FIRE ON SUSSEX

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 122, 28 May 1929, Page 6

FIRE ON SUSSEX

STBENUOUS TIGHT

EXTENT OF DAMAGE

... (By Telegraph.) (Special to "Tli« Evening Post.") AUCKLAND, This Day. The Union Company's chartered steamer Susses, on which a fire occurred in Ko. 4 hoia on 26th April, necessitating the. vessel putting back to Samaraug, Java, reached Auckland yesterday afternoon. At the time of tho mishap the Susses was loaded with a full cargo of Eastern produce from Calcutta, Rangoon, Singapore, PenanK and Samaraug. The vessel sailed from Samaraug for Auckland at 5 o'clock in tho evening and the fire was discovered shortly after leaving port. Qne of. the engineers saw dense smoke issuing from a manhole in the after part of the engine-room it was first thought that the bunker coal was alight, but when an engineer wearing a smoke helmet, entered the bunkers no trace of fire could be found. Further investigations showed that the fire was in No. 4 hold, and when the hatches were opened clouds of smoke belched forth from the hatchway. The fire waa in the''tween decks and was difficult to get at owing to the hold'being full of cargo. Streams of water pumped into the hold by the ship's pump made no difference to the fire, which was seen to be increasing The course was then altered for Samarang, to which the Sussex returned at 6 o clock, only one hour after leaving. At Samarang, which is an anchorage, without a wharf, a firefloat went alongside and assisted with the firefighting. Its assistance was required because the fire increased until the flames wiere issuing from the hatchway. In order to pump additional ; water into the hold, about six holes wore cut through the iron deck, and before tho firo was finally subdued the hold had to be flooded. The task, of fighting the firo occupied about -18. hours, and at the end tlio officers and engineers who took part vi the work were completely exhausted. The work was made uiore difficult because there are only a few white peoplo at Samarang, and assistance had to be obtained from the natives. Tho officers and engineers took it m tons to -enter the hold with hoses, but they were repeatedly prostrated by fumes from the burning cargo, and the arid smoke caused temporary blindness. Water from No. 4 hold leaked through into No. 5 hold which also became filled with water ;me amount of water in the holds caused the vessel to develop a heaw list and she had to bo anchored in shallow water near the beach in case she should capsize. As soon as the fire was extinguished a start was made to pump the water out of the holds. This was done by the ship's pump, and was a very slow process The cargo in the No. 4 and No. o holds had to be discharged and damage surveyed before the voyage could be resumed. The Sussex accordingly proceeded to Sourabaya, another port in Java, where the work of unloading the cargo could be done alone- ? £ Wharf- A" the car S° in No 4 and No. 5 holds was unloaded and put a^^re- Altogether cargo amounting to about 1600 tons was burned or badly damaged. After the holds had been emptied of water and cargo it was seen that very little structural damage had been caused, and there was not lonch repair work to bo done. With the unloading of tho cargo from the after holds tho steamer was down by the head. To trim her for the voyage to JNew Zealand a large quantity of cargo had to be transferred from the forward part of the steamer into Nos. 4 and 5 holds. As at Samarang, only native labour was available at Sourabaya, and the supervising of the work had all to be- done by the officers of tho Sussex. Besides the loss of a large amount of cargo (he fire caused tho vessel to be delayed twelve days in Java, and she resumed her voyage to Auckland on Sth April.

_ After unloading a quantity of cargo for Auckland the Sussex is to sail for Wellington, Lyttolton, and Dunedin to comploto discharge. A general average will havo to be paid on tho cargo brought to New Zealand, but the amount of general average has not been declared.