FIRES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11842, 20 December 1901, Page 2 (Supplement)

FIRES.

j 1 ;• , >,<! i v? * FIRE ON THE WAMATE.

OUTBREAK AMONG FLAX CARGO.

- - Napier, December 4. Fuie broke out aboard the New Zealand Shipping Company's steamer aimale, in the bay, at 7.30 last night. The crew resolutely grappled with the outbreak, but the flames slowly gained 011 them. At 9.30 p.m. rockets were sent up for assistance, and the Harbourmaster (Captain Kraeft) promntly had the pilot boat and crew in readiness to go out, but, finding that the signals had apparently ceased, no immediate action . was taken. The signals were, however, repeated just after 11 p.m., and the pilot boat then proceeded to the vessel to ascertain the cause of distress. / ■'

When about half-way to the steamer the boat was met by a boat from the Grassmere, and Captain Fletcher, of that vessel, informed the Harbourmaster that the Waimate was on fire, and that the assistance of the fire brigade was- required. The pilot boat returned with all speed to the Spit, and in a short space of time, the Aliuriri, with the fire brigade on board, was on her way to the burning vessel. On arrival at the Waimate* side great volumes of smoke were seen issuing from the vessel. No time was lost by the brigade in getting their hoses to work, and great efforts were made to locate the seat of the fire, which was in No. 4 hold. Brigadesman after brigadesman descended in turn, protected by respirators, but as each one came up again he reported that the fire was still burning strongly, and that it was extremely difficult to get a. good play of water on" to the seat of the fire, because of its being on the lower deck. At three a.m. the captain declared that no headway was being made in getting the fire under, and another hose was accordingly run out. This for a time seemed' to check the flames, which, however, only appeared to break out with renewed fierceness.

At five a.m. the Ahuriri came in for a fresh gang of men. The s.s, Weka, which shortly after eight o'clock took out about 60 men to combat the fire on the Waimate, returned about ten o'clock for applances for pumping carbonic gas into the vessel's hold. December 5. The fire broke out afresh at about halfpast three this morning. The work of driving steam into the hold was then stopped, and it was decided to fill,the hold with water and smother the fir© in that way. The fire having been located as amongst the flax between decks, in the No. 4 hold, the engines of the Napier and Spit Fire Brigades commenced pouring water into the hold, directing the streams with such effect that by nine a.m. the are had considerably diminished; but in spite of the utmost endeavours the progress made in checking 'the fire was but slow, so the Hastings Fire Brigade's steam fireengine, one of the most powerful in the colony, was sent for, and the brigade promptly responded to the call. With the three engines at work the water was being poured in at the rate of 84,000 gallons per hour. ■

At five p.m. it was considered that though the fire was not out it was sufficiently so to enable the Spit Fire Brigade, who bad been continuously at work in alternate spells of one hour since ha'f-past one a.m. on Wednesday, a period of 40 hours, to he withdrawn, and they came ashore on the Ahuriri thoroughly deadbeat. They? stuck bravely to their work, and it is greatly owing to the assistance rendered by them, . together, with the splendid work done by the officers and crew of the vessel, that the steamer was not destroyed. - December 6. The fire on the Waimate has been completely mastered. The work of removing the. damaged cargo and pumping out water is now proceeding. : No estimate of the damage can of course lie formed until the cargo in Nos. 4 and 5 holds is all out, and this cannot be completed until' the water has been got out. 'J-'he expense of extinguishing the fire has been very heavy, the Spit Fire Brigade receiving £400 and the owners of the Ahuriri £600. It is fortunate that the fire broke out while the vessel was in port, as had it occurred at sea the steamer wovid probably have a total loss. '

Monday. A magisterial inquiry re the fire on the s.s. Waimate, was opened to-day before Mr. Turnbull, S.M., and Captains Todd and Fletcher, nautical assessors. . Captain Hamou, master of the Waimate, stated that the whole of the flax shipped at Wellington was stowed in Nos. 4 and 5 holds. Precautions were taken to ensure safety, but the temperature was not tested. He had never been in the habit of doing so. The steamer, lie said, was supplied with good fire-extinguishing appliances. William Henry Pilcher, chief engineer, stated that there was a first-class pump, worked by an independent donkey engine, pot oil board for the purpose. It was not connected with the main engine. The Collector of Customs pointed out that under the Act of 1877 there should be hose capable of being connected with the main engine. • Cap#in Davidson, Lloyd's surveyor, said he considered the flax landed from the Waimate had been very imperfectly dressed, which would make it more dangerous and more liable to spontaneous combustion. Mr. A. Calvert, Government engineer, re- 1 ported that lie had inspected the vessel, and found alt the appliances for fire prevention and extinguishing.usual in a vessel of that size, and that, these -wore in good order but were not sufficient- to cope with such a fire as broke out on the Waimate. ; ..'■-, ; ; . December 10. This afternoon Mr. A. Turnbull, S.M., announced the findings- of the Court His Worship found as follows : — "That the lire broke out in the flax stowed in No. 4 hold, between the decks, but there is no evidence to show how the same originated. I find that every available means were taken to promptly extinguish the fire, but owing to the Harbour Board's watchman reporting to the harbourmaster that only one rocket had been sent up the captain did not receive the prompt) assistance from shore he expected. The evidence shows that at least six rockets were sent up, and it was not until the steam whistle was blown about an hour afterwards that assistance came from the shore. I find also that there were on bo arc the usual appliances for fire-extinguishing purposes, the same as those fitted 011 all vessels of a similar class. The appliances on this vessel were passed 011 July 27, 1901, by the Board of Trade, under the Passengers Act." The assessors concurred with the report. j THE CARGO. Napier, December 4. Altogether 2837 bales of wool and 321 casks of tallow were shipped here, and of this 500 bales of wool and the whole of the tallow are stored in the lower hold below the seat of the, fire. The Waimate had very nearly completed loading here, requiring only about 3000 bales of wool to finish, and she would probably : have left for Auckland to-day. She also has 011 board a quantity of cargo shipped at Lytteiton and Wanganui, details of which are not available here. Wellington', December 4. The only cargo in the No. 4 hold of the S.S. Waimate when she left Wellington consisted of 100 casks of tallow, shipped at

Wanganui. ' * The following cargo was shipped by the Waimate at Wanganui: —4002 carcases mutton. 561 bales wool, ,87 casks tallow, 18 casks pelts, and 29 packages sundries.

About two o'clock on the 7th December Baker's Harbour View Hotel, owned by L. D. Nathan and Co., was totally deroved by fire. There were 110 boarders in the house, and the family had retired to bed at ten o'clock sharp. At two a.m. one of the licensee's children was awakened by a crackling sound, and Lund the passago, full of smoke. She aroused the inmates, who all escaped in -their night clothes, almost . everything being bun-.t.' 'Ihe hotel was insured for £1520 in '. the Norwich Union, and Mr Baker's stock and furniture for £500 in the North British. The safe was subsequently recovered with all the papers and notes intact. The origin' of the fire is not known,. v .

Tlie well-known cafe •' Trocadero," situated in Willis-street, Wellington, and occupied by Mr. G. Pinnock, was gutted by fire at an early hour on Dec. 14. The origin of the lire is unknown, but it is believed it- started in or near the kitchen. In a few minutes the whole of the interior was practically ruined. All the occupants escaped without injury, but had none too much time alter the discovery of the outbreak by the proprietor. Messrs. Jolly and Co., estate' agents, had a shop under the same. roof, and this was ! also completely destroyed. The Troeadero buildings are of wood, 'ar.cl are owned by Messrs. John Dutliie and Co. The insurances are: Building, £2300 in the Manchester; contents, £650 in Law, Union, ' and Crown, and £350 ■in the Imperial ; Jolly's auction-room (damaged), £120 in the Northern.

The, inquiry into the death of Wm. Craw-* ford, victim" of the Oriental Hotel fire, Wellington, concluded on Dec. 3. The evidence throughout the inquiry had shown that there was overlapping of authority in regard to ordering owners of hotels to provide proper fire-escapes. The coroner remarked that there seemed to be two distinct authorities now dealing with this question, but the Licensing Committee had power to refuse licenses to hotels which were not properly equipped with means of escape. The jury returned a verdict that Crawford's death was accidental, . and added several riders.