SHIP AFIRE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 128, 2 June 1927, Page 10

SHIP AFIRE.

OUTBREAK AT NEW YORK.

BRIGADES' GRIM FIGHT.

KARROO REACHES AUCKLAND.

During January last a brief cable message published in the Auckland papers stated that the steamer Karroo was afire at New York; to-day, under the name of City of Khartoum, the Karroo dropped anchor in the Waitemata.

At the time of the fire the Karroo was alongside one. of the piers at Stateu Island, New York, with several thousand tons of Indian cargo, chiefly rubber, jute, tea and burlap (sacking), beneath her hatches. Early in the afternoon of January 21, longshoremen discovered a fire in No. 6 hold. Discharge of the freighter's cargo had been delayed for some hours owing to steady rain, and it was apparent that the fire, which had been caused by spontaneous combustion, had been smouldering for a considerable time. As soon aa the hatch of No. 6 hold was lifted the air rushed below, fanned the fire, and sent a stream of smoke through the starboard ventilator.

The hatches were immediately battened down and the alarm given. In quick time six lire engines were on the quay, the firemen working with all speed to get their hoses into action. In addition, two fire tloats came alongside and were soon pouring millions of gallons of water into the burning ship.

Throe of the engines pumped wator into tlit- hull tlirough the ventilators and smoke tolled forth in dense black clouds. With forty linos of hose pouring water aboard, the holds in the after part of the ship wore soon half-filled, and the Kurroo began tn list dangerously to starboard. Realising that immediate action Mas necessary to avoid the vessel capsizing, holes were made in the ship's port side by moans of acetylene burners, and through these thousands bore gallons of water were pumped. In this manner the ship was restored to a more or le.»s even keel.

Vessel Sinks Into the Mud. As the vessel filled up with water sln» began to sink by the stern. Finally sin touched bottom and sank six feet into the mud, making for herself » neat cradle ill which it was impossible for her to turn over. While the vessel wit* settling down the engineers were working as seldom they had worked before, slackening oil the" bearings in the propeller tunnel. Owing to the weight of the water above, the tunnel was likely to crumple up nt any moment, but the men stuck to their task and succeeded in finishing the job and reaching safety !>ef<ne the tunnel collapsed.

As the flames luul sjirend to No*. \ uul > hatehee, it wan feared about this time that it would be necessary to scuttle the ship. Fortunately, however, this desperate action hail not to be resorted ti>. Although the siniill salvage bteumei Hesoluto lay nearby in w>o of an

emergency. lty 5 o'clock, four hours after the outbreak had been discovered, the lire was under control, but the Knroo presented a sorry picture. Smoke still issued from her holds, her stern rail' wan ahno.-t under water, mid hor deck was awas'i. Thousands of spectators en me to the quay to view the vessel.

Throughout the time ihat tlu> ve»*cl was on fire n rn refill watch w;is kept .it the gangway to prevent any i>l the vessel's Malay and Indian crew from slipping ashore, but police us.-Utam ■„• was not neoessarv.

Owing to the heat and the action of the water, the cargo in the Karroo's holds expanded, causing the ship's decks to bulge upwards. .So firmly did the cargo laconic jammed that it was several weeks before it could all l>o i'i«eharped. It was estimated that the total damage to the ship's cargo was £2(H),00.i.

The. day after the lire a start W,l« made in pumping the water out of tinship, and six , then lose from her mud cindlc. loiter she was dry docked for repairs, lieing in the hands of the ►hip repairers for nearly four weeks.

With all her carjro discharged and her repairs completed, the Kurroo wns chartered, by the A. nnd A. Line to load rase oi! and general ourgo for Auckland and other New Zealand ports. llefnre sailing from New York she was renamed and is now known as the City of Khartoum. Her recent \oyugv to this port wns

uneventful, fun- weather beini; e.\|.«ii enced right across the Pacific.

A vessel of 0127 tons, the Karon was built on the Tyne in 191.'". She i> mviicii by the Kllcrmiin-Burknnll Line