ORONSAY FIRE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 28, 3 February 1939, Page 9

ORONSAY FIRE.

VOYAGE INCIDENT. TWO DAYS FROM LONDON. CRUISE LINER AT AUCKLAND, For the second time in the course off three weeks a liner has arrived in Auckland after a voyage during which the dread of a fire at 'sea has been experienced. The Orient liner Oronsay, which arrived this morning with 7nJ) cruise pawengers from Australia, experienced an outbreak of fire two days out from I/oiidon, when she was in the Bay of Biscay.

j The laundry, in the after part of the ship, was discovered to be on lire at 1 a.m., and consequently many of the passengers knew nothing about it until it was all over. However, stewards took up their fire stations, and a story' was told by one of the passengers this morning concerning v a woman passenger. Though no alarm had gone out .she came, out of her cabin fully equipped with lifebelt and personal belongings. Once again the lire was overcome by the clliclency of the ship's company. It .was attacked with water, and was extinguished before it had . penetrated further than the laundry.

Apart from that it was an uneventful voyage, anil during the trip from Brisbane to Auckland, the sea wa« like a mill pond. The Oronsay,' of 20.000 tons, made an impressive entrance into the harbour and berthed at the Western wharf. Most of the passengers left the ship immediately on excursion tours to Botorua, Waitomo Caves and other resorts. Some of them will go through to Wellington and join the vessel there.

.Tn addition to the tourists making the round trip tlicrc.-were-a number of pn«who were landing here, including two Jewish doctor#, refugees from Clermany. There were a number of other Interesting visitors.

Mr. G. Aiiiier, a retired shipowner nnd vice-president of the .Sea fit rem' Education Service, arrived on a holiday visit witli his. wife from London. They "were met 011 arrival by the Rev. H, K» Vickery, port chaplain.