FIRE INQUEST.-QUEEN-STREET CONFLAGRATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume X, Issue 3697, 16 September 1873, Page 5 (Supplement)

FIRE INQUEST.-QUEEN-STREET CONFLAGRATION.

An inquiry into the origin of the recent fire was held yesterday, at the Groyhound Hotel, before Thomas Moore Philson, Esq., coroner for tho district. The jury, having been sworn,- proceeded to inspect the scene of the lire. The following agents of iusurance companies were in attendance : —Messrs. G. P. Pierce, "New Zealand Insurance Company A. I Boardman, " South BritishGr. S. Graham, "Norwich Union;" G. Jones, " Royal ;" A. G.Millar, "Victoria j"H. W. Heath, "Scottish Commercial." Mr. Beveridge appeared for tho insuranco companies, Mr. Tliorno watched tho cnao for Mr. JamiesoD, and Mr. S. E. Hughes for Mr. Powley. Thomas Elvey Powley, examined by Inspector Broham, said be was a settler, residing, in Wakefield-street. His wife carried on the I business of a milliner, in. Queon-street. She carried on that business tlio night of ths fire. There were two rooms on the groand iioor— a shop and sitting-room, two rooms upstairs, and two cellars in the basement. (The witness admitted the.correctness of planß put in, aud was examined at considerable length as to the relative position of fireplace, Btuircases, and passage leading from front to rear of premises.) There was a work-case beside the fireplace containing sundry articles. That was on the left going in. A table stood in tiio middle of the floor; there were somo chairs arouud, a hearth-rug and fender before the fireplace, and some oilcloth over the hearth-rug. There was a cupboard near the work-caec. There had been a fire-grate in the room, but ic was taken downstairs, in consequence of its not being convenient. Burnt wood, afterwards. Becollected Saturday, the 6tbi of September, the night of tho fire. Witness had been in the Bhop all day. His family left the houso about 11 o'clock that night. They loft witness to shut up the shop. There had been so little fire in the fireplace, that liis eldest daughter put it out with a cup c-f water. His daughter went downstairs for the water. Thore was no light taken downstairs. The fire was usually put out in the manner described. There was a tank outside the house, and a well besido the tank. The gas stood in the centre of the sitting-room. Witness put out the gas, aud locked the backdoors below, and in the sittingroom turned off the gas from tho metro, and then left the building, locking the street door. This key witness took home with. him. Left the other keys in the doors. Witness also took home his wife's account and memorandum books. Went home. Witness was in bed when he heard the bell. About three-quar-ters of an hour would have elapsed since ho left the house. He got up and ran back to the house. He saw the windows in hiß house ' burnt out. He tried to get in, but some men ■who were thore would not allow him. Ho could have saved a couple of hundred pounds worth of property if he got in. Witness had not been smoking since 10.30 that night. There were a good many persons in and out of the sitting-room that night, -to see - a wool picture belonging to his ■ son. Witness had not the remotest idea of the origin of the fire. There, was nothing near or about tho straw oaae that in witness's opinion .would causo ■ the fire. Believed the fire was caused by a spark from JFarey's, next door. Thought the wind was from the west. "It was blowing up Queen-street (nortU-eaat.) Witness had suffered the loss of thousands before, and was careful. Had been burnt out in tho Crescent. It was proved the fire originated in JDenbeigh's — or rather that it came from Denbeigh's—but not how it was caused in Peubeigh's. Believed a box 'of matches had bren upset by the rats. Witness's stock was insured for £400 in his wife's name. The policy expired on the 11th of this month (on last Thursday). Witness's lease of the premises would expire on the 2nd next month. Was indebted on account of his stook £200 (about) to A. Clark and SonB; to Lewis Bros., £24; Owen and Graham, £3 10a; Isaacs Bros., £7. The witness's assets were about £1000. Witness had been in business two years in Queen street. There never was any sign of fire. There were no matches and no kerosene, and witness bad not laid down in any dangerous plaoe. Witness acknowledged that the time that elapsed was very Bhort between his leaving the building aud itß being in full blaze. The fire was a mystery to him. Hs could not account for it in any shape or form.

By Mr. Hughes: It is not to be understood that I was about to leave the house. I was negotiating a renewal of the lease from Mr. Burnett. Mr. Philip Herepath was examined as to the correctness of the plans of the building prepared by him, under instructions from the insurance companies. Cross-examined by Mr. Hughes : The architect acknowledged that he made the plana from information given by Mr. Farey and Mr. Jamieson. Was not acquainted with the interior of the building. Mr. Hughes objected to the evidence proposed to be gitfen. The architect, he said, could give no information that could be called evidence-in the matter of the inquirv. Witness Powley, cross-examined by Mr. Beveridge : There was no cupboard except one upstairs ; there were no cuttings laying about. The staircase was encased close up. Thero was no enclosed space in the sitting-room. There was no table below in the kitchen. There might, have been a part of a candle on a box. When witness's daughter went down for the water to put out the lire, she had no lighted candle. Heard her say so. Witness took stock once a-year, and should have taken stock this month. Purchased stock every month. Witness knew nothing about the business, which belonged to his wife. After his wife was burnt out in Queen-Btreet, sbe purchased £100 worth of goods from a merchant, and sold them at Xaranaki, bringing back the money. By Mr. Hughes : There wa3 no candle in the house at the time witness and his daughter went down into tho kitchen. Witness was a leaseholder of Ihe premises burnt near the Duke of Marlborough Jlotcl; was so still. The lease there had seven years to run, and the loss by that fire was upwards of £500. Harriett Powley, wife of last witness, having been "duly warned, made a deposition similar to that of her husband. Sho was positive that there was no light- or liro in the kitchen at the time J,hcy left. Sh« also said that she could not account for the Ore, and considered it impossible that it should have originated in the sitting-room. There were two merino dreEsea hanging in tho sittingroom, both of which hud been saved ; and this alio believed would have been impossible if the liro had originated in that room. Her stock she believed to bo worth from nine to ten hundred' pounds. During the last six months she purchased about three hundred pounds worth of stock. There were no pressing claims for debt. Witness's husband smoked, but thero was nothing on ihe iloor that would have easily ignited. Caroline Ann Powley, daughter of tho two last witnesses, gave corroborative evidence. But also said that she did not, until after tho fire, hear that tho candlo was burnt out. Witness could not form any idea as .to the origin of the fire. George Henry Powley, eldest son of Thomas and Ellen Powley, deposed : I reside in Unionstreet, and aiu an assistant at A. Clark and Sons. On Saturday night, the Gtli instant, heard the alarm of firo. I. was, at the time, opposite the Auckland Hotel. I ran up tho street, and hearing some one say " It's about Powley's," Iran direct to tho shop. When I got there tho place was broken in, and I went into the back room. Tho first thing I took was a picture ; it waß near the fireplace. . Tho room was full of smoke at the time, but I could hot see any fire. I was well acquainted with the premises, but cannot say where tho fire was. On ontering the building the second time I saw. the glare in the back room. I think that about forty or fifty pounds' worth of stock was saved.

| Willmm Powley, son of Thomas Powley, deposed to being a. resident in Elliott-street. J On Saturday, the 6th instant, near midnight, \ Heard tlio fire-bells, and on looking saw flames at the back room of his father's premises. He at onco went to thorn aud entered tho house, and took some dresses oat of the sitting-room. Smoke was bursting from tho corner of tho staircase. . His impression wus that the fire originated in the sitting-room and not in the basement story. Witness thought that sparks from Furey's back chimney might •have caught the weather boards and ignited them. Ho waj positive that he saw the flames burning on the outside of the house, but did not see flames inside the sitting-room on first entering it. JIo thought that it was tho reflection of the light from tho outside of the building that enabled him to see tho dresses on his firßt entering the drawing-room. At this stage of the inquiry, tho Court was I adjourned.until Wednesday next, at 2 p.m.