded the evidence. The jury retired at 9.15 p.m., and 23 minutes later returned the verdict already mentioned. A CTIN( i CO RONER’S R EAIA RK S. Addressing the jury the actingcoroner said they had been called upon, to deliberate upon one of the saddest catastrophes that- had ever occurred in El ilia m. There would he no diflieiilty in defining the cause ot tin* death of the victims, though the evidence as to the cause of the lire was not so clear. There was a thread ot evidence to the effect that the sittingroom chimney was defective and that the lire had spread from that source, but it was an astonishing tiling that such a building was so suddenly enveloped and demolished. The witness Stone had made a fine effort to warn the other occupants. „ Mancer and Cabler -seemed to have been actuated by a similar motive, and the evident© given by George Davidson affirmed that given by the others that it was impossible to make a descent to the ground floor through the centre of the house. The remainder of the evidence showed that there was no possibility of saving the lives of those who remained in the building. “I have no doubt,” continued the acting-coroner, “but that you will note that the means of egress in case of fire were utterly inadequate in this house. 1 do not know what you will attach to your verdict, but it seems to be an extraordinary thing that the Borough Council should provide- a set of bv-laws which were not enforced.” He concluded by paying tribute to the work carried out by the Eltliam police and fire brigade, which, lie said, seemed to be the only two efficient departments of the town. _ ; The acting-coroner directed tlia't a copy or the rider should he forwarded to the Eltliam Borough Council.