FIRES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7645, 24 May 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

FIRES.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN QUEENSTREET. At four a.m. on Friday, May 14, a disastrous (ire broke out on the premises of Mr. H. Boreboom, the proprietor of a temperance hotel or boardinghouse, in Lower Queen-street. At the time of the outbreak there were, it is supposed, about thirty persons on the premises, and the first endeavours of the proprietor were to save life. He states that shortly before midnight he went through the house and found everything right. In the kitchen there was a large range, but when the last boarder went to bed there were only smouldering embers on the hearth. At that time there appeared to be no danger of fire. As one of the boarders expressed it, The place was in darkness, and everybody seemed to have gone to bed." The building was a a three-storey brick structure, and had been the scene of lire a short time ago. At that time it was iD the occupation of Messrs. A. H. Nathau ind Co., bat subsequently it passed into the occupation of Mr. H. Borsboom, a German, who converted it into a boardinghouse and restaurant. Superintendent Hughes called the attention of the proper authorities to the defects of the building when it was converted into a boardinghouse, and to the utter inadequacy of the means of exit in the event of a fire or panic, but it does not appear that any practical effect was given to his recommendations. From the statements made by the inmates it is clear that had they in the majority of eases followed the dictates of common prudence, and the advice of those in charge of the building, few, if any, would have been injured, while many would have succeeded in saving their effects. When the fire broke out all of them were asleepmost of them in a sound sleepand when roused they either lost their presence of mind, or, stupefied by the smoke, and dt.:sed by the ; danger of their situation, rushed aimlessly about, or, obeying a blind impulse, made for the lower parts (f the building. How the fire broke out no one is able to say. *iMr. Borsboom, who was about the last, if not the very last, -to retire to rest, states that on leaving the kitchen everything appeared perfectly safe. As it was here that the fire is supposed to have originated, his statement is of importance. There was a large range, he says, in the kitchen, which was placed in the centre of the building, and it was customary to keep a tiro going until late- at night. However, when he went to bed, shortly before midnight, all the boarders had come in, and only embers smouldered on | the range. The first thing which he heard after beiug aroused was someone calling out " Fire," and on leapiug cut of bed he found the corridors filled with smoke. He seems,, however, to have preserved great presence of mind. He aroused all the occupants of the second floor, on which his bedroom was situated, and instructed his waiters on the top storey to do the same in their part of the building, at the same time exhorting everyone to keep cool and not to become excited. The waiters appear to have acted according to his instructions. They state that they aroused all the boarders on the top storey, having in several cases to burst open the bedroom door 3, and instructed them to make for the top of the stairs leading to the back exit. Lepino, who had charge of the top storey, states that after collecting what he believed to bo all the boarders on that storey, ho led the way downstairu and opened the back door, when to his astonishment and dismay he found three men lying on the pavement, having evidently dropped from the windows, some thirty feet above. On the arrival of the police these unfortunate men were conveyed to the Waitemata Hotel, where ' every attention was paid to them, and where their injuries were attended to by Doctors Walker and Dawson. Others, who had been severely injured in their efforts to escape from the burning building, were subsequently brought

mam ii- mmmmsmtmltmmami^mmmmiamMmacmmt^aUmmmmmm into the hotel, the bar-room of which presented the appearance of a hospital ward. The most serious case was that of a man known as " Old Charley," who was brought in unconscious, and who subsequently died. The next was Edwin Neale,who had sustained a compound fracture of the right leg and other injuries. The names of the other 3 who have either been severely burned or otherwise injured are:—Hugh McLaughlan, Triomas Orr, John Houghton, John.Frosdyke, and Alf Finch. Frosdyke (who has since died) had the skin peeled off his legs in a he rrible manner. From the statements of the proprietor and his employees, there seems little reasion to doubt that had the whole of the inmates acted with deliberation and common sense, no injuries would have been sustained by anyone. But. instead of immediately at« tempting to effect their escape, a number of them made efforts to rescue their personal - property, and in this attempt greatly jeopardised their lives. Mr. Borsboom | secured his cash-box, which he threw out of tho window; and it may be men* i tioued that a roll of notes, amounting to £14, was picked up in Little Queen-street, at the back of the burning building, by a i member of the police. Mr. Borsboom was 1 insured in the Hamburg Office for £SOO. j Tho building was the property of Mr. John I Lamb, i The Fire Brigade, under Superintendent Hughes, were quickly on the spot after the alarm was given, and prevented the fire spreading beyond the immediate confines of the outbreak. Seven men were conveyed to the hospital in cabs and received by the House Surgeon (Dr. Bond) into the operating roo.n. There names are :—Alfred Finch, 46 years, cook by occupation ; John Frosdyke, single, commission agent; Thomas Orr, fireman ; Hugh McLaughlan, steward ; James Houghton, seaman Edwin Real, cook. " Old Charley" was in an utter state of collapse on arrival, and died from shock soon after admission. None of the injured coald give his name or recognise him. The building is the propsrty of Mr. John Lamb, and was insured in the New Zealand office for £2500, This is, of course, irrespective of the insurance of £800 in the Hamburg office, effected by Mr. Borsboom on hia stock and furniture.

Of course it could hardly be expected that adjoining premises should escape scot-free when subjected to such a fierce heat, but fortunately the damage sustained by them, ovviDg to the well-directed efforts of the Fire Brigade and the skill and judgment of the Salvage Corps, is very slight indeed. Mr. Pye's and Mr. Williams' premises, on the north aide, were insured in the Colonial office for £300, but the chief damage done was the breaking of the skylight in Pye's, which affords light to the upper dormitories of the lodginghouse, and by some water which found its way through it. The two shops on the south side are occupied by Mr. Hughes, tobacconi.'it, and Mr. Jameß Mason's branch establishment, the whole of the upper floor being occupied by Mr. Dunn as a billiard saloon. The skylight of the latter was broken directly over one of the billiard tables, but the Salvage Corps managed to cover the table over with tarpaulins. The table is, of eourse, injured to some extent, but to what extent has not yet been ascertained. Mr. Dunn is insured for £250 in the South British office. An inquest on the body of the man known as Charley, who died from injuries sustained at the fire in Queen-street, was held at the Hospital on May 15, before Dr. Philson, Coroner, and a jury of six, of whom Mr. Alfred Eustace was foreman. The jury having viewed the body, evidence was taken. Constable McGovern, Dr. Bond (Hospital surgeon), Daniel Edward Lepine (a waiter, late in Mr. Borsboom's employ), and Henry Borsboom (restaurant-keeper, late of the Railway Coffee Palace), gave evidence at some length, but little additional information was obtained. " Old Charley's " age appeared to be about 50. Mr. Borsboom said he was insured in the Hanseatic Insurance office for £SOO. His policy dated two years back, and he estimated his loss at £1500, having saved nothing except a few clothes. He considered all might have escaped safely had not a panic arisen. He was unable to account for the origin of the fire, but had no suspicion of incendiarism. Alfred Pryce, a bookkeeper, one of the boarders on the upper storey on the occasion of the fire, also gave evidence After he made his escape he saw deceased lying in the street, and helped to remove him to the other side. He did not see him jump out of the window. Witness wa3 the last lodger who left the top fiat. This was all the evidence, and the "jury returned & verdict to the effect that deceased

was accidentally killed by a fall, and added a rider to the effect that official supervision of boarding and lodging houses should be enforced, and that rire-escape3 should be insisted on. On the fSth May an inquest waa held before Dr. Philson and a jury, of whom Mr. H. G. Dorrington was chosen foreman, upon the remains of John Frosdykc, commission agent. But little hope 3of his recovery had been entertained from the outset, owing to the dreadful nature of his injuries— his nether extremities being baked, and the skin peeling off this legs in strips. He was sleeping in the upper storey of the lodginghouse at the time of the fire, and escaped naked through the flames on to the roof of the adjacent block of buildings, from whence he was rescued, and wrapped in a great coat, and removed to the Hospital. Dr. Bond, House Surgeon at the Hospital, gave evidence to the effect that the deceased was brought to the Hospital at half-past four o'clock on Friday morning, May 14th, by the police suffering from the effects of burns got at ; the destruction of Mr. Borsboom's boardingI house. The chest and lower part of the ! trunk of the body was very severely burned. He was placed under the care of Dr. Lewis, but never rallied, and died at 10 o'clock on Sunday morning, May 16. He was about 40 years of age, and death was due to the shock from the' burns he received. The jury returned the following verdict:—" We rind that the deceased came to his death by shock, the result of burns received at the late fire." Rider: "The jury desire to call the attention of the City Council to the necessity of a more complete supervision of the construction of, and means of escape at, public lodginghouses." The funeral took placo on Wednesday, May 19, at the Waikomiti cemetery. As Mr. Frosdyke had no relatives in the colony, Mr. J. X. Beale, solicitor, although almost a stranger, kindly undertook the funeral arrangements, and with a few friends followed his remains to the grave, where the Rev. Dr. O'Callaghan impressively read the burial service.

The Newton firebell rang out an alarm on April 27 about twenty minutes past two a.m. It proved to be in the block of two-storeyed shops adjacent to the premises of Mr. W. Palmer, butcher, Pitt-street, and were owned by him. The shops were occupied respectively by Messrs J. and D. Robertson, grocers, and Mr. C. C. Brown, furniture manufacturer and upholsterer. The fire . began in the premises of the Messrs Robertson, either in the sitting room or the back part of the shop, and it had a good hold before the Fire Brigade, under Superintendent Hughes, and the Salvage Corps, under Captain Field, arrived on the ground. After a short but severe struggle the fire was confined to .the block in which it originated, but the whole block was pretty well gutted, and Messrs. Robertson's stock and furniture destroyed, while the furniture and stock of Mr. Brown were spoiled by water and damaged by firo or smoke. Nothing is known as to the origin of the fire. The insurances are :—Buildings, insured by owner, Mr. W. Palmer, for £500, in the South British; Robertson's stock, £250 or £300 in the Victoria; the furniture was insured by Mr. Robertson, sen,, for £100, believed also to be in the Victoria; the stock of Mr. Brown waa insured for £350 in the Norwich Union, and the furniture in the Colonial for £100. The total loss will be over £1000. The Ponaonby firebell rang out an alarm of fire about two a.m. on Sunday, the 9th May, and in a short time the Ponsouby Fire Brigade, under Foreman Wilkius, were on the scene, the fire proving to be in the unoccupied houses in London-street, off St. Mary's Road, belonging to Mr. Daly. The fire had got good headway before it was discovered, so that the Pousonby Fire Brigade were unable to arrest its progress, and the Auckland corps, owing to the distance it had to travel, did not arrive till the second nouse was well on fire. Both houses are left mere shells, and gutted. The untenanted house was insured in the London and Lancashire for £200. The new unfinished house had a builder's risk on it of £550 in the New Zealand, and Mr. Daly had paid £400 on account ; while the third j house (slightly damaged) was insured for £250 in the South British.

On the morning of the 27th April, a sixroomed house, owned and occupied by Mr. William Cooper, Bombay, was totally destioyed by tire. The house was insured in the South British for £200, and the furniture in the same office for £100. A fire occurred on the 30th April on the premises at Epsom in occupation of Mr. W. M. Higgs, sauce manufacturer. It waa suppressed with little damage. The building was held by Messrs. Cochrane and Son on lease. The South British has a policy of £100 on it. A fatal fire took place on tho 15th May in & five-roomed house (wood) at Mornington, near Dunedin. Mrs. Stockes, wife of a labourer, had put her five children to bed. The eldest, Edward, 11 years of age, and the second youngest, James, slept in their own room, and she left a lamp burning on a chest of drawers. The second, Albert, aged nine, and Amy, aged six and a-half, were in the next bedroom, while a baby was in the cradle in the kitchen. Mrs. Stockes was in tho kitchen, waiting the return of her bus baud from town, when she heard an explosion, and on looking she found the bedroom ablaze. She called out to the eldest boy, who caught up his little sister, sleeping with him. They made their escape, but Mrs. Stockes, instead Of snatching the baby from tho cradle, ran out for assistance. The boy Albert managod to escape, but his sister Amy, who was in the same room, became confused, and appears to have gone into the room where tho lire started. All attempts to reach the two children when the alarm was given proved unavailing, and their bodies were afterwards discovered, very much charred. Tho house was owned by Mr. Mnir. The furniture was insured for £50. A verdict of "Accidental death" was returned at the inquest on tho bodies. The firebells rang out an alarm about halfpast three a.m. on May 15, and the line on the western sky showed it was in Alma Place, behind the gasometer, Freeman's Bay. The fire proved to be in George-street, Ponsonby, at the residence of Mr. David Parker. The house was of eight rooms, two unfinished, and two storeys in height. It was insured for £o0l) in the Norwich Union. The furniture was uninsured, and Mr. Parker estimates bis loss on this Lead at £150. Information has just leaked out that Parliament Buildings, Wellington, had a narrow escape of destruction from lire on May 15. A few minutes before seven on that evening the messenger on duty at the Speaker's private apartments had oecasiou to enter Sir Maurice o'Rorke's sitting room, wiieu lie discovered the wooden mantel-piece to be on fire. He immediately called for assistance, and had one of the hose reels kept on the premises run out, and the lire was extinguished beforo any serious amount of damage wss done. About two a,m. ci the 22nd May the Fire Brigade station tirebell, Albnrt-street, rang out an alarm, and it was soon seen that the i lire was in Alma Place again, within a stone's throw of the tire of a week ago, and in the same thoroughfare — George-street, Ponsonby. The building was owned by Mr. Neville. Forder. and the circumstances surroundiug the ownership of the property are rather peculiar. It appears, from a statement made i to our reporter by Mrs. Forder. that Mr. Forder sold the property to a Mr. Kobert Ludlow over two years ago, tor £2-10, which remained on mortgage, two yean; being allowed in which to pay the purchase money. These two years expired in April, and Mr. Ludlow, though having paid some of the interest, had not paid the principal, but went away to Sydney some two months ago. Mr. Forder took legal steps to resume possession, and had obtained it. The cottage had been idle for several weeks, and the place open, but on resuming possession Mr. Forder had got a Mr. Parker to tidy it up, and he was painting and papering it. Mr. Forder was ia the premises on Friday, May 21, in order to see how Mr. Parker was getting on, and all was safe when th latter left the place on Friday evening. Mr. Parker loses all his tools by the fire, and paints, etc. It is not known how the insurance staads, owing to the peculiar circumstances of the case, or if it is insured at all, Mrs. Forder being unable to say whether her husband's interest was protected or not during Ludlow's occupancy. About four o'clock on Saturday morning, May 22, the alarm was given of a lire in the Grafton Road, opposite the Choral Hall. The Brigade under Superintendent Hughes was early on the scene, which was in a sixroomed house occupied by Mr. Charles Biusch and his family. With the aid of neighbours a lar~e portion of the furniture. &c, was saved, but the house itself was destroyed. The place was insured iu the South British Insurance Company for the sum of £620.