"NO EVIDENCE AS TO ORIGIN."

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIV, Issue 4, 6 January 1910, Page 8

"NO EVIDENCE AS TO ORIGIN."

„ ' DUNEDIN, Jan. 6. The Court of Inquiry, giving ■judgment in the Warrimoo fire case, tound that there was no evidence to show the origin. The flax appeared to Jiave been in good condition when shipped. Every precaution was apparently taken against fire whilst loading, except that the men working the cargo took down into the hold their clothes, which probably contained matches, and possibly these may have been dropped in the hold. With regard to the theory of ■spontaneous combustion, the evidence was rather that the bales were burn<ed trom outside and not from inside. Ibef court strongly recommend, as -a safeguard against fire, that strin■gen,t precautions should be adopted agarast matches or other combustibles being taken into the holds of vessels toy men working cargo or otherwise