THE FIRE ON THE IONIC.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 214, 3 June 1908, Page 9

THE FIRE ON THE IONIC.

" v,. ,*■ . v ITS ORIGIN SOUGHT. THE INQUIRY CONCLUDED. The ■ inquiry, into tho causo of I the recent fire on the s.s. lonic at tho Glasgow Wharf, ' Wellington, was continued yesterday,,before Dr. , M'Arthur, S.M., and - Captain. : Blackburn and Mr. W. G,. Foster, assessors. Mr.: Gray; watched proceedings, on behalf of tho Shaw, Savill .Company, and Mr;' Myers. appeared, for tho Marino Department. •: Captain Archibald .Monro, assistant secre; tary and wharfinger to . the .Wellington Harbour, Board, said he was present on tho lonic the greater part of tho time of the fire.. As tho bales of flax-; wero discharged from'the hold,, Captain Bcadall and he examined,them and took tho labels from the middle of tho. bales. .The features in the present case were not. similar to those .of another fire he remembered, where- spontaneous combustion was; tho responsible cause. "''His', opinion was that tho' Turakina and the lonic fires were identical. ; He did not .think spontaneous combustion;; was 'tho cause.' Ho thought the' fire was duetto the bales.coming in contact with fiame.i.or. firo of some sort. Pressed for his opinion , as to- tho .cauao of the -fire; witness' said; that jyhen bales of flax wero on; tho wharti.ready,.- for /shipment the authorities had';{die; greatest, difficulty; in keeping the public; ; aj^ay, ; ,.with: cigars, cigarettes, and;jjiipes.:, "People/ 1 said witness, "don't .realise i ,<tliq,danger of' smoking near.flax." Witriess.Ji'ad iiever.-seeu matches, in,the holds of steamers or in tho-sheds, But it wai posoible they might find their way there. Ho did not believe thero had, been any smoking in the hold. ' The Harbour Board, by a system of .'strict: superintendence, endeavoured to prevent . all damp bales. of wool and flax' going, aboard. .The tags which ho' hacl secured from'the sixty bales, - taken from tho'holds of - the 'lonic,. would' enablo ■ tho-flax to bo traoed.,to;,thavmanufacturing mills.'' r Tho investigations of .tho- Harbour Board in this rospect .were'not completed yet. Some of the v. fibre 'came' from ■ Foxton'y' Lougburn, Tawa, and Lower Hutt. ''TROI|BLE WITH SiMOKERS. •' •

To'Mr;; Gray: Witness admitted spontane- ■ ens;'combustion could' occur in cert-aih cases, but. in tho present fire, after opening the bales,'only one was'found to bo warm inside. This,-bale, bow'over, . had been in the, sun all .tho .previous day. . Men wero not allowed to sit.'or; stand about : during lunch-hour, smoking''among flax' ready to bo .shipped. Witness; had been told,by a man who) had , bough't a bale of flax aboutj eighteen months ago ,at;Christchurch that on opening up tho b4lii;"He had found a .'box of. matches, inside. If .flax got dam'pfrom rain while being'prcpared for loading it would bo sent back to' and,, if sufficiently wet, opened tip arid dried. Witness adhered to his opinion that the causo of-.tho firo was not spontalie- . ous ' epmbustion, as tho bales , wero . all charred'.on tho outsido. ; ,V. ' To .Mr. .Foster :,.Ho. ; did, not suggest that, smoking on jthp . wharf had- coririectiju withithe present .fire., v ,Th'oy. had no trouble with,,smokers. on ' tho, 1 . Glasgow: -Wharf, but on .the [Queen's. Wharf. -Witness's* opinion was,/that.;the, outbreak originated:.under the fo'c'slo. " .Ho did not, think. .it. possible' : if ! , a' smoker,. i wished.. tfl, escapo.:dotection ; that, he could ; have thrown a ; lighted cigarette, to where-.the fire originated. . It . was not likely that the bursting .of a wire-band, could- .have created a spark'. '"' - - ' • A FLAXMILLER'S EVIDENCE. .'Alfred<;Seifert;-';president, of . tho' Flaxmil-' lers';> Assobiation,' said- he' -'did' not''" think' it" possible' for - matches to find -their 'way into the ce'ntre'of a.'b'4le-of-' flaS. •It was possible for thßmHo ;]io on' tho 'the' bales. All : possible■■ precautions" were taken 'to-'p're-' . vent ,v'mtcli«'?'teiiig.*'!takai'''liito* ; the"'mills','', and smoking was not : allowed. To Mr. Gray ill transhipment - t to 'the railway . station!"'' Wot bales.;.wire; tatari'Tiacl? to the 'sheds, opeiied, up and dried. y^^TSI^DORE^^MINED:, Henry Ar'ohc'n',foreman '.who: iKad • charge of .the"sfeWdonttg.in tlib.hold of the' lonic detailed precautions taken to prevent men going below with' matches. There existed to search men .iftf qupst, .of- .matches.- - , Witness ,> had kno\viv:-.men ■to ,givo ,up 'matches. ; . To .-Mr-sGray.: ;Men never.-'smoked in tho holds. One bale of flax in the lino of tho. firo was very hot inside, riotwithstaiiding that' it had'.b'een' saturated .with .water. The other charred bales were not hot in the same -way. .To Mr. f Myers:'"^ltf'would'be better if men could : be;forced'to. leave their' coats and waist, co.its oh'deck.'. .. .- ' '•• • '•' ' f ' Willidm; D;' Ward;' chief- stevedore for tho Bhaw,' : $avill- Company; ' corroborated the eviden'co of Hlid' previous -tv'itnSss'-a's-to the pre-' eautions'that 1 were'taken.' He also"gave evidence as to one bale taken out of the ship being very,;.hdt;in-tho. centre. • Another bale taken.ifrom, ithe' centre of; a .tier;- nearer' the seat of ' tho Ifiro, was -bttrned almost, 'through. • FIRES. ON / AUSTRALIAN ' SHIPS. : ' Captain 'James' Evans,' marine -superintendent for the Shaw, Savill Company, said he coul.-l find no rccord of fires on ships sailing from .'Australia, si)ic'q-"I901■ ';'.'.',.' Mi\. Gray-,here,.ftjsljed.' I .le!iye to submit to the Court fa statement .prepared by Captain Evans:'. It. sbpWedthere was ;'no' record .of firjs pn Australian ships since tho dato meii-, tioned.",,Prior,-;to were fires, on Australian; ships. . ';'i'he point. ,hb wished to emphasise .was, that .since; 1901 fires had. occurred, pn New .Zealand Ships. which, carried both .wool '. tind /flax, and ' none, on Australian vessels,^'-which; were, loaded with .enormous' quantities' of wool, i "', '•, ■ Mr.-.Fp'ster: I 'assume. that the -Australian' shiiis.taking firo before'l9ol carried the sam'o class of goods, as, they do, now.. ' -~. Witness: Yes'.',", .' . " ' . Mr. Foster:. May, not, the, absenco l , of. .fires lince-lSOl'-Tbe due to greater vigilance as to tho storager.of,cargo Yes'. , ; , -. V .'A SUGGESTION. ,' 1 ~; - V _ Since-tho Gothic fire, said witness, instructions .had been issued that wool and flax be not, packed together: Ho would; make it a criminal offcnco for men to take matches do -vii below. Tho Harbour Board should provide a movcablp cupboard or room of some sort in which the ;J .men conld storo their waistcoats and coats. It would cause delay if every maii g6ing,_ below wero. searched. Dr.; ;M'Arthur 1 said'there should bo some place, for the men ;to placo their coats and waistcoats ill, cither oil tho ships, or on the wliarf. .

p* OTHER EVIDENCE. Captain G. T. T. Hall and M. F. Burke ina^iniirerJ-'flJso^gavo-cvißeiice. Cajitain"'^ r ; Bendall said he did'not' think tho lonic . to'_wa3 due to spontaneous cornbustionV''becausG> tho'' outsides of the bales, aijd not''the hearts, vyere charred.' Ho could not submit a theory for the fire, .except' that it- caihc from outward application." He would say the fire started under the "boys' room.'.' It occurred iiv the top tier of flax. Mr. Gray said this was all tho evidence he'had to'submit. Dr. M'Arthur said the Bench would submit their finding on Friday at 2.15 p.m. ; • "*

Particularly easy terms are offered for the purchase of the farm to lie submitted by Messrs. Dalgety and Co., Ltd.; at Wellington, on June i. The property'is situated near the Lower Hutt, and is being. sold on account of the: Riverside Dairy Company. The area is 1185 acros, of 650 acrcs are flat.' " ■ ■ '..-Officers of the Wellington Garrison are reminded ; that nominations for'the annual ball must be sent in not later than Friday,,.' Tune 5. Special attention should he paid •to MossFST A; L. Wilson and Co.'s special sale aimounceinent for Thursday's auction. At 1 p.m. on that day tho firm will submit tho wholo of Mr. A. R. Uglow's (Oriental Bay) household furniture and effects.' Tho lota will be on view this (Wednesday) afternoon from 1 to 5 p.m. .'• ' -f ■ : Attention is drawn : to 'Messrs. W. H.' Mori rail and' Co.'s threo-day's sale of. a picture, framer.'s stock-in-trade, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, to.be held at'.their Auc-. tion Rooms, Willis Street. The stock comprises .' framed mirrors, framed' "and imframcd oleographs,', oil paintings . by ; , English artists, and .beautiful coloured photo pictures. .Those ,aro a choico lot, , and. will .be sold absolutely without reservo.