FIRE ON THE lONIC.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 204, 22 May 1908, Page 8

FIRE ON THE lONIC.

SUPPRESSION BY GAS INEFFECTIVE. HOLD FLOODED AND FIRE OUT. Contrary to everybody's anticipations, tho fire in tho forchokl (No. 1) of tho Shaw, Savill and Albion Company's steamer lonic' was not subdued so oasily or economically as was expected. As reported yesterday, tho steam and carbonic acid gas operations wero continued throughout tho ■ night without cessation, and at 8 a.m. yesterday it was dccided to risk opening up the hold to- sco how matters stood. ' The canvas covering was stripped off, and tho hatches were removed, when a great body of suspiciously " smelly" steam belched upward into tho clear morning air. For a time it was thought that tho rising vapour was steam and nothing olse, but it was soon made evident that thore was an admingling of smoke, which declarefl its fateful presence more and more definitely as the air found its way below to the seat of tho fire. Ono man declared ho saw a gleam of red through tho smother, but the increase in the volume of smoko was enough. Tho order was given to batten down the hatches so as to give the least possiblo encouragement in the way of air to the smouldering firo below, and tho old monotonous operations were resumed with some despondency. A RESORT TO WATER. Tho starboard side of the 'tween decks was' indicated as tho probable scat of tho firo in yesterday's. Dominion; After tho hatches had been re-adjusted yesterday morning, Captain Carter (of tho lonic) descended a ladder that hung loose over tho starboard bow. Ho wont down somo fifteen feet or so and felt- tho vossel's steel hull. Ho removed his hand with a sharp jerk, and someone, seeing tho gesturo, said that tho captain had found it " very warm." Captain Carter ascended to the deck 1 wearing a look of deep anxiety. Thero was a brief consultation between Captain Evans (the. SliawSavill Company's Superintendent), Captain Carter (lonic), Captain Bendall (Lloyd's Surveyor), and' Acting-Superintendent O'Brien (of tho Fire Brigade). -As an outcome it was decided to flood tho hold.

.Tho quiescent docks became alivo with activity. The emergency had been prepared for, and it only needed an adjustment hero and there to bring the .full force of the water supply into play. The Union Company's stout little tug Terawhiti was only waiting the word to show her.water-lifting powers, and onco ■ tho wooden gutters w ; ere jammed into position ( at the outflow of tho two ten-inch pipes,, the water roso lip with a bang, and shot down the gutters into tiio hold at tho rato of 1200 tons an hour! IMPOUNDING THE HARBOUR. Not content with this, tho Terawhiti also supplied a couple of stout hoses with- so fierce a pressure that tho new canvas hoso sweated profusely , its entire length, There was no sloth on tho other side of tho ship, Tho Fire Brigade's crimson and gold steamer, had been throbbing impatiently throughout tho night with its trunk hanging idly in the harbour. At tho word of- command from Acting-Superintendent ,O'Brien it began with a fine energy, to 1 lap up and force water through tho threo stout hoses and gleaming nozzles down into the roaring crater that had ovolved in No. l'hold.

Tho Firo Blade's steamer was throwing 1000 gallons a'minute, and looked real proud of it. In addition to the Terawhiti and tho " steamer," there woro live or six leads from tho; Harbour Board's, wharf .mains,. so that at one time there were a dozen, hoses playing into tho hold, in addition to the two solid bodies of water that were.boing elevated from the harbour by the tug. The roar of all these waters, tho hiss of the escaping st-eam and smoke, the clamour, of shouted orders made ail animated scone, hot snon forgotten. Tho general public are to see it too, for tho übiquitous photographer was noticed risking his. life and camera in dangerously aerial positions. " WORK OF DISCHARGING. In the'end the water prevailed, tho hold was flooded, and tho destroyer subdued. Then began tho work of "tidying up." Truly tho hold was in an awful mess. Under tho surface of the black soot-begrimed water in No. 1 hold, woro something like 2000 bales of flax, 350 casks of tallow, 320 bales of wool, a few skins, and some, general cargo, including; furniture. Tho waterlogged hold was sufficiently emptied to enable the work of discharging 'to conimcnce. A gang of 'men wont down and set to work, hip deep in the water, to get at the cargo, while'tho sling-boss sailed about tho hold on a rough raft, directing operations. Everything, of course, was soaked, and the dripping flax bales, as they swung up, from below, mado puddles of black water on the deck, on tho lorries, and on tho wharf. There is a good deal to bo done between now and daylight on Sunday, at y-'hich timo the agents hopo to be able to get tlie steamer away. . / AN INQUIRY ORDERED. There will never be any ' realsense of security on board flax ships until the mystery of these outbreaks is satisfactorily, oxplained. The question, "Why is this tflusi"'. hag" so far boeu left unanswered. Whether the inquiry, winch has now been ordered by tho Mbrino Department, will successfully elicit the true cause remains, to bo seen. Dr. W. A. . M'ArthurV S.M., Captain Blackburno, Nautical Advisor to tho Government, and Mr. W. G. Foster, managing director of tho Wellington Meat Export Company, have been appointed to investigate tho circumstances surrounding the outbreak. It will bo remembered that these gentlemen sat as a Commission to investigate the origin of wool fires on ships.

About' mid-day yesterday the members of the Commission paid a visit to the lonic) and took a live interest in the flooding operations. On the suggestion of Mr. Poster, it was decided to engage a man to watch the cargo coming out and take notes of anything that might lead to an elucidation of fires in flax. Captain Blackburne ventured tho opinion that he could not think that such a fire could have been caused by spontaneous combustion, but, rather, leaned to tho belief that tho outbreak resulted from some " extraneous cause."

WHY THE CAS FAILED—A THEORY. One of tho lonic's saloon passengers, a gentleman who dabbles in science, stated to ail onlooker that, it was patent from tho'outset that the fire would not be suppressed by the introduction of carbonic acid. gas. The gas was effective when it could bo turned directly on to the fire, but ho maintained that in a chamber that was charged with steam at high pressuro tho gas would' not sink enough to do tho work expected of .it. Gas without the steam, would bo. a doubtful means of suppressing such a.firo, but whon it is given tho task of fighting its way down through steam that was being forced upwards too much was being asked of it. It is not. improbablo that the flax that is worth saving will be treated after tho manner of tho Turakina's lot—dried, cleaned, and ropropared by Mr. M. F. Bourke, of Wellington. The "prices realised for the Turakina's flax in London would justify the work.

PASSENCER ARRANGEMENTS: AVith 250 passengers to arrango accommodation for, and with a thousand and ono inquiries to answer verbally and by telegraph, Messrs. Levin and Co.'s shipping department is having a lively time. The firm is fortunate in liaving so urbano a passenger clerk as Mr. Bovan to deal with the extraordinary position that has arisen ill respect to the passengers bookod by tho lonic—tho most satisfactory May booking by a direct -steamer on record. Those first and second saloon passengers who desiro to do so are being accommodated .ca.liawiilie but as .tho

crew is being accommodated in' the steerage, arrangements aro being mado to accommodate tho passongers in tho city. DAMACE IN NO. 2 HOLD. As a result of inquiries mado on the wharf late last night, it was ascertained that the water in No. 1 hold had found: its way into .No. 2 hold. The bales lifted out of No. 2 hold were found to be damp. It was not known how far the water had penetrated and done damage in No. 2 hold; but it seems to bo clear that it has not got into any other hold.