THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY APRIL 25, 1889.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9347, 25 April 1889, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY APRIL 25, 1889.

It is of importance that the cause of the lire on board of the Mariposa should, if possible, be definitely ascertained. Flax is now a large export from New Zealand, and the price being at the present time high' at home, it is likely to continue to form a .very considerable item of our exports. Not a direct steamer leaves our shores, nor a sailing vessel, whose' cargo is not largely composed of flax, and it will greatly restrict the export if it is found that the article is liable to ignite in the ship's hold, thus endangering vessel, cargo, and the lives of those on board. • The present shipment has a specialty about it. The American ropemakers ; have hitherto used large quantities of sisal, a Mexican fibre, but it seems that this article has latterly been getting scarce and dear, and this is one of the causes of the increased price of our flax in the London market. The present was, we believe, the first shipment direct from New Zealand, to America, and. might have been the beginning of a. good trade. But if it is imagined that the safety of the ship is endangered by llax forming part of the; cargo, the ; San Francisco steamers may decline to take it. The merchants of Auckland ought to have abundant experience in dealing with' flax. It was actually the first article shipped from New Zealand, and cargoes of liax were taken away by vessels when the skippers judged it necessary to have nettings around the ship in case natives should board her by surprise, and massacre the crew. Fires have occurred amongst flax, but in no case has it been proved that they have arisen from what is called " spontaneous combustion." It is contended, we believe, that any vegetable fibre will ignite if left in a loose and damp state, and if it is exposed to a current of air. But, in the present instance, nothing of that kind existed. The flax came up from the (South on board a steamer ; it was stored in Auckland for three weeks before being shipped; and was firmly packed. The possibility oL' " spontaneous combustion" is almost entirely excluded. Of course, with a number of bales cast into the hold of a vessel, there will be some loose stuli) but it is difficult to suppose that fire could originate amongst it, for there was never any great quantity of it together. The bales which were taken out of the forehold of the Mariposa yesterday had most of them been exposed to fire, and wet quite charred outside, but if they had been readily inflammable, they would have caught fire, and have burned up.. There was no appearance of fire inside any of the bales. There is the well known case of the ship City of Auckland, whose cargo, consisting in great part of flax, took fire while she was being loaded at Auckland wharf. But in that case, the steamer Hero was loading close by, with a donkey engine on the wharf, and sparks were seen flying across the wharf to where the City of Auckland was lying with open hatches. It was thought almost certain in that case that the lire was the result of an accidental spark. And in this instance,, too, the balance of proof seems to bo in favour of a lighted match having been dropped by some careless person, perhaps a smoker, or from a spark having got amongst the loose flax in some other way. The time of the outbreak is also against the theory of the fire arising from over heating. The Mariposa left the wharf shortly after three o'clock , on Monday afternoon, and the fire was discovered at twenty minutes to seven o'clock on Tuesday morning, when, on one of the hatches being lifted, great columns of thick smoke came up. It is certain that there was no appearance of; fire, or of the liability to fire, when the bales were put on board, and if the inside of any bale had" been damp, the fire could scarcely have originated and made the progress it did, in little over twelve hours. We understand a full examination will be made, and a report givwjn as to the cause of the fire.' ;

In referring to this event, we must not neglect to notice the admirable conduct of all, on- board- who I had to deal with the danger. Nothing is so alarming to passengers as an alarm of fire. 'How great and imminent the danger "may be is' not known. Smoke is seen arising from the battened hold, and no one can say but that at any moment flames may break forth, and the entire vessel be * enveloped ,in fire. ' It must have been clear to everyone that if such an event had occurred great loss of life j would have resulted, because the boats | could not have ■ contained the whole of j those on board. : ! The first object in such a case is to avoid the creation of a panic. There .is great difficulty in doing this, while at.the same time adopting means to ' extinguish the fire. But Captain 'Hayward and his officers seem to have succeeded admirably in preventing ; alarm; the most timid passenger was re-assured by seeing the calm and. orderly way in which captain and crew discharged their duties. Another tiling which ought not to be forgotten is the courageous way in which the crew worked to get at the seat of the fire. The men behaved like heroes, some of them nearly losing their lives while getting out. the bales which were on lire. . "