FIRE ORIGIN

Northern Advocate, 10 July 1925, Page 5

FIRE ORIGIN

CANBERRA INQUIRY ALARM GIVEN TOO LATE. CARPENTER'S ALLEGED CARELESSNESS. (Received 9.20 a.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. At the inquest concerning the death of the steward Oraythorne, who succumbed in the fire on the steamer Canberra when gallantly engaged in rescue work, the: Coroner returned.; a, yer : dict ; of accidental death from. : carbonmonoxide poisoning caused by the fire, but the-evidence did not enable him to say how the fire originated. > The chief'officer of the fire brigade gave evidence that when he reached the wharf the ship was well alight. What seemed strange was that the fire had made such headway before the brigade received a call. : for the owners of the Canberra said it might be suggested that the fire started in the carpenter's cabin, and witness replied that it was impossible to say where it originated. The water policeman who gave the alarm gave evidence that when he noticed the outbreak smoke and flames were coming from the carpenter's cabin. A steward stated that when he went to the ipantTy about midnight he saw the ship's carpenter, Fleet, with an ;open flare-light in his hand, come ■from his cabin and go towards his locker.

Fleet gave evidence that he was perfectly sober that night. He went to bed at 11 o'clock and woke up cough- | ing. He could he;.r fire crackling, but there was no outbreak in his cabin. Witness dressed and went to the aseist- ; ance «of the .firemen. He emphatically that;(he had gone to his locker i with a lighted flare. He was in bed beifore the light was put out. —A. and N.Z.