THE WRIGHT STREET FIRE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4425, 3 August 1901, Page 3

THE WRIGHT STREET FIRE.

SENSATIONAL EVIDENCE AT THE INQUEST. An inquest, which was attended by developments of an unusually interesting character, was held on the recent outbreak of fire in an unoccupied house in Wright street, at the Grosvenor Hotel, yesterday. To understand the'case and its importance, it- is necessary in the first place to give a dear idea of the actual position of the property destroyed and damaged on July 25th. The block of detached houses runs about north and .south. The first house to the north affected by the firo on the night of the outbreak was one occupied by Mr Cameron, and the next that occupied bj Mr Ir“inonger, painter and paperhanger, in ivho.se cellar a fire was discovered and extinguished by the firemen ; the next that .occupied by Mr Coombes; the next an almost finished residence, in which the main conflagration occurred, and which was completely gutted ; and then the house occupied by tho Adamsons to the south. The Adamsons’s and Coombes's houses were the one totally and the other partially destroyed. There was a strong wind blowing from the south at the time. Tho inquest into the circumstances of tho fire was held before the DeputyCoroner (Air Tregear) and a jury, of which Mr William Johnson was foreman. Inspector Pender appeared for tho police, and Mr Skerrett for the insurance companies. Mr C. W. Benbow, of the South British Insurance Company, was also present. Mr Skerrett called John Shortis, senior fireman in the Wellington Fire Brigade, who gave formal evidence of receiving an alarm of fire at 12.45 on the morning of the 25th. An unoccupied house in Wright street was in full flare, and the adjoining house, belonging to Mr Coombes, was smoking. In the course of the firo his attention was attracted to smoke issuing from the cellar of Mr Iremonger’s house. At that time there was no sign of fire on the northern side of Mr Coombes’s house. He cut a board out of the southern side of the collar, and turned water on the fire. He entered the place shortly after, and found that a fire had started in the southern end of the cellar. Scrim, paper and straw, resting partly on the floor and partly on s ome boxes, were burning in Iremonger’s cellar. The only entrance was on the north side (away from the fire). He saw no chanc 0 of a spark from the adjacent fire entering the cellar. The fire did not reach Mr Coombes’s house except on the southern side. About thirty-five £o forty minutes elapsed before ho noticed the smoke issuing from Iremonger’s cellar. He considered that there were two distinct fires on that night.

To the Coroner: When he entered the cellar the scrim and straw were in flames. To the jury: He did not notice any smell of kerosene or turpentine. Robert Mackenzie, carpenter, Millwood street, stated that he was employed in the construction of the unoccupied house burnt down, which Hawthorn and Crump were erecting, The house was nearly finished. Mr Iremonger was a neighbour. All was safe when he locked up for the evening at 4.46. There had been no fir e from the previous Saturday. Mr Thomas Iremonger worked on the place for an hour of two on the afternoon preceding the fire. He had fhe contract for painting, etc. Iremonger could get into the house with his key by the back-door. He knew nothing about the fire in Iremonger’s cellar. In his opinion, there was no connection between the two fires. Charles Coombes, a tinsmith, residing in Wright street, on the northern, side of the unoccupied house burnt down, said before his brother came down he heard a noise in Iremonger’s cellar. He heard a movement from the direction of the passage between the two houses. He paid no special attention to it. Henry James Coombes, a plumber and gasfitter, brother of last witness, stated that he returned home at 11.45. His wife woke him and he found the house full of-smoke. He and his wife got out in their nightdresses only. What was not burnt of his house was practically spoilt. He had no insurance on his furniture, which was all spoilt, hut his house was insured for £350 in the Royal. He did not get out any too soon, and could nof return after seeing his wife safe. Ho believed his neighbour, Mr Adamson, called him. Susan Cameron, residing on the northern side of Iremonger’s house, heard a cellar door slamming on the night of the fire at 11 o’clock. She saw Mr Iremonger, fully dressed, carrying furniture out of his house. She told Mr Iremonger on the following day about hearing the noises in the cellar.

W. J. Adamson, a telegraphist, said he resided on the, southern side of the unoccupied house lately destroyed bv fire, which belonged to his uncle, Thomas Adamson, of Taihape. Witness had his house insured for £350 in the Commercial Union, and the furniture for £SO in the Phoenix. He gave the alarm at 12.45 a.m. He was the first out, bub on thinking oyer the occurrence he recollected seeing a man fully dressed coming out of one of the houses on the northern side. He was a heavy loser by the fire. He thought the fire started in the basement of the unoccupied house. G. S. Chisholm, clerk in the Phoenix Insurance Company’s, office, gave formal evidence of receiving a proposal for insurance on July 2 from Mr Iremonger on his furniture and stock-in-trade in Wright street for the sum of £3OO. Ho informed Iremonger that he would havo to apportion the amounts. The furniture was eventually covered by a policy of £l5O. Iremonger agreed to drop the insurance on the stock for the time being. W. G. Tustin said he valued Iremonger’s stock at £3B 15s 2d on the 25th July. If the stock was insured for £l5O, it was ovorinsured. Tins of colours, which had the appearance of being full, he found on examination to.be empty. Four or five tags were fastened down on more than twenty of these tins. The lids would not be replaced for amusement. N. M. Muir, clerk in the South British office, deposed that Iremonger effected an insurance for £l6O on his stook-in- 1 trade on the 13th July. The office made an appointment for witness to inspect the stock, but he was unable to fulfil it. Iremonger complained of the inconvenience he had been put to, and gave witness general particulars as to the stock he had. A policy was issued for £l5O, an | inspection to be made’ later. Iremonger; signed a declaration that the risk had' not been declined by another office, saying nothing about the Phoenix. Witness did not know that any claim had been made by Iremonger. T. T. Hugo, superintendent of the Wellington Fire Brigade, gave formal evidence in connection with the fire. The discovery of the fire in Iremonger’s cellar struck him as peculiar. Subsequently bo inspected the cellar and foilnd material burning. Ho could not ascertain by what means the fire had been communicated to Iremonger’a house. He placed Iremonger’s house in charge of a constable. The burning debris consisted of paper, scrim and straw. In his opinion the fire in Iremonger’s cellar had no connection with the fire in the unoccupied house.

John A. B. Howe, clerk in the Com= mercial Union Insurance Office, deposed that Adamson’s and Iremonger’s houses were insured for £350- a fair risk in each case.

C. C. Crump, builder, of Hawthorne and Crump, who erected all the houses, also gave evidence. The unoccupied bouse destroyed was insured in the Royal for £SOO. Iremongcr would require extra stock between the sth and the loth. Mr Skerrett said all Iremonger’s insurances were fair except that on the stock, which was valued at £SO and insured for £l5O. If his house had been destroyed he would have only benefited to the extent of £IOO. S. H. R. Dix, in charge of the Royal Insurance Co.’s Wellington branch, also gave evidence. Thomas Iremonger, being sworn, said he lately purchased his house in Wright street, and valued it at £6OO. He paid between £7O and £IOO for the house. Forty pounds was kept back from his work by Hawthorne and Crump. He valued his furniture at £230. On July 2nd he valued his stock at £BO. His bicycle was worth £25. He denied that there was a number of empty oil tins carefully fastened down with tags. Mr Tuston was wrong in saying that there was. On the 2nd July he did not tell Chisholm that his stock was low. Chisholm said he would give him a policy for £SO. They talked about a shed in which to store his slock, which would reduce the premium. He said he would build a shed in time. Eight days after he insured his stock for £l5O in the South British. He had more stock then. A clerk of the South British came up to his house. His stock was worth £l5O or £2OO at that time. He made no state-' ment as to the value of his stock. The stock'dropped to between £SO and £7O at the time of the fire. He had £99 worth of stock on different jobs. He bought between £BO and £IOO between July 2nd and the fire. He went home on the night of the fire early, and to bed at 8.30. He heard of the fire at 1 a.m. His wife awakened him. He partly dressed himself, putting on his boots, coat and pants. He did not put on a white shirt. He “'sung out” to his brother. His wife was not well, and he took her to a neighbour's Two meji rushed past him into his house. He told them to leave the furniture alone. He then took some clothes across to his wife. A lot of people took possession of his house. After the firemen had told him he went to look at the cellar. He knew nothing of a fire there before. He accounted for the fire in his cellar by the sparks, which were flying in thousands. There was a hole in the south side of the house, through which sparks were blown in from Coombe’s burning house. He claimed £ls damage from the insurance company. He was asleep at the time the neighbours said they heard movements in the passage. He had had a fire at the Hutt which was put down to people smoking at a dance next door. He could meet his liabilities. He owed between £l7O and £2OO. He had a key to his own door which opened the back door of the burnt unoccupied house. He was not in it on the night of the fire. It was only now and then that the cellar door was locked in the daytime. To the foreman; The cellar door often slammed.

To a juryman : They often saved paint tins, replacing the lids, and fastening them down. All the tins had somethi-ig in them. . • To the Coroner: He would positively swear he had no collar, tie or white shirt on the night of the fire. To a juryman: He did not have a white shirt or collar on when Mrs Cameron helped him with his furniture at the fire. Captain Hugo did not spent to him. It was probably his brother the captain spoke to. Charles Iremonger, a painter, brother of last witness, deposed that he went to bed at 8-30 on the night of the fire. He was r.oused by his brother about 1 o’clock. There was smoke in the cellar when he went to fetch the bicycles. He was excited that night. He helped the man with the hose. Captain Hugo did not speak to him in the passage. To Inspector Pender: He could not tell what his brother had on when he (his brother) called him. Constable Kelly said he saw Iremonger, hut did not notice whether he had a white shirt on or not.

Captain Hugo, re called, said he could not say who it was he spoke to in the passage. He could not say whether it was either of the Iremongers. He did not think it possible that the sparks could have entered Iremonger’s cellar in the manner suggested. Th P hole" Iremonger described might be there, but he had not noticed it. After the Coroner had summed up. the jury retired to consider their ver diet. After fifteen" minutes’ retirement they returned a verdict to the effect that the two fires were wilfully caused by some person or persons unknown. ,