MATAWAI MILL FIRE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXX, Issue 13103, 17 June 1913, Page 6

MATAWAI MILL FIRE.

The action Cornelius W. Skelley v. Frank Sloan was continued at the Magistrate's Court this afternoon, Mr G. R. Ross being m the witness-box. To Mr Coleman : Witness formed the opinion that the mill was doomed. about 9or 9.30 p.m. He could not say whether there were suitable opportunities to burn the slabs from January 7 to "February, but from his knowledge of the country he would say there were no favorable opportunities. Constable Doyle, who was ih the Matawai district ; on February 12, described the extent of the fire, and the direction m which it was travelling towards tho mill. There werofmyriads of sparks flying.

To His Worship : Witness did not think it would •'have been safe, to burn a heap of slabs* between January 9 and February 12. He would not ha\& taken the perfconaJ risk of doing so. Edwin Doherty,, who was working at tha mil], both for Sloan and' Skelley, also expresed the opinion that it was too dangerous to burn the slabs. He explained how the fire gradually approached the mill, which he believed would have been burned if there had been no slab heap. Charles Stuart Shanks, who was employed by Sloan as his representative at the mill, and George Armstrong also gave evidence, and His Worship reserved his decision.