TRAPPED IN FIRE

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXX, Issue 99, 3 May 1935, Page 6

TRAPPED IN FIRE

MOTHER AND CHiHDREN DISPUTE OVER BRIGADE CALL LONDON, March 23. A distraught mother’s effort to save her children from fire by telephoning for the brigade, when there were only two minutes to spare, was described at. an inquest at Exmouth, Devon. The mother, Dr May Doreen liobi..'son, her daughter, Cecil, aged five, and her son. Peter, aged three, lost their lives.

The allegation was made that if reasonable precautions had been taken by ithc authorities concerned everyone would have escaped. ( Witnesses declared that the mother telephoned about 4 a.m., but on this time a conflict of evidence arose. A telephone operator stated that ne received the call at 4.26 a.m.

A solicitor appearing for a number of ratepayers maintained that, there had been negligence on the part of the council, the fire brigade, or the Post Office. Miss Emmeline Buckingham, a nurse, who .jumped from a window with the seventeen-month-old 'baby. Michael, was the first witness. Window Drama The conflict of times was revealed when the Coroner, Mr C. N. Tweed, said that the telephonist’s report was that the call was made at 4.31) a.m. Miss Buckingham disagreed and said that she had jumped out of the window with the baby and got him to bed in the house next door when the clock there showed 4.20. She said that there were no flames upstairs when she and Mrs Robinsox. and all the children had gathered near a window. The smoke and flames from, below were bad. however, and Miss Buckingham said to her mistress, “I can't stand this any longer. I am going 1o jump. You get a sheet and le<t the children down to me.’’ Mrs Robinson replied, “ Don’t do that, you'll kill yourself.” Miss Buckingham said. “Something must be done. I can’t stand this,’ and with that she jumped with the baby. She sat him on the lawn and looked up for the other children, but saw nothing and only heard moaning. Miss Buckingham said if the brigade had arrived within a quarter of an 1 hour of Mrs Robinson’s call she thought no lives would have been lost. Airs Robinson could not have telephoned after 4.15.

Mr John Adams, night telephonist, said he was on speaking duty from 6 p.m. on .Sunday to 8.30 a.m. on Mon-

day, the bell being close to the head of his bed. He received a. call in a woman’s voice from Dr Robinson's house a; 4.26 a.m.. the message being: “Fire station, quickly; house burning.” Mr Adams was closely questioned about the time and produced his record. of the call. Driver Doble, of the fire brigade, said the fire station alarm bell rang a f 4.35 a.m.. and the brigade was in action at the fire ten minutes later. The water supply was quite enough to hold the fire in check and enable the firemen to enter the house. The Coroner, summing up, Slid (hat (the evidence regarding the time of the telephone call was so conflicting that he could not -place any great reliance on it. he had to accept the evidence of the record of the telephonist. The brigade arrived in moderately good time, and he commended the firemen on '-their action. He found that the deaths were all accidental —in the cases of Mrs Robinson and Cecil by asphyxia, and in the i case of Peter by shock following burfD.