NARROW ESCAPE FROM FIRE, AND ALLEGED ARSON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XII, Issue 4395, 14 December 1875, Page 2

NARROW ESCAPE FROM FIRE, AND ALLEGED ARSON.

At about half-past 1 o'clock yesterday morning Mr. Chapman, the bookseller of Queen street, observed from his bed-room window at his residence in Eden Crescent, flakes shooting upwards from a room in the basement of the Kailway Terminus Hotel, Official Bay. He at once dressed, and hastened to apprise Mr. A. Fernandez, the proprietor of the hotel, of hia danger. On the way down he was met by Mr. Isaacs, who accompanied him. The whole of the inmates of the hotel had retired to bed. Mr. Fernandez was awakened by calling him by name, and telling him the house was on fire. The landlord at once rushed down stairs, having first called up all his lodgers. The house was by this time full of smoke, and he had to grope his way,jlown stairs. He proceeded to the new pirate sittingroom in the building lately added to the hotel, where a quantity of paperhangings, paint, &c., were, thinking the fire might be in that locality. He next went into the shop lately occupied by Mr. Eitchie, baker, where over £100 worth of wines, spirits, and stores, sent in the previous day by Messrs. Owen and Graham, and Kummer and Co., were placed. Here he found the flooring too hot for his naked feet. Believing now the fire to be in the kitchen below, he burst open the "bar door (the key of the same being in his bed-room) in order to obtain the kitchendoor key. On rushing down stairs he provided himself with a' bucket of water, and found that the room adjoining the kitchen, now being converted into a bath-room, was on fire. He dashed the bucket of water on the flames, and, with the assistance of the lodgers, extinguished the fire. In the meantime, Messrs. Chapman and Isaacs had been hammering at the street door, but Mr. Fernandez, with great presence of mind, refused to open it, for fear of occasioning a draft. These gentlemen, therefore, went to the back of the premises and gaiued admission by bursting open the wicket gate. There being now no further fear of the fire spreading, an examination was made which led to the belief by all present that the fire was clearly an act of incendiarism. A number of rags—pieces of dress and clothing— had been placed beneath the carpenter's bench, and apparently set light to. These had communicated the fire to the bench above, which was nearly consumed, together with some tools. The flooring for a space of several feet was also burnt through. Near this was placed a basket or hamper, containing leaves of books, paper, letters, shavings, &c. The fire had not reached these. It must be stated that the room was unfinished, and being used by the carpenters, the door was simply fastened by means of a piece of rope. Air. Fernandez remembers distinctly having on the previous evening secured this door, but on the alarm being given, found it open. Indeed, it was a fortunate circumstance for him that such was the case, as by that means Mr. Chapman, whose bed-room window looked down almost into the room, was enabled to observe the fire before too late, and to the latter is due the credit of having been the means of not only saving the large hotel and houses adjoining, but also probably the lives of the occupants. The hotel is built of wood, and a hold once obtained by the flames, its destruction would have been inevitable. Mr. Fernandez is not insured for a single penny, so that the loss would have been to him very serious. The articles found in the hamper placed in the room— for it is asserted that they were not there when the place was fastened up — together with the half-consumed pieces of dress and clothing were conveyed to the police station, and Detective Jeffrey made a careful examination o£ both the latter and the contents of the hamper. The result of this was that between seven and eight o'clock yesterday morning he proceeded to Short-street, and apprehended Mr. and Mrs. George Strong, who reside next door to the Kailway Terminus Hotel. They were brought up at the Police Court yesterday, and remanded for a week. It would be unfair to the accused to give any further particulars at this stage with reference to the connection of these persons with the attempt to set fire to the premises adjoining their own.