INQUEST ON THE HAZARD FAMILY. Rotorua, June 13.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 157, 19 June 1886, Page 3

INQUEST ON THE HAZARD FAMILY. Rotorua, June 13.

The inquest on the Hazard family was held in the Palace Hotel, before J. Brabant, Esquire. John Cunningham Blythe deposed : I am a Government Road surveyor in the field. I remember the night of the ninth inst. and morning of the tenth. I, was at Wairoa, Lake Ttfrawera, staying with" the Haszard family, as was my custom. We went to bed at the usual hour. I was awakened about ten minutes to two by Miss Hazard asking if I felt; the shook. „, The house was then shaking. I got up, and in ten miqutea' time I found Mies Hazard and her two sisters dressed. , Mr Hazard was also dressed. We went o^ to s the, verandah, and caw immense volumes of smoke in the eastern direction', { charged with what seemed to me to .be electricity. The edge of cloud was framed with, flame. , There was then a loud rumbling. - ' Ifc continued for some time. I then saw on 1 the northern end of Tarawera something lik,e red lights.

.vM' *,; *'. f » T^ — " ~ thought it was the Arikia nativos coming from Kotomabana. Mr Hazard, proposed to light a (iro in tho drawing-room, for all of us to go in there. It was now about three o'clock, and the noise outside was tremendous, and there was a great rattling on the roof as of stones failiug. There were Rhodes of earthquake every ten minutes. We all kept the centre of the room, thinking that its ridge was the strongest part to resist the stones. Mr Haszard and myself kept walking to the windows to see if we could make out what the troublo was. It was very dark. Wo could see nothing but lightning. We felt that the door was being pressed out of shape inwards, and we noticed some dirt at the bottom ot it. The last thing I remember was when there was an earthquake shock at half-past three. lam sure it was that time, ac I looked at my watch. Without any warning, the roof fell in. The last I saw of Mr Haszard's family, they were in the middle of the room, I have forgotten to mention that Mary Te Monti, Mrs May's servant, was there. The last I saw otf her she was leaning against the doorpost of Mr Lundin's bedroom. I wae between the organ and the door, as shown in the plan. I then heard Lumsden call out, " Who is there 2" He was in the corner with myself and Miss Hazard. He said, "Is it you, Mies Hazard?'* He then said, "Keep off from me, I have the windows." Then 1 heard glass splinters. He then said he could not do it with his hand, but would kick it out with his foot, which he did. During this time I found Mies Hazard alongside of me. The ceiling was pressing on my head and shoulders so that I could not stand upright. Mr Lundins then dropped Miss Hazard out of the broken sash. I called out to him not to forget me. He reached aod pulled me through the sash, and asked if I was hurt. 1 said "Mo; make for tho old houso.'' A groat quantity of blue clay was falling and it was very dark. A light had been left in Mr Hazard's room. We got into the old house and stood in the doorway. The light showed that tho ceiling of Mr Hazard's house wad falling then. Wo took a light and looked into tho kitchen and livingroom, the boy's bedroom and Miss .Hazard's room, the ceilings of which were all hanging down. My bedroom door was not open. 1 went to the doorway and stood there, so that if the roof tell in we could get outsidy. Lundins went outside to see if there was any sound from the drawing-room. He had to return, owing to the failiug of clay. The house took fire. I ran out=ido and stumbled among the tree, and rnado for the paddock. 1 took roiugo in the fowlhouse, and ptayed until the morning, whon I was joined by Mr Mcß*e and others. I went to the house, arad found Mieslno llaazard, and Mary, tho Maori. Wo looked and listened at tho windows, but could hour nolhiug. The wall \va<3 standing, but the roof hud fallen in. A quautity of earth caused it to fall. Mr Mcllae asked when I last saw Mr Haszird and the other children. ~i pointed out to him wo decided that thoy could not lift the weight, and they must get the living safoly to shelter, the dust still falling in vnlumos, to iAv John Brown Landar's. V\ c took the girla to Sophia's whare. We then all started for Ohinemutu on the Rotorua side of Puketapu bush Wo met Mr Robert- | aon and Mr Downey. We gavo the girls into their charge, and started back to Wairoa. We then went to Wairoa and started digging at the house. The party uncovered Mrs Haszard. Wo partly removed tho roof, and gob at her hand. She was quite con3ciou3 and knew mo. There were two children with her. She was in an armchair, which had fallen up against the cheffionier. On her lap little Mona was lying dead, and Adolphus to the left, close to her dress. When ho was lifted out I thought ho was alive. I poured brandy down his throat with no result. I folt under his ehirt and then knew he was dead. I helped to carry him to tho sido of the house ; also Mona. Mrs Haszard was got out with great trouble, as her rignt leg was held by one of the rafters. She was got out and carried to Sophia's whare. I sent for medical aid and tho constable. It was getting late. As we bad Mrs Haszard to lo tako in, we abandoned our work and took her to Rotorua. The conetablo took eurvejorsand stretcher?, and I took a party and cleared the bush so that a buggy could get through. I returned to Wairoa and saw the bodies of Mr Haszard and children. His body was lying across the room, as shown in tho map. When I saw them Mr Charles Albert Hazard and hia nephew Charlie wore both dead. There was now on© move body to recover, and it was Edna Winnifred's body. The whole of the bodies were : Charles Albert Haszard, aged 47 ; Adolphus Chai les Edward Hazard, 10 ; Edna Winifred Haszard, 6 ; Mona Ivia Herini Haszard, 4 or 5 ; nephew of Charles Sutherland, Harford, 5. Charles Albert Haszard was struck by|thc roof and killed — the side of his hfijad and jaw was broken, and one side crushed by a rafter falling on his head. I think Adolphus was suffocated, and Edna and Mona. The fire was caused by a hot stone lighting the scrim and paper, the kitchen roof having fallen in from the weight of volcanic earth. Bartholomew Mahoney, police constable, deposed :— I went to Wairoa on the morning of the 10th in et., and I met natives and Europeans and assisted to extricate the bodies. When Mr Johnson arrived he suggested that we should carry Mrs Haszard off, which we did for five rr»ilen, and placed her in Robertsons buggy. The jury returned the following verdict : "That Mr C. Haezard and some of his family accidentally came by their death on tho morning of Juno 10th, by the falling of a house caused by a volcanic eruption."

INQUEST ON MB BAINBKIDGE. The inquest on Edwin A. Bainbridge wan then proceeded with. Joseph McKaa deposed : I am the proprietor of the Rotomahana Hotel, Tarawora. Mr Bainbridge came to the hotel on Saturday, June sth. I have Been the body lying at Kellys Hotel, and identify it. Deceased stayed with me till the time of the ernption, on Thuieday morning, 10th June. Deceased, Mr and Mra Humphreys, myself and others went up the hiirio see it, and remained 20 minutes, and returned to the hotel. All went into one rp.om, and In one and a half hours stones commenced to fall, breaking all the windows. I thought the laat day had arrived. Deceased suggested that we should have prayers. Ail knelt and prayed. Shortly after the roof fell in, and directly after the house went in in one crash. Mr Bambridge read to us from the Bible. We left the hotel. I gob shawls and mats to protect our heads from the falling debris, and attempsd to reach Sophia's^ house. Deceased was with us all the time. Mr Humphreys opened the door and deceased entered.. We- left the house again, but it was so dark that we could hardly see our way. It was raining nud aud stones without intermission. I *ent back to Bee after the missing ones. I found Mr and Mrs Humphreys, but never saw Mr Bainbridge again. I met the relief party coming from Obinomutu, and went to day with the search I party, and -found Mv Bainbridgo's body. He was^reßsed. The body was found underneath the balcony of the house. He was about 20 or 21 years of ago, athletic looking, and about sft 11 inches in height I hear that he came from Newcastle-on-

I I — — Tyne, and that his relatives are drapers there. The deceased and the others acted with coolness, aud prepared to die if necee«ary. His luggage- was buried in the hbueo. To Jury : Red hoi stones camo through the roof of my hotel. I believe deceased waa a friend of Mr McArthur, of Auckland. Samuel Goodall /lopoeed : I am Inspector of I olice in charge of the Thames district. I want to Wairoa this morning to search for Mr Bainbridge or any olhors. About noon, I found deceased under tho balcony of the hotel, which seems to havo fallen on him together with two or three feet of aebris. The right cheek was much flattened and discoloured. There had been con&id^r able effusion of blood from the mouth. Tho face was almost black from pressure. 1 think he waskillodinstantaneouely. I found three five-pound notes, ono sovereign, and a diary, etc. According to the latter he left London in tho s.s. Paramatta on Janyary 29th, 1886. I have seen the body viewed* by the jury, and identify it as that I found' 1 at Wairoa to-day, The jury found the following verdict :— "That James M. Bainbridge came to his death on the morning of June 10th, ISSG, ab Wairoa, Tarawera, accidentally, by the falling of a balcony attached to Mr Mcßae's hotel, whioh was made to fall by the weight oldebns from an eruption of TaraweraMounfain." The following rider was added ; — The jury express their admiration of the heroic conduct of Mr Mcßae during the dieastor at Wairoa, and believe that to his exertions many Europeans owe their lives. The Funeral Service. The funeral service was deeply affecting Prayera were read by the Rev. Mr Goody and the Rev. Mr Fairbrother, and an addroes was delivered by tho Rev. Mr Griffiths. o