THE INTERPROVINCIAL.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 3720, 3 September 1886, Page 2

THE INTERPROVINCI AL.

(By Telegraph.) Inveecargill, Sept. 2. The following are fuller particulars of the fatal fire which occurred here last night. The fire broke out about 10 o'clock, m a house m Liddell street, owned and occupied by a widow named Ktiill. It was burned down. Bhe lived there with four children and a servant named Flora HcLeod, who stales: — "Ihe inmates of the house retired shortly before 10 o'clock. They all occupied the same apartment, a bedroom close to the kitchen. About twenty minutes nftcr they got into bed, the girl heard a craekliDg sound, and on jumping up found the kitchen and passage m flames. £he called Mrs Enill and urged her to get out of the house, but she replied to the effect that she could not do so. The girl then got threo of the children, one a baby m arms, out of the house, and again implored Mrs Kaill to endeavour to get out. Again Mrs Kaill replied that ehe could not, the probability being that by that time : she was partially suffocated. Here the girl's ' story ends, and she is emphatic m stating that Mrs Kaill never left the bedroom, although it was reported that she had got out» side, but had afterwards returned to rescue her boy. W. Deverill who was among the first on the epot, said he heard the crying of a child, and broke one of the front window?, but the volume of smoke which burst forth m his face made further effort at rescue impossible. When the members of the Southern Fire Brigade arrived they Bpeedily got to work their attention being directed particularly to the part of the building m which Mrs Kaill's bedraom was situated, but for a long time no trace of the woman's body or I hat of her child could be found. Shortly after midnight, however, the trunk of Mrs Kaill's body was found among the debris. Although the building whs within the town boundaries the central brigade did not turn out, nor was the alarm given from the tower m Bon street. The explanation offered of the circumstances is that although the reflection was seen from the station no alarm was given there, and the officer m charge assumed that it wa» only one of the tussock fires recently numerous m the locality. The building was insured for £200 m the Equitable office. Mrs Kaill, who, with her child, has perished bo suddenly, was left a widow a few montliß ago, her husband dyiDg suddenly. Her body was found m tho passage leading out of the building indicating that shehad tried to obey her servant's calls but was stifled by the smoke.