CARNEGIE DISASTER

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 148, 19 December 1929, Page 21

CARNEGIE DISASTER

ADDITIONAL DETAILS Further details of the explosions on the scientific investigatory brigantino Carnegie have come to hand by mail from the Press Association's Apia correspondent. In addition to Captain Ault, whose injuries resulted in his death, the following were hurt in the explosion:— Mechanic Stenstrom and Chief Engineer Carl Sturk, who were below in the engine-room, seriously injured, the ! former receiving burns on the arms, face, and chest, and the latter turns on tho arms and. face. | Three seamen: Otto Bricson, shock ' and broken leg; John Liudstrom, burns and cut on arm; and Harry Olsen, minor burns, slightly injured. Harry ] Olsen was blown into the sea. These seamen were employed on deck, filling the tanks with petrol. The galley-boy, Kolar, who was supposed to have been below in the after ! galley, ig missing, and is believed to have been burnt to death in the galley in, which he was separated only by :i partition from the oil tanks which it is believed exploded. Six other minor explosions occurred after the first tragic one. Mr. W. B. Scott, a member- of th. scientific staff, interviewed, stated thahe was in the state-room when the ex plosion occurred, and was slighth shaken. He rushed and secured the cash and the ship's records, but on account of the shock did not think of th< ship's articles. These were lost, alsc some very delicate and specially-made instruments. Only seconds were allow ed for thought before the ship was m mass of flames. Of 2000 gallons of petrol ordered, 1500 had been shipped and it was consequently hopeless to at tejnpt to save the ship. The pumps could not be used. On account of tinother ships in the harbour, the only ai tentative was to slip-the Carnegie's moorings and beach her, and this w?.; done by Captain Wilcocks, the harbourmaster. On accouat of the intense heat the vessel could not be approached until the masts had fallen. Some of the bronze fittings were burned as if with an acetylene torch. Had the harbour been dear, the ship would have been towed out to sea and there left to burn itself out. ■

At 3.30 p.m. ,on the Friday pumping was commenced, and by 10.30 p.m. the fire was under control, but not before the ship was a total loss. The vessel was to have sailed on Monday, 2nd December, for Sydney, at which Christmas to have been spent, prior to visiting Lyttelton and later going to Cape Town. At Sydney Mr Parkinson, second in command, was to have been relieved by Mr. Johnson, who is in charge of the magnet observatory at Waterloo, "Western Australia. While at Cape Town Captain Ault was to have left the ship to travel to Europe to attend a scientific conference, and was to have "been relieved by Mr. Johnson. On Saturday, 30th November, the Ontario arrived from Pago Pago and sailed again the same evening for that port with the three slightly injured seamen and the embalmed remains of the late captain. Mr. Stenstrom and Mr. Sturk are still in the Apia Hospital. On 3rd December it was reported that their condition was very unsatisfactory. Captain Ault is survived by a wife and two daughters, who are at present in California,