DEATH AT A FIRE.
DUNEDIN, This Day.
Mr Leonard Philp, porter at the Empire Hotel, was suffocated early this morning in a fire at rooms in Carroll Street, occupied by him. The superintendent of the Fire Brigade (Mr Napier) after making a difficult entry through a smoke enveloped staircase, found Mr Philp, a young single man, lying on the floor alongside his bed. The rooms were untenanted save for him, and it is suspected that he fell asleep with a cigarette alight. Philp's room was on the third storey of the building, and was not touched by the fire, which originated in a kitchenette on the second storey. The occupants of this portion were unable to communicate the alarm to Philp, who was found on the floor in a pool of blood. The theory is that his efforts to escape caused hemorrhage. Philp was a single man aged 25. -Ashburton Guardian, 16/6/1926.
CAROLL STREET FIRE.
ORIGIN NOT KNOWN.
UPPER FLOOR A DEATH TRAP
VICTIM’S HOPELESS PLIGHT.
No further light has been shed on the origin of the Carroll street fire in which Leonard Philp lost his life. It is known that the seat of the outbreak was in the scullery, which is directly underneath the room in which the unfortunate man slept, and the terrific heat from below must have made the room like an oven. Superintendent Napier cannot advance any reason why the man was so trapped, as the room in which he slept was hardly burnt at all, and there is a front room with three windows opening on to the road. It is three stories up, but the firemen would have easily got him to safety had he appeared at one of the windows. It appears also that there were three or four other men sleeping in the building and they had made strenuous efforts to fight the fire themselves before communicating with the brigade.
WRAPPED IN FLAMES.
The firemen made a practice of searching every room in a burning building, and although the occupants of the house had told them that there was a man upstairs it was some time before they could find him. He was probably dead before the brigade arrived. The staircase was literally wrapped in fire and it was impossible to gain access by that route until the flames were subdued. Even then the men had to go carefully, for the place was a death trap. The building, which is a three storied one, is owned by the Wentworth Tea Rooms (Ltd.). The ground floor was occupied by the owners and used as a cakeshop and store room, whilst the two top floors were leased by Mr S. Badman, a motor driver in the employ of the company, who had sublet the rooms to tenants. On the first floor was a kitchen, a scullery and three rooms, two of the last named being occupied by the lessee as a flat and the other by Mr B. Fleming, a showman. One room only in the top storey was occupied — that of the deceased man. Entrance to the upstairs portion of the building is gained by a particularly tortuous stairway which winds through the kitchen on the first floor, and then on up to the topmost storey.
A LETHAL CHAMBER.
The room in which Philp was sleeping was untouched by fire, but the fact that the curtains crumbled to the touch and that a comb on the dressing table was completely carbonised showed that the heat must have been intense. The room was also heavily smoked so that the general atmosphere must have resembled that of a lethal chamber. Circumstances point to deceased having met his death by suffocation despite the fact that under the head of his bed were several clots of blood. This, however, might have be due to the fact that intense heat and suffocation engender excessive blood pressure.
THE FIRST WARNING.
It appears that deceased, after having had supper at the Ritz, with Mr Fleming, returned about 11.30 p.m., and sat talking in his room with Mr Fleming till about midnight. After Mr Philp had gone to bed, Mr Fleming lay reading for half an hour until he heard something in the kitchen. He took no notice at the time, but later on, hearing crockery falling, he went to the kitchen where he saw the scullery on fire. The fire seemed to be coming from underneath a cupboard on top of which was a gas-ring. He went into the room occupied by Mr Badman, and awakened him. When he returned to the scullery, he found the staircase leading to Mr Philp’s room burning, and on calling out to deceased, he received no reply. He then summoned the fire brigade. Mr Fleming was able to save some furniture and a portion of his stock-in-trade as a showman. The deceased, who was single, was 25 years of age, and was employed at the Empire Hotel as barman-porter, which position he had held for about seven months. He is described as having been a particularly sober and clean-living young fellow who had always enjoyed good health. His parents reside at 140 Castle street.
THE INSURANCES.
The building is insured in the London and Lancashire office for £1500. The damage is estimated at approximately £800. The furniture and fittings in the two upstairs floors were insured by Mr Badman for £250 and the insurance on the stock and fittings was £350.
THE INQUEST OPENED.
The Coroner, Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., opened an inquiry at the Morgue yesterday into the cause of the death. Arthur James Philp, labourer, residing at 140 a Castle street, identified the deceased as his brother Leonard Philp. The deceased was a single man, 25 years of age, and had been employed as a barman-porter at the Empire Hotel. He lived in a rented room at the top of the Wentworth Buildings, Carroll street. Witness had last seen the deceased alive at 6 o’clock the previous evening when deceased had told him he was not going out that night — that he was going to bed early. Deceased was of sober habits, and enjoyed good health. Sergeant Turner said that was all the evidence they had in the meantime. The police were making some further inquiries. The Coroner adjourned the inquest to 11 o’clock on Monday next, at the Magistrate's Court. -Otago Daily Times, 17/6/1926.
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