A Ship on Fire.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 233, 4 October 1887, Page 7

A Ship on Fire.

Tleonysualand exciting spectacle of a flip on fire in the Yarra drew a large crowd to the Australian wharf on Saturday, Sept. 17. The .vessel in.which the lire occurred is the Mary Blundell, an iron clipper barque, which was discharging a miscellaneous cargo from Hamburg. Tha fire was detected immediately it bioke out in tfe hold, but so inflammable was thq Mture of the, cargo that tho combined efforts of the crew with buckets, those of tee Fire -Brigades with steam pump and hose-fed from the -Yap-Yean- supply, and those of the four steamers1 which were !1.% alongside, and which from their pomps poured in an immense body of J" _i could not subdue the flames until we vessel was actually filled and settled ueepdown into themud at the bottom of the wra. A great portion of the cargo would «as effectually destroyed by water as by *X The cargo includes 1,650 casks of •Wat, and 148 casks of plaster of Pari?, wich will be rendered useless. There are 100 pianos, which would suffer very Pen. As regards the origin of the fire ping definite is known.' Ib is stated, nwever, that when some blasting powder 'as being moved the contents were split, Ibb greatest care was exercised in gatherggV every particle that could be found, «there ;s no doubt a large portion of it •WW find its way through the chinks and t ** amongst the cargo stowed below of __, _. eother h,ind there «'ere 2"> c^es "at™eso» board, and it is supposed by ___ "° firo.arose amongst them. Mr 2^ Annates the valued the cargo g[ at £16,000. It is understood it is Jed ma number ot offices. Insurance S3 ** good until the is dis!*«pd torn the veswl