FATAL FIRE AT OXFORD.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 8148, 20 April 1887, Page 3 (Supplement)

FATAL FIRE AT OXFORD.

On Saturday, March 20, the news reacted town that a fire occurred on March -o, at View Hill, which unhappily was attended wrth fatal results. During the afternoon the inhabitants of the district had the unpleasant excitement of a bush fire between View Hill and Oxford, causing the destruction of a six-roomed house, the property of Mr C. Clark. Some hours later, however, this fire was well-nigh forgotten, as the news spread that lives had been lost in another fire. Our Oxford correspondent wires the following details;—A very severe northwester blew here on March 25, and two fires sprang up in the bush. One of these was at West Oxford. It spread rapidly to the eastward, and burned Charles Clark’s dwelling and outbuildings. Only a few articles of furniture were saved. Several pigs in the stye were burned. The dwtHiiur was Insured for J>l2s, and tfhe furniture for X 25, in the New Zealand office. „ The other fire was at View Mill. It spread to a dwelling (a four-roomed cottage) and burned it down. Mrs Anderson, wife of John Anderson, and two of her children, were burned to death. Another son, aged about 10, is so severely burned that he is not expected to recover. The other two boys were about 11 and 12 years of age. Mr Anderson is from home, working on a thrashing machine, and does not at present know of the occurrence. No further particulars are yet to hand. LATER PARTICULARS. Mrs Anderson, who was sleeping downstairs with her three .children, aged two, four, and eight years (two boys and one girl), found the house on fire about a quarter to twelve. She immediately put the two children (four and eight years) out of the window, and it is supposed she loft the baby boy (two years) to run upstairs and waken those that were sleeping there, her boys, Oscar, aged 17. and Kenneth, aged 6, and Mr Rudd, sen., of Greendale, who was sleeping" there for the night, and a boy he had with him named Carlyle. Mr Rudd, the lad Carlyle, and the boy Oscar got safely out of the burning building, but Oscar, not finding his mother, ran into the house again and got very badly burned about the face and shoulders. He is not expected to get over it. The mother, in endeavouring to save her son, Kenneth, got suffocated, the llames having got such a hold on the house that the ceiling gave way, and she fell on to a bed underneath, and was burned to ashes. The boy Kenneth also fell through the ceiling, and met with the same fate. The child, which it is presumed the mother intended picking up when she returned, was also burned to death. He was sleeping in a cradle close to his mother. The fire is supposed to have been caused by the north-west wind blowing down the chimney and casting the fire out on to the floor, and not by the bush fire as at first supposed. Some one passed about 11 o’clock, but everything was all right then, and it is therefore supoosed that Mrs Anderson had not gone to bed. Much sympathy is felt for Mr Louis Anderson, who is an old View Hill resident. In the early days of the West Coast he kept an hotel there. He is a sober and industrious man, who through his own efforts had made a comfortable home for himself and family._ He had seven sons and a daughter ; one is working at Darfield, and the other at the Glentui sawmills. The one which is suffering from the effects of the fire, met with an accident some months ago, cutting his foot with an axe so badly while working in the hush, that he had to be taken to the Christchurch Hospital to be treated, from whence he has just lately returned, and was not quite recovered. THE INQUESTS. An inquest was held at View Hill on Saturday evening, before Mr C. Whitefoord and a jury of six, at Church’s store. Mr Church was chosen foreman. The jury having examined the remains, the following evidence was taken:— Louis Anderson, father and husband of the deceased, said that the house consisted of four rooms ou the ground floor and two rooms upstairs. He and his wife usually slept down stairs, with the youngest child and a daughter aged eight; the boys slept upstairs. Was away from home with a threshing machine for the last few weeks. Heard the news that morning, and returned home at once. George Rudd, senior, of Greendale, stated that he was in the habit of stopping at the house destroyed on his journeys to and from Greendale. Was there the night previous, the night of the fire; was sleeping on a sofa in the front room. Was awakened by hearing Mrs Anderson calling out to him that the house was on fire. Got up and took his clothes, and went out at the front door. Was quite dazed by the smoke and sudden fright. Saw Mrs Anderson pass a young child to a little girl, but did not know in which direction she went after. Did not know that there was the youngest child sleeping in a cradle in the front room where he was. Saw nothing of the others until he saw Oscar, the second son, on the verandah, very much burnt. Did not hear Mrs Anderson call out after the first time. Annie Teresa Anderson, aged nine, stated that her mother told her to go out of the front door, and take the boy Arnold with her. There had been a fire in the kitchen to make tea. Mr Rudd went to bed before her mother, and she did not go to bed for some time. When she went to bed her mother was still up, and witness did not know when she went to bed. The boys had gone to bed before them. There had been no fires in the other two rooms that day that she knew of. When her mother told her to go out with Arnold, she went, and did not see or hear of her mother afterwards. Could not say if her mother tried bo get upstairs. She knew after that her brother Archie was saved. The witness was complimented by the Coroner on the way she gave her evidence. G. F. Nell stated that he came home from the bush, passing the house which had been burned, at about 10.30. Saw a li»ht then in the upstairs window. Went tombed, and was afterwards awakened by his wife calling out that there was some place on fire. Got up and saw it was Anderson's. This was about a quarter to twelve. He lived about three chains away. He partially dressed himself, and ran out. When he reached the place he could just get through the fence, but not near the house, which seemed to be one mass of fire inside. Saw the last witness and the boy Arnold. Gave the girl into the care of Mrs Willis, who had just come up, and took the boy home to Mrs Nell, and then returned. Saw the lad Oscar rushing up and down in front of the house, seemingly distracted, and crying out, «Oh, my mother, my poor mother, she is burnt; oh, my poor mother,” and such expressions. He seemed as if covered with blood. Did not know where he came from. Subsequently found him in his house, and Mrs Nell dressing his wounds. Witness then left and went to Oxford to inform the police, and obtain medical assistance. Archie Anderson said he" slept upstairs with his brothers. Was awoke bv the smoke, and went downstairs and out at the back door. Saw nothing of his mother or anv of the others. Believed that Oscar got out of the window and dropped to the ground, and afterwards went in again.. Did not hear his mother call. Did not know why Kenneth did not come down stairs. Could not recollect if there were any fires except in the kitchen. The Candle they used burnt out before* they were in bed. Did not know it there was anything hanging in the upstairs rooms which might have caught fire.

Sergeant Scott deposed to finding the remains, those of the children near the fireplace in the front room, and that of the mother as if within another room. Gathered them separately, and put them under lock and key. The Coroner said from the evidence it had been clearly proved that the fire had originated accidentally, most probably in the kitchen. He must compliment all the witnesses (most especially particularising the evidence of the children) for the straightforward manner in which they had given their evidence. This case was remarkable for the self-denial and selfsacrifice that had taken place. There was no doubt that the mother might have saved herself at the expense of the children. Did she do so ? No, but went back again, to almost certain death, to try and save them. Here there had been no wringing of hands, no holloaing, no shouting. The mother died in the brave endeavour to save ; and one of her sons, Oscar, who had been so severely burnt that he was unable to come before them that day to give evidence, had thus nearly lost his life in the praiseworthy effort of trying to save his mother. He thought there was quite sufficient evidence to prove that the fire had been accidental, the deaths resulting from sueh accident. The jury concurring, a verdict of “ Accidental death ” in each case was returned.