The-Hong-Kong-Weekly-Press-1905-10-21 — Page 11

October 21, 1905.]

floor and he noticed packing boxes on the second floor. He did not go to examine furni. ture, and coull not see all the articles on the ground floor.

By Mr, Looker-The boxes to which I refer were those in which clothing would be kept.

Mr. George Lammert, auctioneer, appraiser, and surveyor, said he was well acquainted with the value of furniture in the colony. He had visited the ground floors of Nos. 29 and 31 Des Voeux Road on the 4th, 5th and 6th inst., and had inspected the condition of the goods on the ground floor. He had ascertained what was there when the fire took place and none had been consumed. He bad made В careful inspection of those goods. His valuation of the goods in the front shops of the two houses was $4,180. That was their value if they were perfectly sound. In making that value he allowed very high shop price, about 30 per ent above what they would cost. Some ofe them were covered with the debris from the first and second floors. There were very littlə goods left on the other two floors, but there were remmants of furnitore. He examined th debris on the ground floor, but found no traces of electro plate. The debris was all building material. He would say that the first and second floors could not store 850,000 worth of furniture. He examined the walls of the first and second floors but could find no traces of shelves.

By Mr. Harding-When he made his estimate he knew that goods were made on the premises. He made his valuation on the selling price— the price charged to any unsuspecting man who came into the shop not knowing anything about high prices.

The inquiry was adjourned.

The inquiry into the circumstances connected with the fire which occurred at the Choung Lee furniture shop, 29 and 31 Des Voeux Road, on the 9th ultimo, was continued before Mr. F. A. Hazeland at the Police Court on October 9th.

Mr. H. W. Looker (of Messrs. Deacon, Looker and Deacon) represented the Insurance Companies interested, and Mr. R. A. Harding appeared for the owner of the premises.

Mr. T. F. Hough, of Messrs. Hughes and Hough, auctioneers, called by Mr. Harding, said that on the 7th and 8th October he inspected Nos. 29 and 31 Des Voeux Road. The roofs of both buildings had gone; part of the first floor on the south side of No. 29 was standing. In No. 31 the back part of the first floor was standing, and a small area, about ten or twelve feet from the road was

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also standing. On the walls of the rooms left standing the plaster had been stripped off, be thought by the heat from the fire: nearly all the bricks were bare on the first and second floors. On examining the débris he found on the ground floor a certain amount of furniture there were many pieces, some charred and some broken. In the show window facing the road he saw a large quantity of plated ware, but could not say whether it was silver or electro-plated. Witness saw a damaged case at the back of No. 31 where stock might have been kept. He could not approxi- mately value the stock on the ground floor unless it was sorted out and each article taken. He did not think it possible to state the value of the stock on that floor before the fire. He concluded that there had been silverware stored on the second floor, as he saw several articles of that nature amongst the débris on the first floor. Two rooms at the back of the premises were not burnt out; one was on the first and one on the second floor. In both rooms & quantity of stook was stored. There was room in the two houses to have stored $50,000 worth of the ordinary merchandise of this kind of shop. From his examination be could not form any opinion as to whether the shop was properly stocked at the time of the fire, as the upper floors were so completely gutted. From the débris and remnants he saw he would conclude that an average stock had been carried.

Cross-examined-The impression left on his mind was that plaster had been on the walls. The west wall of the west house was scorched to some extent. Practically the whole of the second floor W88 burned. There were a considerable number of charred pieces of furniture on the ground floor. Witness

CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.

could give no idea as to what the value of the stock on the ground and first floors would be if it consisted chiefly of furniture, wardrobes, writing and dressing tables, sideboards ani washstands.

The case was remanded.

At the Magistracy on the 11th October Mr. F. A. Hazeland continued the inquiry into the circumstances connected with the fire which occurred at the Cheong Lee Furniture Shop, 29 and 31 Des Voeux Road, on the 9th ultimo.

As before, Mr. H. W. Looker (of Messrs. Deacon, Looker aud Deacon) represented the Insurance Companies interested, and Mr. R. A. Harding appeared for the owner of the premises. Mr. Harding called as a witness, San Man Sam. He said he was lessee of Nos, 29 and 31 Des Voeux Road. At the date of the fire all the rent had been paid up to September. He also collected the rents of his adjoining houses. He visited the Cheong Lee on the afternoon before the fire, and went to the first floor where he saw the master of the shop. The first floor was stocked with goods, which were stacked nearly up to the ceiling. Projecting from the walls there were shelves on which goods were stacked. Witness did not visit the second floor on the same date, but be went there about a fortnight previously. On that occasion there was a good deal of stock stacked on the floor, and, as on the first floor, shelves carrying goods projected from the wall. There was a room on the second floor containing some boxes in which were silk, vases and silver- ware. When he visited the premises a fortnight before the fire they were fully stocked. He saw the ground floor the day before the fire and would say that it, and the first floor, was then fully stocked.

Cross-examined.-Under the lease the rent of the Cheong Lee shop should be paid on the first day of each month. Witness usually collected himself, and fourteen days before the fire went to collect the rent for September.

Mr. Looker-Fourteen days before the fire would be the 27th August, and according to your own showing, the rent was not then due

Witness-I went there to collect it.

His Worship-Oh, no. You don't go tỏ collect rent Lefore it is due.

nonsense.

Don't talk

Mr. Looker-Did you get the rent? Witness-No.

Mr. Looker--Was it due ? Witness-Yes.

Mr. Looker-Why didn't he pay it then? Witness-I don't know. That's his business.

He paid me two or three days afterwards.

Continuing witness said he did not get the money because the master said he had not enough. He did not go into No. 29 when he visited the premises. When he got to the first floor of No. 31 the master was in the room with wire netting round it. He went into the room and was there about a quarter of an hour. He walked all round the floor before he went into the room. He took notice of the stock because he was a reat collector, and it was such a man's business to notice stock. The master of the shop was not a friend of his, only an acquaint- ance. When he called to see him fourteen days before the fire it was about a debt owing to a school at Yaumati by the master's younger brother. He went to the first floor of both houses, and walked round the four walls of each floor. As soon as he got upstairs he could see the master. The rent of the shop was not always paid punctually-sometime it is two weeks late.

John M. Rochasworn, said he was an insurance clerk in Messrs. Meyerink and Co. The goods in these premises were insured in two companies -amongst others-for which Messrs. Meyerink and Co. were agents. Witness visited the shop about six weeks before the fire when he saw Lau Luk Lin on the premises. He asked him whether he had any share in the business, and Lau replied that he bad. Previous to the fire there were several other fokis of the shop whom he knew by sight and had spoken to. After the fire witness went to Cauton where he saw a furniture shop similar to the Cheong Lee. It was called the Wing Wo Cheung, the address being 61 Sap Pat Po. The furniture was European, similar to that he inspected in the Cheong Lee shop. He saw in the Wing Wo Cheung two men whom he knew as fokis of the Cheong Lee Shop. These men

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told him the shop was opened at the beginning of August. They told him they came from the Cheong Lee, and appeared confused at meeting bim.

Mr. Harding objected to the statements of other persons than the witness being put in as evidence. Such statements could easily be manufactured.

Mr. Looker submitted it was proper evidence t go before a jury, who could come to the conclusion whether it was manufactured out of spite or whether it was bona fide. It was secondary evidence of facts, and some interesting facts would be revealed.

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His Worship-This is quite a novel point, and if you press it I should like to reserve my decision as to whether the evidenes is admissible.

Mr. Looker Perhaps, your Worship will take it down and reserve your decision till afterwards. Mr. Harding-I would suggest your Worship would get better evidence by sending a man to France to get it manufactured to suit the case.

His Worship-You have told me that about six times, Mr. Harding; you need not tell me again. The circumstances connected with th point are peculiar, and the man is out of the jurisdiction of the court, so cannot be subpoenæ d, I suppose it is impossible to get hold of him.

Mr. Looker-We only know that two men known as fokis of the Cheong Lee shop, were found in the Canton furniture shop, aud presume they are part of the retinue of the Cheong Lee. That being so they could not for a moment suppose it was possible to induce them to come to Hongkong.

His Worship decided not to admit the evidence.

The witness continuing said the premises of the shop were quite new : he asked to be shown their godowns and was refused.

To Mr. Harding-He went to the Cheong Lee Shop three times after taking out their insurance. He went as a customer, and on his last visit bought goods there. The master was not present, but Lau Mak Lin said he had a share in the shop. The furniture in the Cheong Lee Shop was mostly European. The inquiry, was further adjourned.

Mr. F. A. Hazeland, who had conducted the inquiry into the circumstances attending the recent fire in the Cheung Lee furniture store in Des Voeux Road, on Oct. 17th gave his judg. ment. He said that the question which he had to try was under section 5. He was to express an opinion whether the investigation did or did not disclose any offence, and the only suggestion in which there could have been any evidence was the suggestion that the place had been understocked. On that point the evidence was so conflicting that he was not prepired, sitting there as a juryman, to say that the place was understocked. That being so, he found that the investigation did not disclos any offence and therefore he would order the inquiry to be closed and the premises to be released if they were not already released.

Inspector Warnock stated that they had been released.

Mr. Harding (for the owner of the Cheung Lee)-And the books to be returned.

Mr. Rocha, on behalf of the Insurance Companies, objected.

Mr. Harding replied that there was no power to detain them,

His Worship said the books were not in the custody of the police.

This concluded the proceedings.

On October 22ad as a Chinaman was passing No. 22 Bonham Strand, he heard a noise from which be concluded that gambling was going ou within. Being short of cash, he bethought himself of ways and means whereby he might take possession of the bank. Rushing into the house he bawled out that the police were com ing. Thora was immediately a scattering, and the unknown one, seizing the money on the table, disappeared, and has not been seen since. One Chinaman, anxious to escape from what he thought was a police raid, rushed up to the recond floor of the house, and while hurrying along outside the verandah railing, missed his footing and fell to the ground. He was at once removed to hospital, where he died shortly after admission.