FIRE IN A GOAL.

North Otago Times, 25 September 1908, Page 4

FIRE IN A GOAL.

Per Press Association. Christehuroh, September 2i Considerable excitement was causod at LyttcOton Gaol this morning by an outbreak of lire in the hospital wing. The warder on duty in the watch tower, which is situated immediately' above that wing, notkal dense, sraolre rising from the centre of (ho building, and at once rang the alarm bell on the tower. The warders who were oil -duty and the prisoners working aboint tho yard immediately set to work vrith buckets of wator on (ho fire, which! was found to have its feat under the wooden stairway leading from tho entrance- passage to' the upper storey of the wing. Tho (lames wero breaking through the stairs, bu» wero got under in a few minutes. The damage dono was not very great, the stairway being 'badly charred, as was nlso some adjoining woodwork, A few pounds will cover everything. The gaoler (Mr Cleary) informed a reporter that he was very strongly of (ho opinion, that the firo was deliberately started by Lionel Terry with Hie object of creating some oxcitemont. Terry, tin is woll-ltnown, has been coiv fined in the Lyttelton gaol for some iimc, His (platters are in the hospital wintr, the door of his room opening- on to tho passago, a- few fee! from the stairway, under which the lire started.' That portion of .the gaol occupied by Tprry was gazetted a» an asylum, ano? he has far moro privileges than are allowed to the prisoners. . Mr Ci'wiry informed n Truth reporter that Terry would make no admission of any -sort that he had had a hanchim starting tho fire. A quantity nf paper and a portion of a mat, partly bitrned, were found in the recess under tlio slnirwny.