Burned in Bed.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 84, 30 July 1914, Page 5

Burned in Bed.

THE INVERCARGILL FIRE. NAMES OF THE THREE VICTIMS. [Pee Press Association.] Invercargill, July 29. There were three victims of the fire, all being at the Club Hotel, which is completely demolished. Iheir names are:, Peter Morisen, aged 55; Fred. Blucher, aged GO; T. T. Brook, aged 22. It was only after daybreak that the awful intelligence was bruited abroad that Brook was duo on duty at the railway at G a.m., but did not put in an appearance. He was a young man, single. On the night preceding the firo ho arrived at the hotel from a hard day’s work, and his remark to ono of the hotel staff was, “I am dead tired, I’m going to have a good sleep.” He went straight to his room, and from that minute nothing wag ever seen of him again. A careful search failed to find an yhuman remains under the bedroom he occmped. In the morning it was found that Peter Morisen, an American Swede, was missing. He was a ship’s carpenter, and was well-known at the Bluff. Charred remains were found in tho tangled wreckage of tho bedstead ho had occupied, proving conclusively that he had been suffocated in Ids sleep, and had never stirred from his bed. Only the incinerated trunk was found. Soipe hours later, searchers came across the skull. Deceased, so far as is known, had no relatives in New Zealand, and was a single man. Fred. Blucher, a well-known old character of both Invercargill and Bluff, was the third victim, an ex-man-o’-warsman, aged over 60 years. It was not until noon that it became certain that Bluch'er was a victim. It was stated first that he had gone to Taieri, and the staff of the hotel was not sure whether he spent the night there or not. Conclusive evidence, however, was subsequently forthcoming that lie arrived in Bluff by the 7.10 p.m. train, and was seen about in the evening. Where he slept is not known, but there is no doubt that he is the third victim of Tuesday night’s awful tragedy.