THE lONIC FIRE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 206, 25 May 1908, Page 8

THE lONIC FIRE.

WHAT CAUSED IT? PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD OF INQUIRY.' The Board which was constituted to inquire into tho circumstances of tho firo which occurred last week on tho Shaw, Savill, and Albion Co.'s steamer lonic opened its proceedings at tho Magistrate's Court on Saturday morning. Dr. \\ r . A. M*Arthur presided, and thero were with him as assessors Captain Blackburne, Nautical Advisor to tho Government, and Mr. W. G. Foster, general manager of tho Wellington Meat Export Co., Ltd. Mr. M. Myers appeared for tho Marine Department and Mr. A. Gray for tho owners. THE CAPTAIN'S EVIDENCE. Captain J. 0. Cart-or, commanding tho lonic, said tho vessel was timed to sail for London on May 21, with a general cargo, and.on tho previous day lie received a telephono message from tho ship, ho being then ill town, stating that a lire had broken out on board. Ho went down at once, and found that operations were going on under ono of the officers to extinguish the firo. They used carbon dioxide gas from their own apparatus, and also had the assistance of tho Harbour Board's appliances. They cut a hole in the deck, and succeeded in checking tho firo. Not satisfied with tho'progress being made, lie had tho. hold flooded next day. Tlio vessel was damaged by tho fire, butcher sea-going qualities were not interfered with. Some plates woro buckled, tho wooden deck oil top of a steel deck was somewhat charred, and ono beam was slightly buckled. Tho fire was confined to the starboard sido 'tween-decks. Tlio cargo stowed there consisted of flax, with a littlo wool in tho afterpart, but t-ho wool was, not ignitod. There was no doubt that the' firo started in the flax. Tho flax Was loaded on April 29 before tho lonic left Wellington for other New Zealand ports. Thero was an electric light installation throughout tho~ship, and tho wires wero carried along immediately above the hold where tho firo was. Apart from the theory of spontaneous coriibustion, ho thought the fire might possibly havo been started by tho st-ecl bands on certain flax bales bursting suddenly and throwing a spark upon tho flax. Ho had seen sparks thrown off in-this way. on-bales of cotton when loading at/African ports. .He did not superintend tho loading of tho lonic. Ho did not think smoking wont on in the hold, but ho thought it possible that a-match might havo been dropped thero accidentally. Thero was a rulo against smoking in a hold or near a hatch, and this was • strifetly en-' forced by the ship and by tho stevedores. ' To: Captain Blackburno: Ho did not think tho firo could havo been connected ivith the electric light installation.; Captain Blackburno 'theji drew attention to cortain recommendations mado by tho Board of Iriquiry after tho Turakina firo —namely, that smoking should bo prohibited on deck, and that tho temperature in tho holds should be. periodically. The witness said these recommendations had boen carriod out.

THE ELECTRIC LIGHT. James. Burridgo, oleotrician 011 tho lonic, described the clectric light installation on the ship, and stated that both from its construction and from its condition when he examined it after tho fire, ho was satisfied that it had nothing to do with tho outbreak. Tho electric current was completely cut off from the hold at tho time of the fire. • The installation in that part of tho ship had not been used smco there wero emigrants accommodated there on her previous trip out from the Old Country, and thero had in tho .meantime been no electric currcnt in that hold.,' THE FLAX CARGO. John Arnold Holland, second officer on tho lonic, said ho superintended the-loading of the | hold where the firo occurred. About sixty bales of flax' wero stowed on tho starboard side of .the 'tween decks. This was done on April 28. T'hc flax was consigned from Foxton, but he could not stato tho consignors or tho brands. This information could probably bo ' obtained. Tho sixty bales wero stacked two tiers in height. There wore eight bales of undumped wool, which did not tako fire. They wero separated from tho flax. Tho lonic arrived back in Wellington from tho' New Zealand ports on Friday, May 15, having left this port on April 30. Ho was down in tho hold several times before tho last-named date, and, also after returning to Wellington. Workmen wore also down there'. On W ednesday'last, just beforo .putting on tho tween-dcck hatches, ho went down for a filial look to seo that all was right. Tho putting on of tho hatches was'then begun; Ho then saw smoko issuing from the starboard forward quarter of tho 'tweea-dscks above tho fla--. ■ Mr. Myers observed that thero was'not tho slightest suggestion that the best Mean's had not been employed to cope with the fire. Ho would not need to ask any questions on that head. Continuing, the witness said ho first saw tho smoke arising from a point well.towards tlio forward end of tho vessel 011 tho starboard side. He superintended tho discharging of the - hold after the fire. There wero threo kinds of . bands on tho balei of flax, viz., flax, wiro, and iron. He noticed two of the wiro bands broken, .but none of tho iron bands. Some bales remained wliolo in their places after tho fire. . As tlio bales wero packed, no one could have got amongst tho bales, or between tho bales and tho ship's side, or on top of tho bales. There was not a single balo totally burnt., The heart was not burnt out of any bale. No rough weather was encountered, during the coastal movements of tho lonic. Ho had 110 theory as to tho cause of tho fire..

THE MATCH THEORY. Tho witness further stated that there was a rule against taking matches int<j the hold, and tho men were required to give up any matches they had on them, whenever' they wont down into the hold. It was for tho foreman and himself to- seo that this was done, and they did so as carefully as possiblo. Thoro was 'a hatchman at. each hatch, and a foreman for tho three. He had. never discovered any matches lying in the hold. Notices were posted up' at the hatches drawing attention t-o tho rule' about matches. No breach of this rule had over come to his notice. There was no smoking when tho hatches wero opon or in' the holds. - To Mr. Foster: He could not bo suro that no workman in tho hold threw off his coatin such a manner as to spill matches from a pocket. They wore allowed ■to take their, coats down with them, and they generally worked thoro with their coats 0n...-Their disposal of their clothing was watched as far as possiblo. _ Ho was confident that the electric installation had no connection with tho firo. It was possiblo that tho smoke when first seen had been carried somo feet by a current of air, so that it would not indicato exactly where the fire started. To tho Chairman: The 'tween-deck hatches were open continuously from Friday, May 15' when the lonic arrived back' in Wellington! Flax was being loaded into tho lower''tweendcck. Most of the men wero working, with their coats on. Ho belioved they wero asked, as usual, to givp up their matches. The Chairman: When men are asked to give up matches, do thoy not usually reply that they have none? Havo you ever received matches from them ?■ ' -

Tho Witness: In no case havo. I known' matchos to bo received from tho men.

Tho Chairman: When you have asked them, your duty is'done. You have 110 power to search thorn. ADJOURNED. Mr. Myors said he believed there was 110 0110 else on tho ship who could givo ovidenco of value, and lie suggested that tho inquiry should bo adjourned until next Friday. Mr. Foster suggested that tho last witness should confer with' tho wharfinger, with a view to ascertaining tho brands of tho bales of flax among which tho outbreak occurred, and should be examined by tho Board again on Monday. Ho did not think tho lonio could get away beforo tho middlo of tho week, .to jndgo by tho amount of work to bo dono. Captain Carter said ho expected to sail by daylight on Monday. Tho part of tho hold whero tho firo occurred would not bo used for cargo 011 this trip. Mr. Myers said that the last witness could oonfor with tho wharfinger, who would then bo able to givo tho Board any conclusions they might reach as to tho identity of tho bales of flax. Tho Board then adjourned until Friday nest at 10 a<£k