A Burning Question

NZ Truth, Issue 968, 18 October 1924, Page 6

A Burning Question

Inquiry into Albert Hotel Fires Blazing Bedrooms !__ Happenings at Haydon's Just how it was that fire broke out m the Albert Hotel, Wellington, four times running on the night of September 19 last is the burning question of the hour and a problem which Magistrate Page is sifting out assisted by Senior Detective Cameron and others, including Superintendent Tait, of the Wellington Fire Brigade. Lawyer H. F. O'Leary also came along to the inquiry, which opened on Thursday, to watch Dwan Bros.' interests.

Superintendent Tait told the Bench that there appeared to be something fishy about the whole affair. He did not attach much importance to the first outbreak which occurred m the cellar at 9.45 p.m., but he left Fireman Andrew McJermett on the premises to keep his optics open m case of a reoccurrence of the conflagration m the cellar. The next call to the Albert was at 11.14 p.m. when it was found that a bedroom on the second floor Avas going up m smoke. The bed was on fire and the flames were, making their way up the wall. A few minutes later it was discovered that there was something doing m the burning business m another bedroom and on making investigations it was discovered that the bed was alight as was the one m the first room. Things didn't finish here, however, as only, a few seconds eJapsed when fire m a third bedroom also started, and the flames were blazing brightly on the bed. There was no sign of any inflammable liquid having been applied m any of the three rooms to sparkle things up a' bit, but the beds were burning m such a manner as to suggest they had been set alight round the edges of the hanging bed-clothes. They could not have been fired by a person dropping a match on them. The doors of all the rooms were closed, and the rooms had no connection with each other. Superintendent Tait thought that the ro.oms had been on fire for some time. STEADFAST MAC. Fireman Andrew McJennett was next to give his version of what happened at Haydon's on this alarming night. When he arrived with the brigade m response to the first call, he found fire m the cellar and th?. smoke was so dense that he had to crawl on hands and knees to locate the actual fire. Two separate fires were located amongst straw and two packing cases The cases were approximately ten feet apart. One fire was under a grating and the other was m a position that would make it impossible to start from outside the building. The roof of the cellar was only 7ft from the floor and the whole house could have easily been set alight by the flames making their way up the supports. Whilst he was on duty m the cellar after the fire was subdued, Mrs. Haydon, wife of the then licensee, visited him on three or four occasions asking him if he were going to stay there all night and when he intended going away. After instructing the night porter what to do m case of a further outbreak McJennett prepared to leave the premises, but was m the act of doing so' when he heard the shout of "Fire!" upstairs;' and immediately rushed io the scene of the outbreak. The lire was m room 20 and he got busy with buckets of water and an extinguisher and subdued the outbreak without ringing for assistance from the brlfn d . c - He - ma ,™ged to get the flre :,, 20 half out when things got hotter, it being discovered that No. 25 was burning brightly also. The same thing occurred m No. 24. Someone yelled, Good God! The whole house must be on fire." The brigade was immediately summoned, the fires were sunpressed, and xMcJennett remained on duty on the premises until 8 o'clock mi shortly after 8 a.m., m company with a constable he visited the attic and discovered no signs of fire there. The'r* were three or four lines of clothes m the attic and they showed no signs cf having been burned. Haydon was up and running about the hotel until about 3 a.m. Mrs. Haydon retired -about 2 a.m., but got up- again at 3 a.m. and called Haydon to come to bed. Magistrate: Were the fires of similar dimensions? Witness: Yes. Magistrate: Could you form any opinion as to how long they had been burning?— By the rapidity with which the flames were travelling over them I should think that there had been some spirit spilled'over the bed. They may have been burning- about a quarter of an hour. The flames were confined chiefly to the bottom of the beds Senior Detective Cameron: Did you small burning oil or spirit? — No I can't say I did. ' "HARD TO MAKE PAY." Thomas Beaumont Dwan, of Dwan Bros., hotel brokers, said his firm were Jessees of the premises and the lease • had since been sold to the present . proprietor. George Haydon was licensee and manager, but the business was not successful under his management. Haydon had been notified verbally and m writing that the lease had been sold and that the new proprietor was to take over the business on September 21, when stock was to be taken. Haydon had remarked: "It. is a hard old place to make pay — the place is so old that it is a pity it were not burned down years ago." This was not said as a 1 threat, and Haydon had expressed himself as quite happy to get out of the place. At 9 p.m. on the day of the fire Haydon rang witness up and arranged' to see him m the morning. He said he had received advice from Mr. Skerrett and wanted to talk to witness. Dwari promised to call on Haydon early m the morning, Haydon putting a question to witness as to how much money the new proprietor had, and witness replied: "That is immaterial to you." Dwan stated that he could hear Mrs Haydon prompting Haydon at the other end of the wire and they both seemed to be m such a state of excitement that it was difficult to understand their conversation. They, gave the impression over the 'phone that they' did not want to get out. Dwan called on the Haydons m the morning Lfter the fire and Haydon mentioned the matter m a casual manner. There was nothing mentioned about the lease and Haydon said he would be satisfied to take stock on Sunday. Witness had occupied room 20 on and off for the last fourteen years when m town. The door was usually locked wh<:n the room was unoccupied, and the key kept m a chest of drawers m the passage. KICKED IN THE CELLAR DOOR. Magistrate Page at this stage directed that George Haydon be called to give his version. Haydon said he was recently licensee of the Albert under an engagement with Dwan Bros, as manager for about fourteen months at a weekly wage of £10. He had no other interest m. the hotel. • In August last he had a discussion with Dwan Bros, over the business, which was not paying, and 'it was decided that the sooner the 'business was sold the better. He visited the cellar a little after 6 p.m. on the night of September 1C and again after dinner to put

something' away. There was no sign of fire during his visits, and he locked the door when he came out. Witness then had a spot with a boarder m the bar and later went to his bedroom and later to the commercial room, where he was informed that fire had broken out downstairs. 'He immediately kicked m the . cellar door, having lost his keys m the excitement, and he did not see Mrs. Haydon at the time. After the fire was extinguished l\e . proceeded to the bar, from where he received the alarm of fire m the bedrooms upstairs. He rushed upstairs to the fire, several other people being present. He , did not think he was up above the first floor during the time which elapsed after dinner and the discovery of the fires. By this time things were getting fairly warm, and witness began to take a serious view of the situation, because be thought they were deliberate, and so rang for the police. Whilst making an inspection with the insurance people next morning he discovered that there had also been a fire m the attic. Before the first fire was dis-

(Crown Prosecutor, Dunedin.) Make me know the nature of their crimes that I may minister to them. — Shakespeare.

covered he rang Mr. Dwan and discv.ssed the business oC handing- over the hotel. On this occasion Mrs. Haydun was with him. He had ho illfeeling towards Dwan Bros., and v»e never said, "It's an old place, and it's a pity it were not burned down years ago." He admitted making a jocular remark the day after the fire about "not having made a job of it." Senior Detective Cameron: Rather a foolish remark, wasn't it? Continuing, witness said that if the hotel had been burned down it would not have benefited him m any way. He had £300 insurance on his goods, and there was a dispute between Dwan Bros, and himself regarding a mattev of £260 wages which he considered due to him, and there had been disputes regarding wages with the servants. He could not say whether there was any kerosene m the hotel. Fritz Eric Tinney, chef at the Albert Hotel, and a free thinker, so he said, swore to tell the truth, and proceeded to narrate the discovery of an opened tin of kerosene which he came across m a cupboard after the fires. T'he tin was not full, but he could not say how much had been taken out. He nevor used kerosene m the kitchen, and had not seen the tin before. OVERCOME WITH EXCITEMENT. .Margaret Haydon, the licensee's wife, stated m her evidence that, on the night of the fires, she was m her bedroom and also m the commercial room. She Avas mending something m her bedroom when the first fire broke out and she rushed to the children's bedroom, where ; she found that a Mrs. Hamilton had removed the children. She then went back to the bedroom for the purpose of saving some of her belongings, and fainted. Witness was. not on the ground floor between the time . she locked the money away i m the safe and the time the fire broke out. She had not been m room 20 since the morning. She had often found the key m the lock of Mr. Dwan's rcjom. On the evening of the fire she was very excited and one of the firemen told her to remain downstairs. She had jewellery m her room valued at approximately £80, but did not think of attempting to save, this m her excitement. Instead, . she grabbed the mending which was lying on the bed and rushed out. with it. She was so excited she did not know what she was doing, or else she would have saved her jewellery. Witness remembered speaking to the fireman on duty m the early hours of the morning. She had no occasion to go to the attic that day arid was not m the attic next morning 1 . When she took the key out of room 20 she did not visit any otlier room on that floor and she would swear that she was not m No! 24 about 10 p.m., and if other witnesses said so J they would be telling fibs. She would also swear that .she was not m No. 20 that evening~as she had no occasion to go into that room. Her sole object m removing the key from 1 Dwan's room was to put it away, and it was not to safeguard the property m that room from any of the boarders or servants m the hotel. Her reason for going upstairs m the first place was to see the servants. Continuing, witness said she was not present during the telephone conversation between her husband and Dwan on the evening of the outbreaks, and if Dwan and Haydon stated that she was present she would . deny it. She knew nothing about the tin of kerosene which had been discovered by the chef until she heard the chef's evidence m the Court. She did not have a conversation with her husband during which something was mentioned about "going up m smoke." ACTRESS CALLED. Polly McLaren, of the Jim Gerald Revue Company, staying m the house, said that since the fire she had been snubbed by Mrs. Haydon. At 11 p.m.

she was m room 21 when a sound of crackling was heard and it was noticed that smoke was issuing from room No. 22. Mr. Hawthorne, another member of the company who was with her, secured the key and opened the door and it was found that the bed was alight. Reginald Hawthorne, m evidence, said that, the room was m flames to the ceiling when he opened the door. Molly Shivnan, a housemaid at the hotel, stated that she came out of her room about 10 o'clock on the night m question and noticed Mrs. Haydon standing m the passage near Dwan's room and witness thought the proprietress ha.d taken the key from the door as witness had the habit of leaving the key m the door. Witness said that Mrs. Haydon had not been m Dwan's room. Ca'ssie Sellars, another housemaid, said she was standing on the footpath opposite the hotel m the vicinity of 10.15 p.m. when on looking up she noticed a light m Dwan's room. Later she saw Mrs. Haydon m the passage on the top floor. She had not told any one that she saw Mrs. Haydon com-, ing out of Dwan's room that night. The inquiry was here adjourned until, 2.30 p.m. on Monday.