THE FIRE IN THAMES STREET.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 70, 12 July 1876, Page 2

THE FIRE IN THAMES STREET.

THE INQUIRY. A lot of evidence was taken after we went to press last evening, and the Court did not rise till after midnight. The witness William Loughnan was severely cross-examined by the Foreman of the Jury as to his whereabouts between the hours of six and eight o'clock on Sunday last, but notliing very material to the case was elicited. * Patrick Riordan's evidence was to the following effect: —I am a tobacconist, and stationed in Thames-street, in partnership with John Ryan. I got my first stock of goods into my present shop about the Ist of March. The stock consisted principally of tobacco, stationery, and crockery ware. The stock when I opened was worth about £2OO. I increased the stock the iirst month. I had effected a credit in Dunedin, and I was increasing the stock and selling. I took Mr. Ryan as a partner on the 22nd June. I took stock a fortnight after Mi*. Ryan joined me. The stock in the shop alone was worth £3OO. The value of the furniture, exclusive of the bedding and wearing apparel, was £45. I had the stock insured on the 21st of March last for £3OO in the Kew Zealand Office. After I took Ryan as partner, I "ot the safe and wearing apparel insured in the same office for £l2O. We intended to increase the furniture as we got richer. (Laughter.) Since I took Ryan into partnership I wanted to value the stock. I sold about £6O worth of stock since Ryan joined me up to the 9th hist. Abouttwenty mimitesjtastnine o'clock on Sunday evening Mr. Ryan and myself went out for a walk, leaving the previous witness in charge of the place. We returned in about twenty minutes. On approaching the shop I remarked to Ryan that there was a light in the shop, and that Loughnan had no right to have the gas lighted on Sunday evening, as I had given him orders not to do so. I put out the gas. We then went into the sittingroom, and sat for five minutes. I then told Loughnan to lock the front door. He then locked the door leading to the shop from the sitting-room, and also to the back door. •'*■ There was no light in the shop, but the gas in the sitting-room was lighted. The stove in the sitting-room was lighted. The gas was put out and we went up stairs to bed. I can't say whether Loughnan closed his door after him. Ryan and' I slept in the back room. I went to sleep. About an hoiu* after I had been asleep I was woke up by Ryan calling out fire. He was dressing himself. There was a thick smoke in the room. Ten seconds more it would have killed me. (Laughter.) I got up out of bed, and went into the front room where Loughnan was sleeping. The room was full of smoke. Loughnan was making an alarm. I saw no fire ; it was nothing but smoke. I got out of the front window, jumped on to the roof of Goldammer's shop, and from there on to the street. When I got on the footpath I saw a man near to my shop door. I don't know who the man was. I saw the blaze coming out from the top of the door, and from under the staircase. I think I heard a person cry fire near to Booth's corner after I got on to the footpath. I followed the man who burst the door in into the shop. I could not smell gas in the shop. The meter is under the window. I ran round to Mr. Ferens' shop to the right-of-way at the back. I saw a number of men in the j-ard. Some one asked me to open the back window to let out the smoke. I got up on the lean-to and opened the window. After a minute, I let the window down again and wenb to see how the fire was getting on below. I then went through the back door into the shop, and the fire was nearly extinguished. If any person says he saw me come from Weir-street and go to the door of my premises he would be telling a falsehood. There was straw and things for cleaning lamps with in the cupboard under the stairs. Thei-e was no oil in the lamps. .There was an empty kerosene tin in the cupboard, and another tin with a quart of oil in it outside. The slate covered with kerosene Avas not in the recess, it was in a soap-box ; but I will not swear whether it was in or not. They were generally small cloths used for cleaning lamps. The one produced [it was about tlu-ee or four yards long, and resembled the covering of an old mattrass] was not used for lamp-cleaning. A month previous to getting Loughnan in my employ, I used to fill the lamps with a jug, and place them on the slate. Very little kerosene would get on the slate. The amount of stock actually burnt I value at £3l. The remainder is/less or more damaged. The carpet in the front room is damaged. You could poke your finger tlirough it. It is injured through the smoke coming. through it from tijie shop below. —(Laughter.) \ To Mr. OjMeagher : Mr. Sumpter was passing my place on the 21st Mai-ch last. I said, "Mr. Sumpter, I want tcShave an insurance effected." He said, " all right, how much?" I replied, "For £300." He went away, and notliing n\ore took place between us. He did not inspect my stock, and no person on behalf of the Company. I never got a proposal form, and consequently did not fill one up. I sent him a letter about five jweeks ago

that I would not insure with, him, he had not sent me a formal proposal, and I thought I was not covered. About five weeks ago Mr. Grave called in, and asked if I was insured. I said "No," because I thought Mr. Sumpter did not intend to carry out the insurance. I signed a formal proposal with Mr. Grave. He came in next day and said, " Halloa, you were insured before." I said : "How did you find that out." He replied: "You are insured with Mr. Sumpter." I paid the premium (£3) when Mr. Sumpter insured me for it. I had no reason to believe that I was insured with Mr. Sumpter, as he had not taken the matter up. 1 have a receipt for £3 ss. I paid, which included the cost of summons—ss. The receipt- I hold is dated March 21. I received the receipt about five weeks ago. That's the history of how I became insured. I saw no escape of gas from the melted pipe. The meter must have been turned off. To the Foreman : I did not speak to Bill in going out. I did not go into the front room with the intention of waking Bill. To a Juryman: I effected the £l2O insurance when JL.was in partnership with By an. ' I hold the policy. I have never tried to effect an insurance with another uiricj inOamaru within the last fortnight. John Ryan, Mr. Riordan's partner, gave particulars as to the action he took when the fire was first discovered, and stated that the only way he could account for the fire was that Loughman struck a match to light the gas, and threw it down without putting it out. The Jury retired at half-past twelve, and shortly after brought in a verdict that "The Jury find the fire originated in a cupboard under the staircase, but there is no evidence to show how."