CORONER’S INQUIRY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LX, Issue 143771, 20 April 1912, Page 4

CORONER’S INQUIRY.

THE FIRE IN DEVON STREET. FURTHER EVIDENCE. The Coroner, Mr. A. Crooke, continued the inquiry at tlie court, ilouso on Friday afternoon into the cause of the fire which recently tools place at the premises of .1, r . flume, jnuterer, as a result of which the building was partially destroyed. May Teresa Burke, said that she had been using a gas ring in the morning, which w;... piu on tne stove, and the range in trie aitomooii. She left about 5.15 to go tor a a all; with her husband. A small tue was miming in the stove when she left, but slie clicl not make up the fire b .torc she left. She had not used any light in the bedroom that day. The lire appeared to be quite sate when she left; •she had never hod any trouulc with the stove. Her husband left' before she did, and she met him near the railway station. After they met, they walked towards the Esplanade. Previously to this they went back to the shop, because her husband had forgotten his tobacco. Her husband wont in, but did not stay any time inside. They then went lor a walk on the Esplanade. When they heard the fire boll, they went back to town, and Mrs. Lunisdcn told them that their place was on fire. They both then hurried on. She thought that the bad; door was locked when they went out, but she was not sure whether she had closed the door leading from the kitchen. Her husband was a heavy smoker, and on some occasions she had found small holes burnt in the blankets, and bad spoken to him about it. The business lately had not been .good, and she had been away for seme time. Several boxes of confectionery which had been in the shop previous to the fire, were not there now. She estimated that the value of the stock in the shop at the time of the fire was about £B. The bedroom w.is small and most of the clothes wore hope out in the washhouse. They had mortgaged some of the articles which acre covered by the insurance policy. She was not aware whether the fire cancelled the, lease cr not.

To a juror;—She cooked on the range which had a goed draft.

To the Coroner:—She estimated the total value of the stock before the fire at £B. There was some harness under the bed, which had been there for some months. She had formed no .opinion as to what had caused the fire. She had not boon in the bedroom for somo time before leaving the house. She stood, at the door step, when her husband went in for his tobacco. They had been quite an hour on the Esplanade betore'ihey.heard the tire bell. xl, W. mgutuumi, agent lor the Gmted iiisui«*iicc uonip-uiy, said that his on ice neiu the poncy on tmrke s ijtwtCii, mnuture ana eneccs tor jl/O. xie iiaci inspected it last Aiay, and c*uiiihw:a tiiv.- stocK at -i* xar as iic cornu judge, Luo stock, etc., was in tne suiuc common as wnen insured, uo hau nau me swek »aiuea siiice tne me, unci it was now estimated at x.o coo. xiic utHi.ga uore vmdeu at juio, lie nau no to suppose mat any noustnoia property was uiibamg, they maue a urgent seaicn for tnc watch cnain, anu tne oraos Duchies, but lound no trace oi uiem, or me noie>e collars, xie tuought mat the oiler or jiujul wo uil.nc, was a veiy xair. one, anu uc tiuu mat.uiicr, ana tuacn orex an ma- *as lint iioiu mo iae. inc ii*e .. «a puncipaiiy conXinea to tne Oacu pax*, wnicu was <1 total loos.

.to’ ju. i.vunngei :—ile liaci had a rioii ou nit loi two joars. it was a iUu u.».At. v>« mg to tu« nice ol us .iii oiu riaa conuuueU it. i)eioi4 o „ii.g lui a Holiday at jtasier lie tuuu 0 >... 01 cancelling tne nan, but cuu ..ut ou so. Uuy be thought or uoiiiig cuis was that ho was uiiuor UU; jii.j.l ctsioii tliat nurkc a business airails >.ore not going too well, anu ho Knew tliat uio. iiauits were not sober, ana that no was being .pressed tor money.

To.the coroner: —He knew that Mr. Stundish was pressing him tor rent. To a juror: —tie Had had no trouble in connection with insurance matters. He did not thin it that oecause a man took a glass of liquor there was likely to be a arc. tie mid no reason to suppose that anything had been removed after the fire.

Senior-Sergeant Haddrell said that lie was at the fire at Burke's on Good Friday, and also on the following morning. It appeared to him that the fire had started either in the kitchen or the bedroom which was really part of the kitchen. It was impossible to say from which side of the partition the fire started.' The bulk of the material in the fire, was in the bedrohm. The chimney in Vori Lubbe’s was close, but he was satisfied that the fire did not come from it. The remaining part of the premises only suffered from smoke and water. The roof was practically burnt out. The building was insured in the State office for £IOO. Tho damages had been assessed for tho State office at £l4O, and I efore the fire, the building was valued at £4OO. Mr. Griffiths’ place was also insured in the State office for £2OO, and the damage there at £IOO to £l2O.

To Mr. Bellringer:—The floor was burnt under where the bed had been, and 1 burnt through in other places. The Coroner addressing the jury said that there was no direct evidence to show how the fire originated. Mr. Hood said that at 6.30 lie had discovered the place on fire. Both the Bnrkes had given their evidence m a fair manner, and Burke had suggested that the shelf might lia've caught fire. They had evidence that Burke smoked in bed, and that his wife had found on a previous occasion that hoka hpd been burnt in tho blankets, which was an indirect suggestion that this might have been the cause of the fire. There was no suggestion that insurance on the stock 12. months ago was over-valued. The jury then retired to consider their verdict .and after a short retirement returned the following verdict; — “That according to the evidence before them, they were of the opinion that the fire originated, in tho bedroom through misadventure.”