FIRE ON THE SHIP MELVILLE ISLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11539, 26 November 1900, Page 5

FIRE ON THE SHIP MELVILLE ISLAND.

NARROW ESCAPE FROM DESTRUCTION. FIGHTING THE FLAMES FOR' .TWO DAYS. , Melbourne, November 15. Tins ship Melville.lsland, which was spoken by the schooner Mary Wadley off Cape Northumberland last Sunday, arrived in port to-day. It was reported from Adelaide that she narrowly escaped destruction by fire, and a hasty glance at the ship was. sufficient to impress the observer with the awful nature of the peril through which she had passed. The fire was confined exclusively to the after part of the ship, and never got much further forward than the break of the poop; but within this comparatively small area it left a scene of devastation which almost baffles description. Everything excepting the ironwork of the ship had bea.i completely demolished, and the framework which remained was bent and buckled in a remarkable way by the heat to which it had been exposed. Of the entire poop deck, the cabin, and lazarette underneath, not a vestige remained, but a heap of blackened debris. The fire made such headway that it was impossible to save anything within its limits, and all stores, navigating instruments, books, sails, ropes, hauling line, and the captain's and his wife's clothing and effects were destroyed. The outbreak occurred about half-past four on the morning of October 28. The alarm was raised by the chief steward, and ten minutes later the fire had got such a hold as to defy all human effort to quell it until the perishablo material upon which it greedily fed was consumed. Fortunately, the moderate breeze blowing at the time and the ship being brought round with her head to it helped materially to keep the flames in the after part of the vessel, whilst the crew put forth their best efforts to get the fire under. Water was poured upon the burning mass unceasingly, but for many long weary hours after the outbreak the endeavours of the crew proved result-less, and as the day wore on somo of them were forced to desist by heat and fatigue. The only chance to save the ship seemed to lie in keeping her head to the wind, and thus assisting to keep the flames from spreading beyond the poop, until having devoured everything of perishable nature there they would languish for want of something other than iron to consume.

The fact that the vessel was without cargo was most fortunate, inasmuch as it minimised the chances of the fire spreading further forward, and, taking full advantage of this lucky circumstance, the crew stuck manfully to their task. Still at mid-day, eight hours from the time of its commencement, the fire raged with unabated severity, dense volumes of smoke belched up through the rapidly disappearing poop deck, until the masts to their full height were obscured, and the fire-fighters on deck were almost suffocated. Early in the afternoon a loud crash, such as might have been caused by an explosion, was heard, and the dismembered poop-deck unable to support itself longer, fell bodily into the burning pile, causing the flames to leap higher than ever, and the heat to become so intolerable that the crew was compelled to withdraw some paces further from the spot. As they shot aloft the flames licked the wooden railings round the poop until they too became ignited, and were speedily consumed, leaving nothing but blackened and twisted iron stanchions to denote that they ever existed. Throughout this trying ordeal the crew as a body never faltered, and although several of them were forced temporarily to withdraw by over-exertion they returned to their work right gallantly. As evening advanced they were overjoyed to note that owing partly to their endeavours, but chiefly to the fact that the fire had little left to feed it, the flames gradually diminished. This welcome development urged the crew to redouble their efforts, and at- last just as night was closing in, all breathed freely as they realised that the fire, although by no means extinguished, was well under control. It was not. as a matter of fact, until the evening of the following day that the last smouldering embers were extinguished, and the firefighters could indulge in a well-earned rest, secure that the danger had passed. This was not the only sensational incident which marked the voyage of the Melville Island, she having previously lost her main topmast and mizzen-royal mast just after encountering a terrific gale. This occurrence took place on October 6.