FOUR PERSONS BURNT TO DEATH

Manawatu Times, 25 March 1926, Page 9

FOUR PERSONS BURNT TO DEATH

TRAPPED IN ROARING FURANCE OF FLAME Eltham Scene of Shocking Tragedy HOWLING GALE PREVENTS RESCUE [Per Press Association.] ELTHAM, March 24. Eltham was the sdene of a shocking- tragedy at 2 o’clock this morning, the result of a lire, which destroyed a hoarding-house of thirteen rooms. Of ten inmates, four lost their lives, and two arc in the hospital. The victims were:— Priscilla Rebecca Crenfcldt, a widow, aged 49, a cook. Irene Harrison, aged 21, a domestic servant. / George Charles Nielsen, aged 21 a grocer’s assistant Victor Davidson, aged 19, a visitor. The charred remains of the victims were found in the debris. When the fire was discovered the building was in flames. The brigade was helpless in the face of a howling gale, and devoted its efforts to saving an adjoining building and shop occupied by Harrison, a painter and paperhanger, and the outbuildings. There were ten occupants in the boarding-house, and six escaped in their nightclothes. George Davidson, a brother of Victor, jumped from an upstairs window, and is in a serious condition in the hospital. Another of the occupants is in hospital with minor injuries. The victims,are well-known in the district, and the tragedy caused a great shock to, the community. The insurance on the buildings is £C7S in the Standard Office, and ioh the contents £SOO, . v , STORY OF A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE, FLAMES IMPRISON UPSTAIR BOARDERS. STRATFORD, Last Night Nobody else could have been saved, said William James Calder, one of the' survivors, to an “Eltham Argus” reporter in the course of a story of his experience. Sleeping upstairs were: John McQueen, lorry driver for the Eltham County Council, and one 6f the first to escape uninjured. Mrs. Crenfeldt and Miss Harrison, in one room, burnt to death. George Nielsen, grocer’s assistant, Eltham, burnt to death. E. E. H. Stone, employed temporarily at the gasworks, Eltham, escaped by fire-escape, the rope breaking in the descent. He sustained superficial burns and shock.

Davidson brothers in one room. George awaked his brother and dived through the window landing in the garden. He is seriously Injured in hospital. Victor, evidently dazed, did not follow'and his body was found in the debris.

William Mancer, butcher, Eltham, escaped uninjured. Downstairs were two occupants, Mrs. Taylor, proprietress, and Caldor, an employee of the Eltham Dairy Company. “1 do not know what awakened me,” said Caldor, “but the room was full of smoke. I helped Mrs. Taylor to get out of her bedroom window. The whole place was then burning and shortly afterwards a number of explosions followed. I awakened the other occupants as far as I could, but X was unable to get upstairs for flames and smoke.” Calder further stated that he did not know how long he lay awake before he realised the place was on fire, but when he came to his senses he jumped out of bed, threw his clothes'out of the window and followed himself.

When he first opened the window the draught caused a burst of flame in the room and as ho assisted Mrs. Taylor to escape ho thought her clothes would catch fire. He then threw stones at the upstairs windows. After a moment or two a couple of portmanteaus were thrown out on to the street but these proved empty. Practically nothing was saved from the place, although he got his clothes and a gold watch which was a keepsake from his mother. Mrs. Taylor is prostrated by her experience and confined to bed. One Taken, the Other Left. In conaection with the death of Victor Davidson, the circumstances are particularly distressing. George had come on a visit from the south and Victor, an ex-Salvation Army Homo lad, spent the evening in the company of his brother, sleeping in the same room. A Roaring Furnace. Deputy Superintendent Murray said the building was a roaring furnace when the brigade arrived. There was no possible chance of getting into the building to effect the rescue of anyone inside or get at the seat of the fire, and he set his men to subdue the flames with the object of saving the adjoining buildings. J. W. Harrison’s shop on the east side of the fire was only about twenty feet away. The western side wall was badly scorched and the brigade was kept busy effecting a save. That they did splendid work was

evident this morning. An inspection of the inside of the shop showing that rolls of wallpaper-were scorched. Three-quarters of an hour after the brigade arrived the walls of the boarding-house collapsed, the western one on Railway street failing outwards and breaking the telegraph wires, while the eastern wall fell Inwards with a crash.

Outbuildings at the southern side of the house caught fire but the brigade’s efforts were successful in preventing the spread of the flames. The buildings were erected trrentyflve years ago for the Bank of New South Wales. The origin of the fire is a mystery. A fire was burning in the sitting-room last evening. An inquest will be opened to-mor-row afternoon, and after identification of the bodies will be adjourned.