KAKARIKI WRECK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23269, 11 February 1939, Page 15

KAKARIKI WRECK

DANGER TO SHIPPING FIRE DURING REMOVAL ENGINEER'S LUCKY ESCAPE '[fICOM Ot/Jt OWN* conRKSPONT)KNT"] MELBOURNE. Feb. 2 111-fortune continues to clog the Union Company's freighter Kakariki, which sank in Port Phillip Bay almost exactly two years ago after a collision with another freighter, the Caradale. Fivo members of the Kakariki's crew were drowned. Because the Kakariki, in its position off the Gellibrand Light and not far from the entrance to the River Yarra, is a potential danger to shipping, efforts havo been made to remove her, and a tender for the work was let some months ago. But dilficulties are being experienced in the execution of the task.

Tho latest development was a fire on the wreck this week. An engineer, Mr. George Standish, aged 38 years, was trapped, but ho escaped with slight burns.

After 36 hours of pumping, the water level inside the Kakariki at tho stern was 40 feet below the outside sea level, and the main pump was being lowered to tako out tho remaining nine feet of water in tho hold.

Mr. Standish, who is in charge of the work, was pouring petrol into a pump engine 40ft. down when it caught lire and he was enveloped in flames. His clothing was burning, so he jumped into the water in the hold. But burning petrol began to spread over the water and he was forced to rush up the funnel ladder to escape. He climbed 40ft. through the ascending flames and appeared at the top when his companions had almost given up liopj of seeing him alive again. For an hour afterwards the funneltop, 10ft. above the sea, spouted flames and smoke, and, with the pumps stopped, tho ship quickly filled.