WAIROA FIRE

Southland Times, Issue 21430, 26 June 1931, Page 8

WAIROA FIRE

INSURANCE CLAIM ARCHITECT CONTINUES EVIDENCE SEVENTH DAY OF HEARING (Per United Press Association.) Gisborne, June 25. When the Wairoa Meat Company's claim for £77,850 from the New Zealand and Eagle Star Assurance Companies following the destruction of the works by fire after an earthquake in February, entered on the seventh day this'morning, Mr W. R. Gummer, architect of Auckland, the principal witness for the defence, continued his evidence, this being the third day on which witness occupied the box. Under cross-examination, Gummer admitted that some of his photographs had been retouched to demonstrate cracks, but this had been done solely to explain his evidence, not with the object of emphasizing the damage. • Some damage may have been caused by the fire, but the bulk was due to the quake and must have been apparent to anyone looking for damage. He would not say the managing director was not speaking the truth when he said he saw no damage, but thought he was unobservant. Witness admitted that the photographs might not be a fair representation of the damage immediately after the fire, because subsequent quakes had occurred before the photographs had been taken. Cross-examined, Mr Gummer stated that the cracks in the western wall of the fellmongery- were about 25 feet up. He had not examined them from a ladder, but considered that they went right through the wall, basing this on damage elsewhere in the works. From the -gr und he had no difficulty in distinguishing fire and earthquake cracks. William Innes, Wairoa Borough electrical engineer, also gave evidence and this closed the case for the defence. Giving evidence in rebuttal, L. A. Litchfield, works shifting engineer, put in fragments of metal from the fire, these coming from various parts. Andrew D. Davys, Gisborne, engineer, examined the metal fragments and expressed the opinion that most pieces had been subjected to at least 1820 degrees of heat and one piece to 2200 degrees Fahrenheit. Crossexamined he said he based his judgment on standard tables. Reginald Trevor Smith, engineer of the Public Works Department, Wairoa, stated that the removal of the roof above the fellmongery would tend to increase earthquake damage, since his experience was that roofs had a bracing effect. The position might be different when the ends of a roof were not tied down to the walls. Edmund Anscombe, architect, Wellington, stated that he had been in the earthquake area since February 3 and had visited the Wairoa works on March 13. Witness believed the cracks in the tallow department were not serious structurally. There was no need to rebuild this portion as stated by the witness Gummer, as it stood the earthquake very well. He considered that the roof of the fellmongery acted as a brace to the walls in the case of an earthquake. The examination was proceeding when the Court adjourned till to-morrow.