FIRES ON WOOL SHIPS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 197, 18 August 1906, Page 4

FIRES ON WOOL SHIPS.

EVIDENCE OF PROFESSOR ! EASTERFIELD. (By Telegr-pH-—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Friday. - Giving evidence before the Co**ami-« •don on fires on wool ships, Profeaao. j Easterfield, of Victoria College, said,» i order to find out the cause of the** j fires, it would be necessary to cany oat I a series of experiments with wool under j the same conditions as prevailed abo-id j ships. It would seem that wool sbippei greasy might be a greater danger thaiwool properly cleaned and dried. Moisture, with surroundings infested with bacteria, would bring about rapid cxidisation. The raising of the temperature ! might be purely chemical or bacterior I logical, but, assuming that- it waa hac- ; teria, a system of sterilisation would j get over tie difficulty. That might ba settled by experiment, as well as making experiments with bales.of wool, subjecting them to varying conditions or moisture, and so on. "What tbey wantel to find out foT certainty was tbe conditions under which fire would occur. Mt. Foster: Don't you consider that you could ■ conduct certain esperiment-i and then give us evidence upon them? Professor Easterfield: Any experiment of this kind would have to extend over several months. Fires have not occurr-d. until vessels have nearly retched Home. I would suggest a small committee oi experts to conduct experiments. The CommissionerF expressed . themselves in favour of this course, but did not wish the period of making tbe experiments prolonged, as it had to pre* sent its report within a stated time.^ Professor Easterfield raid the Commnv sion would have to bear the expense ot the experiments. He had suggested t* private people that by spending probably £500 or so in experiments tbey could settle very clearly the conditions under which fires were "likely to occur. Mr. Foster: Will you take steps to ascertain what experts would act on the j committee, and the probable cost of tha experiments, so that we may decide whether we shall go on with such ex> perimentf-? v Professor Basterfield: I will be happj to do so. _S§