Suffragette Outrage at Handsworth Park

Boathouse Set on Fire

Militant suffragists are supposed to be responsible for a fire outrage which was committed in the early hours of Tuesday morning among the boats in the boathouse of Handsworth Park.  Altogether four boats were considerably damaged, half of one being burnt away.

The outrage was not discovered until shortly after six o'clock when Mr. Howard Thurston, who has charge of the boats, opened the premises.  He found the place full of smoke, and though it was issuing in large quantities this fact, owing to the hazy conditions of the morning, would be hidden from the observation of the park keepers.  On seeing  a mass of smouldering fire on the floor, Thurston closed all the doors and windows to prevent the draught fanning up the flames, and gave the alarm to the park keeper, Mr. A. Bailey, who in turn notified the police, and they summoned the fire brigade.

It seems that an entrance was obtained to the building  through a small window, the glass of which was broken and the catch removed.  A number of the boats were resting on a staging three or four feet from the floor, and under them the perpetrators dragged a box containing seat cushions.  They had with them two two-gallon tins of paraffin oil with which they soaked the cushions, and set fire to the whole.  While the oil lasted there was a big flame from the box, and more than one half of one boat was reduced to ashes, while the side of another was destroyed, and the stage was almost burnt through.

But when the oil was exhausted the cushions only smouldered, and the women, for the authorities say footprints around the boat-house show that the work was due to them, endeavoured to fire other boats with firelighteers and papers.  They were successful in setting fire to two more boats, on which they had poured paraffin, both of which were partly burned away.  Fortunately, the staging above remained intact, or more boats would have been ruined.  In addition to the cushions used to start the fire, a number of smaller ones were destroyed, and the heat was so intense the sculls several yards away were scorched.  When the police took charge of the place, Inspector Lomas discovered three small Suffragist flags, several copies of the "Suffragette", bearing Mrs. Pankhurst's message, two 2-gallon tins which had contained paraffin and a quantity of firelighters, a pocket knife, and some candles.

It is thought that the perpetrators had got into the park in the early hours of the morning by scaling the parish church boundary wall, which adjoins.

On Wednesday morning the boating pool was dragged and a carpet bag containing tools, including wire cutters was found.  It is supposed that the bag belonged to the women who set fire to the boathouse for some barbed wire was cut at a point where it is supposed they entered the park.