FIRE IN STEAMER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21413, 10 February 1933, Page 10

FIRE IN STEAMER

TWO MEN INJURED

FLAMES FOUGHT AT NIGHT SMOKE HELMETS IN USE FLAX CARGO DESTROYED [BY TELEGRAPH—OWN CORRESPONDENT] CHRISTCHUKCH. Thursday Shortly before one o'clock this morning an outbreak of fire was discovered, in No. 4 hold of the Federal liner Cumberland, which arrived at Lyttclton yesterday from Wellington. She was'berthed at. the Gladstone Pier to load for London. Over 100 bales of flax were destroyed before the fire was put out about 5 a.m. Two men were injured in fighting the fire. Mr. R. C. Skipage, the Lyttelton manager of the Union Steam Ship Company, who stopped backwards to avoid a swinging stringer, tripped over a beam and was knocked unconscious. He received a severe cut over one eye. A member of the crew ifijurcd a thigh when ho tripped over a hose.

Although the decking above the hold buckled under the heat, the refrigerating plant for the cargo of mutton stored in the hold directly underneath the hemp was unharmed, and the meat did not suffer to any great extent. Spontaneous combustion is considered to be tho cause of the outbreak. Seamen Give the Alarm The alarm was given at one o'clock by two seamen from the vessel, and immediately afterwards the Harbour Board's dredge Te Whaka gave three long blasts from her whistle. In a few minutes a large crowd gathered on the pier. Smoke and flames were seen issuing from the hatch and the ventilators, the.fire coming from the bales of flax, which had been stowed in the shelter deck. The meat loaded yesterday was stowed in the between decks and lower hold.

The Lyttelton Fire Brigade, under Superintendent R. Carson, arrived quickly and was assisted by the ship's plant, as the Lyttelton Harbour Board's tug was temporarily out of commission. The dredge Te Whaka was requisitioned and soon her powerful pumps were in action. Hole Out in Deck At 1.45 a.m. there was procured an oxy-acetylene plant, with which a hole was cut in the deck to accommodate a hose from the dredge. Soon after 2 a.m., when the fire was burning fiercely, two members of the brigade, equipped with smoke helmets, went into the hatch and discovered the seat of the fire in the flax.

Half an hour later the heavy volume of water which had been poured into the hold had the fire well under control. There were eight leads of hose in use, three from the Te Whaka, three from the ship and two from the, shore, and more leads were available from the Te Whaka if required. The decks above the fire showed signs of buckling at 2.30 a.m. Officials consider it was very fortunate that the fire broke out when the ship was at the wharf rather than when she was at sea. Second Outbreak Dealt With A second outbreak occurred when a piece of burning hemp travelled down a large ventilator into the sawdust just below the hold containing frozen mutton. This was not noticed until the ventilator cap was removed. Only a few bucketsful of sawdust were burned, tho outbreak being luckily subdued. This morning a gang of watersiders was employed at a wage of 4s an hour to unload the burnt flax from the Cumberland. About 6in. of water lay in the hold when the sty.'t was made. The hemp was removed by noon. The fire penetrated about an inch through the majority of bales, all of which will have to be opened and dried out. They will not be put into the New Zealand Shipping Company's store, for fear of a further outbreak, but will be dumped on the reclamation and covered by a tarpaulin. It is considered that the flax is a total loss.

The Cumberland will be delayed at Lyttelton only one day. She will leave to-morrow for Port Chalmers. Temporary, repairs are being made to the buckled decking. Permanent repairs will probably cost £2OO.

The Cumberland, now owned by the Federal Steam Navigation Company, is a twin-screw vessel of 10,937 tons gross, built, at Bremen in 1919. Under the German flag she was known as the Wendland. She arrived at Auckland from Liverpool on January 22, and went to Tokomnru Bay, Napier, Wellington and Lyttelton. At Napier she. loaded <IOOO boxes of butter, and at other ports consignments of flax, meat and general produce. After loading at Lyttelton, she was to go to Dunedin to complete, and was scheduled to clear Dunedin for Montevideo and London on February 14.