A CLOSE CALL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 101, 29 March 1939, Page 9

A CLOSE CALL.

RADIO CLASS DURING FIRE. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, March 29. Sniffing around the oscillator, a teacher at Johnson's Wireless College, on the fifth floor of Victoria House, remarked to the class that it was getting very hot. He continued to sniff and the class began to sniff. It consisted of fifteen to twenty boys, who thought a transformer or something of that sort was burning. Then the teacher went out and, on returning, said: “By Jove, boys, the place is on fire.” Out they trooped into the corridor. Tt, wag full of smoke, and the heat told them the place was well alight. There was no contusion, and some of the hoys even returned to the room to get their coats and books, but all had to descend by the fire escape at the rear, which was accomplished without difficulty. It was then evident, as one of them said, that had they been in the room much longer they would have been in a prettv hot spot. CHARGE PREFERRED.

Raymond Arthur Jolianson, aged ; 18, a glazier, was charged before the Magistrate (Mr E. Stilwill) this morning with stealing torches and magazines to the value of five shillings from : Arthur McDonald and another, and ' was remanded till to-morrow pending a : report from the probation officer. It was stated that when the fire , started, shop proprietors in the vicinity were busy removing their goods. When spoken to by a brigadesman who found him in a shop stuffing .torches into his pocket, accused claimed to be helping the proprietor, hut when Mr McDonald returned to the shop defendant unloaded his pockets and run away. > An earlier message appears on page ! 11. i