SUSPICIOUS OUTBREAK OF FIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5419, 31 March 1879, Page 5

SUSPICIOUS OUTBREAK OF FIRE.

A fire was discovered 2 r esterday morning in a abed at the rear of Mr. John Leaning's'house and workshop in Victoria-street, and the circumstances are such that the fire c.tu only he accounted for on the ground of wilful incendiarism, or by attributing it to the act of a careless loafer. This shed, which is about So feet in length and 14 feet wide, wjiw formerly used as a workshop, in which Mr. Leaning carried on his business as tinsmith, but for some years ic has only been used as a. lutiiber-room. It is situated about JO feet to the rear of Mr. Leaning's house. Amongst other uses to which it was put that of holding a big of shavings which Mr. Leaning was ii\ the habit of using light his in morning. There is a partition abour fuuriVtt high ucro3« the shed, which is otherwise open, and the bag containing the uhavings, with which it w.is about half-filled, was left in its usual place again3t a disuseil stove, about 4 or 5 feet distant from the partition referred to. There i* a bide-dcor leading from the street by Mr. Leaning's house into the back yard and the shed, but this, Mr. Leaning s«ys, is always bolted at night, but through a circumstance to be explained, it was*not so bolted on Saturday night. Yesterday morning, at 8 o'clock. Mr. Leaning went, as usual, into the shed to get some shavings to light his fire. He was sur prised by a strong smell of smoke, and on looking closely, he saw that the floor of the shed at both sides uf the partition for an area of about 4 feet square was burned away, and that the partition itself was burned to a height of about 3 inches. There was no trace of the shavings or the bag, and yet the portion of the floor on which they j had been left was intact, and his theory ia that person acquainted with the run of the premises, finding fcli'j front entrance unfastened, went into the shed to sleep, and shifted the bag of uhavings against the partition as a substitute for a pillow. lie supposes that in striking a match the shavings took fire, but if this theory be correct we should think, from an j inspection of the premises, that the partition I would be charred to a greater height than it is. i With a few buckets of water he put out the j burning ends of the flooring boards, and then | communicated with Mr. .1. Hughes, super- ■ intendeut of the Fire brigade, who at once proceeded to the premises and inspected them. As already stated, the front gate has been habitually bolted at night. Mr. Leaning's son and a man named Peter Shades reside in a cottage at the back of Mr. Leaning's house, and extending neatly up to the shed. The entrance is through the passage alluded to, aud it is the custom for the last in to fasten the door. Shades returned home at about 11 o'clock on Saturday night, and left the gate unfastened, but closed on the latch, so that young Leaning might be able to got in, but he did not return, and hence the deor was left unbolted. We may farther add that a couple of half-burnt matches were found in the shed where the fire was discovered. It was fortunate for Mr. Leaning that the flooring boards of the shed were damp and so rotten that they would not blaze, or a very serious and disastrous fire might have occurred, for from the extent to which the floor has burnt away, it must have been on fire for several hours.