The Martinborough Fire.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXII, Issue 4102, 11 September 1900, Page 3

The Martinborough Fire.

Rapid Progress of the Flames,

(Per Press Association) Wellington, Yesterday. Further details of the Martinborough fire show that the outbreak was first discovered by Mr Walter Martin. The house was then all in flames. Even those who escaped were nearly suffocated. Three servants, the cook, nursemaid, and housemaid, have been taken to the hospital. The little boy, William Smith, is very severely burned. The cook, Sarah Neilson, who jumped off the balcony, broke her leg and dislocated an ankle, and is not expected to recover.

Mr Wilson Smith saved his eldest boy and returned for his wife and infant, but was never Boon again. The fire is believed to have originated in a defective chimney in Mr Smith’s room. Mr and Mrs Martin wore both badly burned.

The residence, with contents, was insured for £I2OO in the United Fire Insurance othce.

Later. Further particulars of the Martinborough fire, show that Mr Martin lowered his wife as far as he could roach by her hand from an upstairs window, ind then had to let her down to the ground. He lowered the cook in a similar way, but in the fall she broke one of her ankles. Miss Martin and one Miss Marks, who both jumped from s window, 17 feet from the ground, fortunately escaped with a shaking. Such a hold had the fire got on the building before discovered, that with a few minutes delay the whole household would have been burnt to death. Mrs Wilson Smith was the daughter of Mr A. S. Collins, late of Kaikoura, and now residing at Nelson. Her brother is on tho Canterbury College staff.

This day. At the inquest on the Martinborough fire the evidence showed that the fire originated in or about the rooms occupied by tho Smiths, and the firo was kept going at night, owing to the baby being unwell. A verdict of accidental death was returned. Carterton, This day. Miss Neilson, a victim of the Martinborough fire, died in the Greytown Hospital. Ethel Lack is in a precarious condition and Eric Wilson Smith was delirious all night and shows no signs of improvement to-day.