MAN BURNED TO DEATH

Southland Times, Issue 23741, 13 February 1939, Page 8

MAN BURNED TO DEATH

Trapped In Blazing Bach NARROW ESCAPE OF COMPANION TWO AUSTRALIANS ON BUSINESS VISIT ** (United Press Association) AUCKLAND, February 12. Within a week of his arrival at Auckland an Australian visitor was burned to death in a fire which destroyed a bach at Piha early this morning. He was a married man with five children, his family being in Sydney. His companion, also an Australian, was unable to attempt a rescue and had to dash from the blazing building to save his ' own life. The victim was: Gordon Robert McKay, aged 43, a fruit preserver, of Burwood, Sydney. McKay had taken £2OO in Australian banknotes with him to Piha and the whole amount was lost in the fire. His companion, James Arthur Talbot, aged 38, a fruit preserver, also of Burwood, Sydney, lost everything he had taken to the bach, including £33 in Australian currency. The two men arrived at Auckland last Monday by the Mariposa and had entered into negotiations for opening a business in New Zealand. They took a bach for a short holiday. About 1.30 a.m. Talbot was awakened by a fairly loud bumping sound and he found flames beginning to lick through the panelling of the room. Realizing the need for quick action he thrust open the door in the hope of dragging McKay to safety, but he was immediately driven back by a wall of flame. The heat singed Talbot’s face and clothing as he staggered back to safety, and by the time he had escaped from the bach, a four-roomed wood and iron building, it was well ablaze. “There was absolutely no chance of getting into McKay’s room,” said Talbot later. “There was no sound from him and he must have been overcome long before I arrived at the door.” Talbot, who suffered considerably from shock, ran for assistance, but the earliest two arrivals found it impossible to force an entry to McKay’s room. One broke through the back door, but was driven out again by the fierce heat of the blaze. It was now obvious that nothing further ( could be done to rescue McKay. His remains were recovered later.

MOTORIST PINNED UNDER CAR ACCIDENT ON MILLERTON TRACK (United Press Association) WESTPORT, February 12. Elliott McDonald, a well-known Granity storekeeper, met with a motoring accident on the Millerton track on Saturday when his car went over the bank and he was pinned down until freed. He received a compound fracture of the leg. YOUNG MAN DIES FROM GAS POISONING (United Press Association) HASTINGS, February 11. Found by his mother in an unconscious condition in a gas-filled room in the Royston -flats yesterday morning, William Lawrence Stoddard, a single man aged 33, was taken to the Hastings Memorial Hospital, where he died at 10 o’clock last night. Stoddard was living with his mother, Mrs Halligan, at Royston flats. On going into her son’s bedroom at 5.45 a.m. yesterday, Mrs Halligan found him in bed in an unconscious condition. There was a hose pipe leading into the room from a gas meter in the passage and the rdom was filled with gas. A doctor was summoned at once and Stoddard was ordered to hospital, but he failed to rally. It is understood he had been in bad health for some time. He was an employee of the Railways Department. CHILD’S ARM BROKEN David Monk, aged three years and ahalf, of Pomona street, broke his left forearm on Saturday when he fell while playing. He was admitted to the Southland Hospital at 4 p.m. and his condition is reported to be satisfactory.