STEAMER FIRE

Hokitika Guardian, 11 May 1936, Page 5

STEAMER FIRE

THE TAROONA

CONSIDERABLY DAMAGED.

~ •.; ? i (Australian' Press Association); ’

(Received this day at a.m.). . MELBOURNE, May 10,,, Damage estimated at between eight and ten thousand was caused to the Tasmanian passenger steamer, Taroona of 4095. tons, at the river berth yesterday morning by a fire;, the cause, of which is unknown. It began in the staircase between the A and B decks, near the smoking room, and spread with amazing rapidity through A deck, destroying valuable panneling, fittings and furniture in many'rooms, smashing all windows and portholes on H deck. The ship had been undergoing an extensive overhaul at Sydney, whence it only returned on Saturday, in readiness to resume the Tasmanian service on Monday. The fire in the early stage seemed likely to threaten the destruction of the ship. Fortunately the full erew were aboard, and the fire was promotly attacked with fire extinguishers; The City fire brigade was called, mid the flames were prevented from reaching below B deck. Two stewards working extinguishers on the R deck; had an alarming experience, when' they were blown through an mien door, on the, of the, ship, by the of, compressed smoke and hot air, from ,a space below. The..force of‘the explosion threw them from the ship to the wharf. One theory of’ the cause is the fusing of. electrical wiring. The Taroona is a new vessel, recently built for the Tasmanian service, and was (Vn ed by the Tasmanian Steamship Limited, joint agents being the Union Company and Huddart Parker. Gray, manager of the Union Company, said he did not think any structural damage was done. , /