THE FIRE AT MR HAASE'S STABLE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 24 June 1911, Page 6

THE FIRE AT MR HAASE'S STABLE.

MAGISTERIAL. INQUIRY.

An inquiry , was commenced to-day by Mr J. S. Evans, S.M. and Coroner, into the circumstances surrounding the fire which ...destroyed..Mr F. "W. Haase's stables in Ngatitama-street on the morning of June sth. Mr Richmond Fell appeared, for Mr F W. Haase, and explained that his client was at .present in Palmerston North.

Mr P. B. Atkinson watched proceedings on behalf of an undisclosed client.

The Coroner visited tlie scene of tli® fir*;, and on returning to the Courthouse the following evidence was called by Sergeant Mullany:— .Tames William Haase, cab-driver, son of F. W. Haase, deposed that he lived in Kawai-street, abov.i 700 or I 800 yards from his father's stables. At 2.15 on the morning of June sth he was aroused by A. "Cox, another cabman, and informed that his father's stables w-ar-e on fire. "When be gicit to the fire the roof had fallen in, and the whole place was in flames. He was 'at the stables the previous evening and left about 8.45, everything then being safe. The stables were lighted by gas, and no candles were ever used. The floor was of concrete, and there was no straw lying about .tlie floor underth-egasjeis. The nearest straw to. sras jets would be that on the floor in the stalls—three feet from a jet. He turned out the gas when he left the stables. He used small wax matches. The stables could ,be approached in two ways —from- the front entrance, and through the Hampden-street school ground. Near the school boundary entrance there was a stalf containing, about 50 bundles of straw. A driver formerly employed by his /fa,their named Percy GciJier, had- sometimes used the track through the •school ground. Collier, slept in the stables. Witness had sometimes used the track. There were ilvif horses •in the stables on the night of the fire, four of which were burnt, to ■death." and the other was rescued. There were &leo in che stables three landjaus, three' drags, a rubber-tired gig, a buggy, and it brake. All these were destroyed. All the harness was in the stablea, and sufficient feed to last till next February or March —about 30 tons. The value of the four horses would be fully £loo could not be' replaced sum. The three lanidaus were worth ±AGO, and tihie total value of the property destroyed, including buildings, -was about £llOO. The insurance was £SOO on the stables . and contents, there being .no insurI anee on the horses, and the insurance company paid hi s father £sl0 —£10 for damage done to the dwelling house. There -was only £IOO insurance on the stables and contents on the 2nd June, the Friday before the fire. It was 'then increased to £SOO The premium fell due on June 2nd, and when his father went to pay it, Mr Rout (Sun Officer endeavoured to persuade him to put on £BOO. His father said he would put on £SOO if it was) done for 10s a £IOO. The insurance company would not do it for less than I<3® 4d, so his father increased it to £SOO only. lHarry Llewellyn Haase. brother of the former witness, s .tated thafc so far p-3 he knew .'he was the first to notice ith-e fire. The rcicim in which he sl-opt faced the stables. He wokewup and a: flare, and then ran and' called- his father. « He and his father went outside, and.-he helped to save the two landaus in a detached shed. The fire was just about all over the stables. The'flames were coming from the back of the stables, and the front was then catching. One horse was saved. Its rug caught fire and frightened it, and it rushed out. No one could get into "the stable ah that time. He was in the stables with his brother the evening before the fire. He did not use t'he track through the school ground, but he knew that his brother and Percy Collier had used it. The mare that was saved would :ha»ve been in a stall, perhaps six .yards- from the main entrance. ' He left the stable the previous night before his brother.

iPercy Collier, horse-driver, but at present employed as a labourer, clcp<3<s2'd tha.t h» worked. for' Mr. Haase for about three years as a driver. 110 left. Mr Haase perhaps six or eight months ago. He left Mr Haase on ;t.he beat o fterms. Mi". Haase :iLevor did him any harm. He 'had used the track'through the school ground. Anyone usincr the track could not very well be seen from Haase's house. One day. about two years ago. he was sitting on a cab with Mr Haase when< he heard a mam—Mr. John Ha : rlinpr—say that he (Mr Haase) would wake up one morning and find his stable burnt

down. Mr. Ha-ase must have heard what was said, as he talked about it at tea time. The first witness knew of the fire was from one Pike, at Motueka, a night or two after the fire. After that 'he saw the ac-couiit of the fire in the paper. He was at a, camp four miles or so from Motueka —towards Tasman. Pike bad been away from the camp on the afternoon lie told witness about "the fire, returning .about 11 o'clock at night. Pike, 'he believed, went from Nelson to Motueka in the Koi. He could not remember whether it wa= o-i Monday or .Tuesday that Pike told him about the fire . Pike had been away from work on several occasions—a s , witness had. On the Sunday night of the fire he was in his father's house in Brookstreet, Nelson. He left Motueka about 12.15 p.m. and reached Nelson between 3.30 and 4 o'clock. He left his father's house about 6.15. and went to Examiner-street, and afterwards he went to Trafalgar-street. He was about town for some time, and then went home about 9.30 or 9.45. After suoper, he and father endeavoured to fix up a lamp as he intended to return to camp that night. He could met get the Hamrp i;> br-n. eo he remained at his fathers all night and' left .next morning 'between 6 and 6.30, and) reached' cam;p 'a -lit/tie after 10 o'clock. He- went to bed on tile Sunday n.ight betwen 10.30 and 11—he -could not say .exactly what iime it was. His father and 'liimseilf he> bcOievedi were 'the last up. He did not go t'.3 the fire. He did 1 not hear the firelbeK. Going back to camp he took the Rooks Road, as he w a aited to make some inquiries about pipe® for Mr. Teece, overseer for the Wa.imea County 'Council. Coming to Nelson o.iu the Sunday he had- come over the bills and past (the Hos-pital. When he. got back to camp on the Monday, Pike w,as at work. 'Be .remembered' making a statemnnt to \Sergt. Mufjlany and Constable Town'send in which he sardl that he was not in Nelson on the night of the fire. When? 'he made the fit-ateme.nt (on the 14th in«t.) it never entered his head that he 'had -been in Nelson oat the night of the fire. He was so u/nset when Townsend came to him .that he did not know what he was saying. The rema.ind'er of his statement, to the best c,f his belief, was correct.

■ At this stage iib was agreed to adjourn the inquiry till Thursday next at 10.30 a.m.