ASYLUM FIRE INQUIRY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9808, 1 May 1895, Page 6

ASYLUM FIRE INQUIRY.

The inquiry into the cause of the insufficient supply of water on the occasion of the fire which in December last destroyed the Auxiliary Asylum ab Avondale, was resumed yesterday morning ab the Asylum, before Mr. H. W. Norbhcroft, S.M., Commissioner. Mr. Theo. Cooper appeared for the Department, and Mr. Cotter for the City Council. There were present: — Messrs. Burgess (clerk of the Court), W. Anderson (city engineer), J. Hughes (superintendent of the Fire Brigade), W. Carlaw (city turncock), Captain Hannah (who had superintended the erection of the Asylum fire extinguishing appliances), and Drs. flassall and Beattie.

Before commencing to take evidence, a hydrant was again attached to the fire plug on the 6-inch main, and a lead of hose 100 feeb in length was attached, and a J-inch dolivery nozzle fixed. With an indicated pressure of 601b, the water was turned on and there was a splendid stream thrown tne indicated pressure on the gauge with the stream in full play being 47!b, showing a decrease of about 131b. This was with the pumps standing. When pumping was resumed again the gauge was at first irregular, vibrating from 40 to 1001b, bub when ib finally steadied it indicated about 621b, thus showing thab the fact of the pumps being working or nob made very little difference in the pressure. These experiments were made at the desire of Mr. Anderson, city engineer, who stated that ho had been making some calculations. The following evidence was then taken, DR. BEATTIE'S STATEMENT. Robert Martin Beattie, assistant medical officer of the Asylum, was examined by Mr. Cooper. He said that the first) he heard of the fire on Thursday, the 20th December, was the firebell, which rang when ho was going to the auxiliary Asylum from the main building. On that evening there had been the usual fortnightly entertainment and dance. Witness ran to the building and found that the fire then was limited to a small portion in the lavatory in the south-east corner. Witness at once told Robertson to telephone. The auxiliary telephone only connected with the main building, bub the latrer was connected with the central station. Witness examined the dormitories adjacent to the fire, to see that the patients were remembered, and at thab time the water was already being applied in an endeavour to reach the seat of the fire in tho eaves of the main wall, at a height of ten or twelve feeb. First the corridor hose, lj-inch, was applied, bub they were nob able with that hose to roach the fire. There was a hole in the ceiling in tho centre of the lavatory, and the hose was directed through thab to try and attack the fire, but they could not get the water to reach the ceiling, a height of about 14 feet. While this was being done the hose in tho airing courb, on a three-inch pipe, was got into position and brought to play on the fire from the outside, and the water on the inside hose was turned off, limiting it to one hose. The wind at that time was blowing the tiro away from the building, but blowing the water towards the fire. They could nob even then get sufficient pressure to force the water to the eaves, and they had to get a ladder. The fire seemed to be gaining on the inside, and they put on the small hose again, and tried to gob tho water through the ceiling of the lavatory on to the seat of the fire from a ladder. The fire was too intense, and they broke through a hole in the ceiling of No. 8 dormitory adjoining the tiro, and tried to reach the fire, but could not get the water to reach to the fire, a distance of about 30 feet, and while that water was playing they burned off the water from the airing court. The two hoses were running simultaneously, bub only for & few seconds. There is a fireplug near the S.E. corner, and he ordered a hose to be attached there to attack the fire, which seemed to be advancing in that direction, bub the waber ab this side did not reach half-way up the window. The fire broke out about half-past nine ; and at about half-past ten, up to which time the fire was confined to the south east corner, the wind changed. The pumping station was communicated with by his direction at tho outset, but up to half-past ten, if there was any difference at all in the pressure, it was rather less. Ho believed it was a little better at the first. Tho fire spread rapidly from tho time tho wind changed, and within half-an-hour the whole building was in flames. The Fire Brigade arrived between 10 and 11, but before they arrived the fire had a firm hold of the whole building, and nothing whatever could bo done to save the building. He was certain if they had had the pressure when the /ire broke out that they had yesterday the building could have been saved, for the fire was then localised to a few feet. The Auxiliary had been fitted with fire appliances, under Captain Hannah's supervision, in the month of November, but witness was not present at any of the tests then or subsequently made. The witness then described the results of certain tests he had made on the 15th March, and also the tests mado on the 23rd March in tho precence of the Mayor, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Cooper, and others ; at both of which they had excellent pressure. The appliances introduced by Captain Hannah worked satisfactorily on tho night of the fire, and he was satisfied the fault was nob with them but with the want of water. No portion of the Fire Brigade arrived until the building was in flames. They were of no service in putting out the fire, but they assisted in saving tho furniture.

By Mr. Cotter: He had had charge of the Auxiliary for about six months prior to the fire. He was laid up for a fortnight after tho fire, and after his recovery he was at Motuihi until the 11th March, and that was why he had not make any test between the time of the fire and tho 15th of March. The pressure was greater on the 15th than ib was with Kyber pressure yesterday, but when the test was made on the 23rd it was about the same.

Mr. Cotter : Did you not say on the 23rd that the pressure was the same &i on tho night of the fire ? Witness said ho had no recollection of making such a statement. He was inclined to think it was greater on the 23rd, but he did nob think tho pressure on the 23rd would be sufficient to pub out the fire. With tho tests made and all he had seen he was still inclined to think a 3-inch pipe was sufficient for the auxiliary asylum with the ordinary pressure from Ponsonby. Witness was perfectly certain that after tho fire began no water was running to wasto inside tho building, for he was through the whole building within a quarter of an hour after ho arrived. A man named Gibson was sent on a bicycle to tho pumpingstation, and he afterwards told witness trie gauge at the station showed 801b when he reached there, and that when Kyber was pub on it showed 120. Gibson was only at a quarter to eleven, and ib would take five minutes to reach there, and Kyber was pub on about ten uiinntes after his arrival. This would bring ib up to eleven o'clock, and by that time the building was practically burnt down. the EVIDENCE of attendants. Augustus Wybourn, farm manager at the Asylum, gave evidence mainly corroborative of thab given by Dr. Beattie. He was in charge of the Auxiliary under Dr. Boattie, bub lived in a cottage outside it. The witness was cross-examined by Mr. Cotter, and said thab prior to the fire he never noticed any scarcity of water. He was also questioned as to whether there was a was of water from tho taps. Alex. Robertson, and Robert Dunbar, attendants, gave corroborative evidence. THE PUMPING ENGINEER'S STATEMENT. At this stage Mr. Alexander Gibson, engineer of the waterworks, arrived, and ib was arranged to tako his evidence. He was examined by Mr. Cotter, and said he had been engineer of the pumping station upwards of ten years. There was a branch pipe, a 6-inch main, from the pumping station to the Asylum, and ib was put in before his (witness's) appointment, and the connection is the same now, and was so on the nighb of the fire as when he took charge, and at no time since he took charge of the station had he in any way interfered with the supply to the Asylum. No one with his authority interfered with the pipe. On one occasion it was leaking along the road ab the Asylum side of the meter, and the Asylum hands repaired it; on another occasion Craig, the plumber, took out the meter and repaired it. Thab was nob done by witness's instructions, bub he could nob say whether ib was by insbructions of the city authorities. Craig conld not have taken the meter out without shutting the valve on tho road nearest to the pumping station.

' The first he heard of fires was a telephone message from Mr. Carlaw, saying there was afire in town, and he thought by the same message that he had heard there was a fire at the Asylum, too. Witness asked Mr. Carlaw what he was to do, and added that if the Asylum was on fire to put on Kyber. Witness then left the telephone which was at his private residence and went to the engine, after sending a message to the fireman to prepare for the change for putting on Kyber, and on returning to the enginehouse he found Attendant Gibson there. This, according to the entry in his daybook was ab half-past ten. Attendant Gibson said they wanted more pressure, and witness said they had 801bs of pressure, and showed him the gauge. In about five minutes it ehowed a pressure of 1201bs, indicating that Kyber was on. Before the alteration could be made from Ponsonby to Kyber the engine had to be stopped, and he ceased pumping till twelvo o'clock, the pressure remaining at 1201bs. When pumping into Ponsonby there was only a difference of 21bs pressure and about 3lba in Kyber to what the pressure would be when the pumps were standing. The Court then adjourned until ten o'clock this morning.