THE LATE FIRE AT THE MARINE HOTEL INQUEST.

Thames Advertiser, Volume XIII, Issue 3636, 25 June 1880, Page 3

THE LATE FIRE AT THE MARINE HOTEL INQUEST.

The inquest on the late fire at the Marine Hotel was held at the Wharf Hotel yesterday morning, before Pr Kilgour, Coroner, and the following jury, of which Mr Kenshaw was chosen foreman Messrs Andrew Holden, John Read, James McGowan, James Henshaw, 0. F, Quint, J. Osborne, John IVorthey, Thos. Hicks, Edward Jamieson, George Hawkes, John Townsend, and Michael Browne. Mr Miller watched the proceedings in tho interests of Mr Stephenson. Sergeant Mulville conducted the inquiry. Mr Osborne asked that his name be omitted from tho list of jurymen, as he was an insurance agent.

Dr Kilgour said that had nothing to do with the case. Ho was only too glad to have suoh an intelligent juryman.

Mr Miller said that if there was an insurance agent on the jury ho would challenge the said agent, as he was a person likely to be biassed.

Mr Osborne's name was therefore struck off, and Mr Burro's substituted,

The jury, bavins been sworn, visited the scene of the fire; after which the following evidence was adduced, the witnesses having been ordered out of Court:—

Harriet Stephenson deposed she was tho wife of the proprietor of the hotel. She recollected the night of Thursday, the 17th of June. About a quarter to 10 that night she shut up the frontdoor of the hoto], She went out through the side entrance to meet her daughtor, who was away. She was somewhere near the Thames School when she heard the fire bell, and went back. She camo as far as tho corner of the Wharf Hotel, but she lost herself' after that. Sho did not know where she was until she found herself leaning agajust Mr Horsbrugh's fence, hi er daughter and some other young ladies, whom sho did not recognise, look lies to the Provincial Hotel, and alie stayed there all night. There were no lodgers in the hotel at the time of the fire. The only inmates at the hotel previous to fclio fire were herself and daughter. To her knowledge there was nobody in the house when slip left. She did not put out tlio lights that vfore in the house when she left, as she did not ospcct to be away many minutes. The lights consisted of a candle in the big room and two kcro> sene lamps, one in the bar and another in tho back parlour, All theso rooms were on the ground floor. There were no lights stqirg. She had not been up.

stairs except about dusk to let down the windows. Sho had a cnndle with her, There was nobody upstairs to her knowledge after that. None of tho familj' slept upstairs.—By Mr Miller: Her husband was at Omahu at this time. He had left on tho previous Tuesday morning. It was the first time she had gono to meet her daughter Her husband sometimes went to meet her and bring her home. It was on account of his absence that she went to meet hor. Sho was not aware of all tho insurances at tho lime of tho fire. Sho was not aware of tho different mortgages, although she knew there wore some—By the Foreman : Sho had had no servant for about four months, Sho had had a coal fire during the ovening in the back room, behind the bar. When she went out sho had considered tho firo was safe. She had closed at a quarter to ten. She frequently shut the house early iu hor husband's absence. There was no fireplace upstairs. She had effected insurances of the property to tho extent of £300 in an office unknown to her husband tho Imperial. The insurance was in her oldest daughter's name. This was tho third year of the insurance, The premium was paid by Mr Stephenson in her daughter's name. Tho insurance was partly on tho furniture. She had been expecting to go up tho country in a short time. Tho furniture was not packed up in readiness for removal.—By a juror: She had not tried to insure in her own name. Sho did not recollect., asking Mr Yoalo to insure for her. She had seen him speaking to Stephenson, but ho had said nothing to her.-By the Foreman: The only way in which sho couid account for tho fire was that things had accumulated against the chimney in tho servants' room and had caught fire from the heat of tho chimney .--By a juror: Mr M'cOullough did not return the money when her husband became aware of it, Sho had always had money of hor own, which she had spent unknown to her husband.

James Joseph Foy deoosed he was aphotograpber. He recoiled theovening of tho 17th inst. He was standing at the Exchange Corner, in company with Mr Jenkins, of Tararu. ■ At five minutes past ten he Baw a littlo smoke coming apparently from the back of the Wharf Hotel. He drew his companion's attention to it. He proceeded to tho Marino Hotel. He tried to opon the door facing the beach, as ho saw the building was on fire. He forced the door with tho assistance of Mr Alexander. At that time the fire appeared to be confined to the upper portion of tho building. Ho proceeded into the little room between the bar and the passage, and ho moved some furniture out of it. He noxfc proceeded to go upstairs, but finding the fire had too great a hold upon the top of the stairs he opened a door leading into a bedroom downstairs, and assisted in removing the furniture from it. He then went through the back portion of the building, and found tho furniture was being removed from the Williamson street side. He then left the building, as he found no more property could bo saved. The smoke and flames wero beginning to come out through tho upstairs front windows when he arrived. Ho concluded the fire originated in the back of the building, either on the floor of the upper rooms or the ceiling of the lower, 'ike wind, which was very light, was blowing towards the sea.—By the jury: He noticed one light in the hall, one in the bar, and one on a table; they seemed to be burned down. He considered tho fire must have origi-. natod within the house. It was about four minutos from the time he first saw tho smoke till he, got into the building. All the rooms appeared to bo furnished, —By Mr Miller: The room from which he cleared tho furniture was not on fire. Ho did not see any of the family in the house.

Samuel Stephenson deposed lie was the jroprietor of the Marino Hotel. He had lot seen the notes of evidence which had >een taken out of the roonii He was ibsent from the Thames at the time of he fire. He was at Ohinemuri and To irolia. He borrowed £250 from Mr fPoollams,a{Coromandel (first mortgage). Se also borrowed £400 from Byan.'Bell, ind Co. (second mortgage). That was all le borrowed on the house. He insured jhe house for £250 in the Imperial Office ;o secure Mr Wo'ollams, and £200 in the CTomoh Union to securo Ryan, Bell, and Jo, The house cost £800, That was ill that he insured. There was an insurance of £300 in the Imperial Office on the furniture and stock. He did not insure it, That was all he knew of. The insurance for the £250 was in Woollam's name. The other was in his own namc to Eyan, Bell and Co. The £300 secured on the stock and furuiture was in the name of the children. That was secured to Mr Ehrenfried by bill of sale,- He was not aware of any other insurance, Mrs Stephenson was in the habit of doing business on her own account witboul raferenoe to him. He did not know whether she had an account at the bank, He had intended leaving the Thames as soon as he had leased or sold the house, for which be had several offers. When he went to Ohinemuri he had instructed his wife to get the house in order, as lie would probably shut the house on the Saturday, as tlio license was expired. He had an offer, and told the applicant that ho would see him and give him an answer on the Saturday. Since he con. sidored that his house had increased in value £200, as several houses in the vicinity had been shut up. The bouse was free from brewer or wine and spirit merchant, and also freehold. Ho had left foi Ohinemuri on the Tuesday morning, auc returned on Friday night by the Mom sahib to carry out his agreement to bf here on Saturday. The chimney was boxed with wood up to the' roof, Tin carpenter who built tho house warnec him that it would perhaps bum tho housi down. Ho, therefore, instructed thi •bricklayer to fill it up with mortar, which he had apparently neglected to do. Thi mantelpioees projected from the fire places, in ono of which stood a grate.' I there was a good fire it might run U] inside the boxing, whish was paperet and scrimmed, and'so set fire to the loo: above. The joists were tied to thi chimney to support it. That war hi; theory of how the fire broke out. Whei he returned from Ohinemuri it was abou 7 on Friday night. Some natives eami ashore to stay with him. He waa no aware of the fire till be got to the pluce The liceuse of his liouse had beoi renewed. The insuranco ' had been ii c ozisfence since tho house was built "«feiut two and a-kalf yoarq qgq. offers had not been accepted fit the ijime He was compelled to for' £250 au< £P |f on mortgages, and also on thi bill of sale, Ho thought ho owed Mi KhrenMed about £150. There was very little stock in tho place. None of (hi insurance monies would como | ( him personally. It wao his wish ti rebuild, lie was not pressed lv any creditors at tho time of the fire —By a Juror: He was not awaro tha any of the furniture had been removed He heard a report to the effect that h

had a cottage furnished, and sent for

Dotcctivo Farrell, He was not aware of Mrs Stepenson trying to get insured in hep own name, The premium on his insurances camo to about £2 or £3 per cent, per annum. The total amount was £18 15s per annum. He had got the insurance cheap,as the house was detached, Ho had recovered all his books from the fire.—By Mr Miller: He usually went to meet his daughter. Ho had first heard of tlio insurance on tho furniture about 12 months ago. Fanny Connelly deposed she went out working. She rocolleoted being employed by Mrs Stephenson afc the Marine Hotel on Wednesday week last. Mrs Stephenson told her to go and sweep the rooms, upstairs and downstairs. When she had done that aho was told to scrub out one room. That was all she did that day. She had not been there since. She did not touch the walls in any part of the house.. She rubbed the skirting with a kerosono rag given her by Mrs Stephenson. Sho loft with tho understanding that she was to come another day and finish tho work, as Mrs Stephenson did not feel well.—By the jury: She had put a littlo kerosene on the kitchen range to polish it. The fire in tho range was on tho top.

George Alexander deposed he was a constable stationod afc Thames. He recol-

looted the evening of the 17 th instant. Shortly after ten o'clock he was on duiy in Albert street. He saw smoke coming from tho direction of the Beach road. As he ran up Brown street he saw the glare of the fire in the diroctiou of the beach. Ho went to the place and found it was the Marine Family Hotel. It appeared to be on fire in tho upper storey. ' The flames were issuing from the windows on the beach side. Tho side door was open. There were three men inside removing the furniture. He tried to get upstairs Jo see which room the fire had originated in, but found it was impossible, as the staircase was in flames. Ho then went into the bar, and from thence round to the back of tho house through tho passage on to the beach road again. There was no fire in tho lower part of the building at that time. There was a lamp burning in the bar and another in the back room. . He conjectured from what he saw that tho fire must have originated in the front part of the house removed from the chimney.—By Mr Miller: The chimuey was about 15 feet from the' front window. From the time when he first saw the smoke till he arrived on the sceno was about four minutes.

Louis Melhouso deposed he was agent for tho Norwich Union Fire Insurance Company. He had an insurance of £200 on the Marine Hotel. That was the only insurance that he was aware of. It covered the building only,—By Mr Miller: The insurance was in Mr Stophenaon's name. It had beon handed over to Eyan, Bell and Co.-~By a juror! He valued the building at £450. He was not aware of a previous insurance on the building. He did not know whether it was customary to supply plans of the building to tho jury. All the questions in tho proposal wore answered. Wm, McCullougk deposed he was a newspaper proprietor, and agent for the Imperial insurance Company. The Marine Hotol had been insured iu his office for £250, in favour of Mr Woollams, That was tho only insurance upon the building, The stock-in-trade was insured for £75, wearing apparel for £20, and furniture £200, in the names of Mr Stephenson's two children. There were no other insurances in his office. Tho insurances had beon effected not less than fifteen months ago. Agents were paid on the amount of the premium. At the time the risk was effected ho was satisfied that there was sufficient value shown. The agent always valued the property himself, and did not employ ,an appraiser. It was Mrs Stephenson who paid the pre-' miums. He had not been since,aware that there were any other insurances than his own. It was required by the proposal that any risks taken by other offices be notified.

David Bickard Gellion deposed he was a sharebroker, and agent for the Victoria Fire and Marine Insurance Company. £200 were insured on the building. So he was advised by the agents in Auckland. The insuranoe was in favour of Evan. jßell and Co. He did not know whero it was effected. He received a telegram on Friday, the day after the fire, He was not aware that an insurance had been eflected till after the fire.

After consultation the jury returned the following verdicts-

"That the Marine family Hotel was destroyed by fire on the evening of June 17th, 1880, but how the fire originated there is no evidence to show."

The jury added the following ridor to iheir verdict

" The jury consider that the insuranoe offices have taken too high a risk on this property, a practice calculated to endanger public safety."