THE DEVONPORT FIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9022, 7 April 1888, Page 6

THE DEVONPORT FIRE.

•%'•■■•'■■•■■■••■ . ——- . *!■ • . - CORONIAL INQUIRY. ; Air inquiry was held yesterday forenoon in the Flagstaff Hotel, by Mr. H. C. Baddeley, • R.M., and a jury of six, of whom Mr. ' W. Philcox was chosen foreman, into the ■ circumstances surrounding the origin of the i fire'; which occurred at Devonport on the morning of the 19th February last. Mr. E. Bartley, architect, was present on behalf of the Royal Insurance Company, while •' the police were represented by Itetectave Walker, Sergeant Gillies,, and Constable O'Brien, the first-named conducting the examination. .. , ; . Alexander Gaeth. tobacconist and ban-, k dresser, was' the first witness called, and ho . deposed that he first knew of the fire about six o'clock on the morning of the 19th February. He had left his shop at about a quarter to twelve o'clock on the night previous (Saturday). As far as he knew :& his place was securely fastened, there being shutters on the front shop window. Mr. Archd. Thompson left with him. lne stock in his shop was just in the same con. dition as it generally was, and was insured for £60 in the Royal office. On the fittings »nd furniture beheld a risk of £2o in the name office. Hβ purchased his goods chiefly ' from Messrs. Hayman and Co., and ear- ' good, Son, and Ewen. At the time of * the fire he owed Hayman and Co. about £29, and Sargood and Co. about £7. His gross sales averaged about £6 weekly. His rent amounted to £1 per week, but a portion of his premises was re-let to Mrs. McGuinness for 4s i»r week. His residence was ten minutes walk from the shop, and he was buying it by paying weekly instalmente of 11s 7d per week. It would be ten years before it was paid off. He estimated the value of his stock roughly at £90, but when he came to make up a list he found it to be over £100. By the proof of loss (produced) he saw he had £23 worth of pipes. There was £10 worth of meerschaum pipes. The witness was examined at length in regard to the value of his stock and nx tures? When he was told about the tire by a bov, he asked him all particulars, and was told that everything was burnt to the ground as far as the dairy. Hβ intended to start at once for the fire, but his wife kept him to have bis breakfast. Hβ did not delay much more than half-an-hour after he was told of the fire. There was a quantity of waste paper under the shop window. His stock of matches was kept under the counter on shelves. . By Sergeant Gillies : He was in bed when told of the fire on the morning of the 20th inst. After hearing that his place was burnt down he waited till a fire was lit, the kettle boiled, and he had some breakfast, before starting for the fire. About an hour and a-half after he arrived there he made arrangements with Mr. Willy for erecting a new shop. It might have been within half-an-hour. He had spoken .of removing from his 'shop some months previously. Mrs. McGuinness had asked him for a reduction of her rent, as she was going for some time to Wellington. He did not hear any preparations for removal in her premises during a couple of days before the fire. When he took the shop theve was neither counter nor shelving in it. He thought that the door between his premises and Mrs. McGuinness's was locked the night previous to the fire. She had no opportunity of gaining access to his shop. He believed that he had seen Mrs. McGuinness wearing clothes since the fire that she had worn previous to it, though she had said she had lost everything. Mrs. Paterson lived in the rooms above his shop, and Mrs. Holmes next door to him. He had not been told by either of these that * his stock was getting low, and had not said that he had to reduce it because of hard times. About twelve months previous to the fire he had reduced his stock a good deaL He had no fire on his premises. The matches under the counter were ordinary wax vestas in tin and paper boxes. He believed that the window in the hair-dress-ing room was fastened down with a piece of string. • Alfred Willetts, a youth in the employ of last witness, stated that he left the shop about a quarter-past eleven on the Saturday night. The windows were locked. Mr. Gaeth and Mr. A. Thompson were in the shop when witness left. This witness was questioned as to the details of the stock in the shop, but could not give any accurate information. Mrs. Isabella McGuinness stated that before the fire on the 20th February she lived in two rooms off Mr. Gaeth's shop. She was first made aware of the fire by ; hearing the breaking of glass in Mr. Gaeth s shop, and a moment later a crackling sound. She got up and looked through the frosted door leading into Gaeth's shop, and saw a email light in the shop window. She unlocked the back door and called Mr. Patterson. She told him to come down, and he followed her into her rooms, and broke the window of the door leading to Mr. Gaeth's shop. A few buckets of water would have saved aIL The doors of the barber's shop did not appear to be tampered with. She had no insurance, and saved ! nothing. Had no intention of leaving the place, and had no talk with Mr. Gaeth about reducing the rent. John Patterson deposed that he was a sailor, and owner of the house that was burned down on tha 19th February. Mrs. McGuinness roused him up. On breaking the door of the barber's shop open there was a gush of smoke up to the ceiling. Witness got his family out. They saved a few things. His house was insured in the Boyal for £200, but the furniture was uninsured. There were three rooms upstairs and four downstairs, besides the apartments used by Gaeth, the barber. George Patterson, eon of last witness, deposed to being called up on the night of ibhe fire, and went round to the front of the • building were the shaving room was. It was full of smoke. Seeing it was on fire, he went back to save some of his things. He Blept over the shop, and heard no noise during the night. William Brigham, barman at the Flagstaff Hotel, deposed that he was at Gaeth's fire. Went to the front of the building. Fire was inside. The shutters were partly up, and the door and windows appeared to be all right. Three persons were there when he arrived. The fire was inside, but had not broken through. The fire appeared to be in the back of the premises, near Mrs. McGuinness'. Sergeant Gillies deposed that at about twenty minutes to four on the morning of the firs of 19th February he was at hie % quarters, near the fire. Some one cried " Fire !" He ran out, and saw fire in Gaeth the barber's shop. Both the shop and house were in flames. The fire was strictly confined to the building, but there was no possibility of saving it, as there was. no supply of water. Tried to open the door, but, owing to the heat, failed. The flames ' immediately broke out above the shutters, and soon the place was all in flames. Mrs. McGuinnesß was then in the middle of the '< street, with her sewing machine. On asking her the cause of the fire, she said " Rats and matches." The fire destroyed several other business premises and dwellings. He found a lock lying in the debris after the fire, about where the door was leading into the tobacconist's shop. The lock was bolted. There was no key in it, but Gaeth showed him a key whioh he said was the ;i key of it. . Mrs. Patterson, wife of John Patterson, " " deposed that on the night of the fire she was up with a sick child about 3 o'clock. Slept over the barber's shop. Had gone back i.; , i to bed and dozed off, when the alarm was given. It would be about 3.30, and she was aroused by Mrs. McGuinness. Had the fire begun at three o'clock she thought she would have smelled it, or the smoke have come through the cracks. ' Mrs. Margaret Holmes deposed } that she occupied the shop next to Gaeth'e. Had only been inside Gaeth's ehop twice. Latterly the goods in the window of Gaeth's premises seemed- to be a long way short Made a remark to Mrs. Patterson ----': that the barber was not doing much, as . there seemed so little in the window. The Wednesday before the fire was the last ■ time she noticed the window. It had very „ little stock in it. V ; ; l-iii James Mays deposed that he was a - " builder.. Owned two houses next to where the fire started. ' One was let to Mrs. >,'• James Holmes, the other to Mr. Fenton. The insurance on the one next Gaeth's was £350, and on the other £450 and £50 on the fittings, Fenton's shop was leased at £104 a-year, Holmes' shop was let at £1 per Alfred Edward Fenton deposed that ha ■was burned out on the night of Gaeth's fire. Ranted shop from Mr. Mays, and had no . «■ insurance on his drapery stock. Had no * knowledge as to the origin of the fire t

When he got there the fire was breaking out over top of tobacconist's shop. Kβ* membered a deliberate attempt being made to set fire to the block, to the shop next to him, owned by Mr. Mays, about eighteaij months or two years ago. He did noj know of a second attempt. The fire which took place was outside a shop occupied by. Mr. derrard, the bootmaker, that which he (witness) occupied. The fire was against* the house, composed of sulphur, sticks, firekindlers, and rags. Mr. Patterson, recalled. He remembered a fire being started atGerrard's shop, about two o'clock in the morning, and put it out. There was paper saturated with kerosene, brimstone, sticks, and rags, saturated with kerosene. It was partly under the house, and partly outeide the house, charring it. That fire took place only six feet apart from where the last fire occurred. Mr. Baddeley summed up the evidence, and reviewed it for the benefit of the jury. The jury, after a brief deliberation, returned an open verdict, there being no evidence to show how the fire originated.