CARGO ON FIRE

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 April 1931, Page 2

CARGO ON FIRE

RUSH FOR LYTTELTON [per press association.] ■ CHRISTCHURCH, April 23. The Union Company’s coastal steamer Opihi, 638 tons, from Dunedin, via Timaru and Oamaru, with. cargo for Wellington, Nelson, and New Plymouth, reached Lyttelton at seven o’clock this morning with her cargo afire. Smoke was seen issuing at 1 a.m., when the vessel was off Akaroa Light. Full steam was put on, and the vessel raced for Lyttelton, with her decks getting hottei* all the time, and the smoke increasing. When she arrived, the hatch covers were removed, and heavy black smoke issued. The Lyttelton fire brigade and a tug immediately set to work pumping in water, and got the fire under control, but much damage was done to the' cargo of furniture, bran, pollard, and flour, the total not being yet estimated. The ship was not damaged. All the. cargo in the affected hatch is now being removed.

KINI’S MISHAP. THE CAPTAIN’S EVIDENCE WELLINGTON, April 23. An inquiry regarding the mishap to the Kini, which struck a submerged object off Bare Island on April 10, opened to-day, before Mr. E. Page, S.M., with Captain Worrall and Mr. F. W. Barron as assessors. G. D. Fraser, Captain of the Kini, said that when the*~Kini left Wellington for Napier she was drawing 9ft 6in forward and 14ft 2in aft. At 6 p.m. on April 10, near Kidnappers, the mate saw something on the port beam, and altered the course, but before the turn was completed the vessel bumped something, and almost stopped. The ship appeared to be in shallow water. The engines were kept going, and she dragged off. He could not say what the ship struck, or the exact position, as it was too foggy to see land. She was in the vicinity of Bare Island. It was low water at the time, with a slight swell. He took no sounding, and saw no rocks or brokeh water. He was stire that the ship did not strike Capstan Rock, nor could he have struck Bare Island, unless it runs a long way into the sea. There had been no survey of this region since the earthquake. A diver found mud on the ship’s bottorii, and he had no doubt it was the ground she struck. The enquiry is proceeding.