THE ROYAL OAK HOTEL FIRE.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 2890, 15 December 1898, Page 4

THE ROYAL OAK HOTEL FIRE.

Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, December 14. The inquest on the bodies of the victims of the Royal Oak Hotel fire was resumed this morning. Inspector Pender represented the police, and Sir Robert Stout the insurance companies, and Messrs Gray, Menteath, Gilmer, Captain Kemsley and Mr Brown watched the proceedings on behalf of other interested parties. The foreman said the jury did not want to go into the whole technical question of the cause of the fire, but should confine itself to giving a verdict as to the cause of death. The Coroner said he could not avoid a thorough enquiry into the cause of the fire, but the jury was not there to criticise or enquire into the efficiency of the Fire Brigade. The head-waiter in his evidence stated that there was no fire escape on the top story. It was located half-way down the stairg, between the two stories, and was off the main stairs. The night porter said that there was no fire in the kitchen late on Friday night. The main staircase was clear of smoke for 15 or 20 minutes after he gave the first alarm. He should say that the people in the house had a clear quarter of an hour in which to escape. Samuel Gilmer, licensee of the hotel, stated that both deceased had stayed several times in the hotel. He always thought that the exits from sil\ portions of the house were plentiful enough, and the top flat had always been the most popular sleeping portion of the house. If there had been two blankets hung and kept wet in the archway in the passage between the old building and the new, , the fire would not have spread. Fire in the Royal Oak Hotel had never given witness five minutes' consideration, so safe did he consider the building. On Friday night just before 12 o'clock he followed his usual custom of walking round the house to see that everything was as it should be. The brigade were quickly on the. spot. If the bedrooms had been left to the servants there would not have been a single life lost. The staff could have rescued every one. He could not say that his staff was interfered with. Witness was not interfered with by either the police or the brigade. He was still of opinion that the new portion of the building should have been saved. He thought that persons in the house had at least half an hour in which to escape from the time of the first breaking out of the fire. The origin of the fire was a puzzle. He had no theory to offer. Neither the city anthori ties, the police, nor the Licensing Committee, had suggested any appliances for safety other than those which he had. No one had ever suggested that ropes should be placed in each bedroom. No fire drill of the employees had ever been held, for he had never given such a calamity a thought, especially since the installation of the electric light. There was ample time and opportunity for both the deceased to escape. One of the waiters, who was in the back yard after the fire broke out, deposed that he saw Mr Faulbaum, at a window on the top flat. Witness told him to stay he was, and he would get him a ladder, but before witness could get one Mr Faulbaum jumped. Witness ' was quite satisfied that he could have obtained a ladder and saved Mr Faul- < baum from jumping if the latter had ■ waited. One of the barmen gave evidence that £6 or £7 of cash was stolen from the till while the fire was in progress. Mr Woodward, one of the boarders, said that it was twenty-five minutes from the time that the barmaid gave the alarm until the fire reached the new building, and during that time he was quite certain everyone could have escaped from the new building. Captain Kemsley said that the brigade was fully manned in about twenty minutes from the alarm being given. There was a good pressure of water, and : nine jets were soon playing on the fire. , He did not give any one instructions to search the top story as he had been told that everyone had been warned and all had escaped. He did not approve of . the fire escape which led from the top story of the new building to the ground. He did not think that the hotel was adequately provided with escapes. He had reported to the City Council that he did not approve of certain forms of escape in the hotels in the city, but the Council had no responsibility in the matter. All hotels should have flexible ladders for each room. He had endeavoued in vain to prevent the spread of the fire to the new portion of the building. The smoke was so dense that even with the help of the smoke jackets the firemen could not have found anyone on the top story. He had plenty of appliances to deal | with the fire. He had no complaint to make against the City Council in regard to this particular fire. The flames spread so rapidly that even if he had had a > magnificent lot of apparatus it would have been of no avail. He thought that the fire must have been smouldering for a long time, possibly for weeks, for the fire to have spread so rapidly. Nothing that he knew of now could have been done at the time to have saved the new wing. Similar evidence was given by the ( branchman of the brigade, and at 10 p.m. the inquest was adjourned till 11 > a.m. next day. • ' ■. <