FIRES ON WOOL SHIPS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7020, 7 January 1910, Page 4

FIRES ON WOOL SHIPS

SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION THE CAUSE. AN EXPERT'S OPINION. TEESS ASSOCIATION. DUNEDIN, January fi. . In the course of a paper dealing with the question of spontaneous combustion among cargo, Professor Park says he has devoted much time and consideration, for a number of years to the cause and prevention of fires on ships carying wool and vegetable fibre as cargo. "I have," he says, "directed my attention mainly to the larger question of fires on wool ships. I have followed wool from tho sheep's back to tho dumping press; that is, I have assisted in tho yarding and shedding of sheep: in shearing, and tho baling of tho wool at tho shearing sfhed, in three consecutive years having handled or assisted in the handling at over 25,000 sheep. I have watehed! loading and draying of wool bales to the shipping port, and carefully scrutinized dumping operations at Auckland, Wellington," and Lyttolton. .As a result of my observations I have satisfied myself that the cause of spontaneous ignition* is to be found in the dumping process." Professor Park having come to the conclusion that the oause of spontaneous combustion was internal, set himself tho task of discovering the cause. Considerable experience of air comipiressora and compressed air in connection with mining operations, and the serious results accruing from the thermal ©fleets of compressed air, lead him to the oonolusion that combustion is caused by heat generated in compressing air entangled in wool and contained in bales during the dumping process. This view is supported by Sir James Hector, Professor Lowes (of the Royal Naml College, Greenwich), and Dr Von Sclnraxta (of Hamburg). In discussing. the question of remedy. Professor Park says:—"So long as wool is dumped by the present process it will always contain latent elements of spontaneous heating and ignition. I, therefor, ' propose, in order to remove the inciting cause, that dumping shall-be performed in a vacuum eyiinuer or olwiiber, that is, an hydraulic press, whether single or double, be enclosed in a vacuum cylinder provided with an airtight door; to the vacuum cylinder,there is attached a vacuum pump provided with a vacuum gauge. The intention is to displace the air contained in the wool bales before dumping." The ohiei advantage claimed for the vacuum process, and to which all other advantages are subordinate, is the removal oj the inciting cause to spontaneous ignition. Where a large amount of dumping is carried on the work can be conducted as* expeditiously as at present by providing duplicate vacuum presses. Thus while the vacuum is being made in one press the other can be charged and prepared for the air pumping. The vacuum pump can be placed m tne en'Bineroom under the eye of the enginedriver. Two or more presses can ba connected with a vacuum cylinder in which vacuum is maintained by air P^f P ain satisfied that the adoption of vacuum dumping will remove the wuros of danger to life and,property that 13 always imminent in wool ships, and I satisfied that the time irjU come when vacuum dumping will bo adopted for all wool, flax. towTSEd all combustible animal and vegetable fibre."

THE WAERIMOO'S FLAX FIRE

FINDING-OF THE COURT.

PRECAUTIONS AGAINST MATCHE&

DTTNEDIN, January 6. The Court of. Inquiry appointed to investigate the cause of the recent nra on the Warrimoo at Dunedjn. gave its judgment tins morning, \esterday tho Collector of Customs asked the following questions: — '■ ■ „ '" (1) What was the origin of the nrer' _ (2) Did the shippers take all reaeon&oH means before shipping the flax to ascor. tain whether it was in euon condition a» not to be liable to spontnneow combustion? " , „ ■.'. The answers of the Court are:— (1) There is no evidence to enow tilt origin of tho fire. , • , (H) The. flax appears to have been, in good condition when snipped. These answers axe supplemented by the following: reasons:— ';,«.'■ There is no evidence to show mot the flax was shipped otherwise than, in good condition. On the contrary, the evidence, so far as it goes is that the flax was in good condition; Tho Government grader's certificate'was given under section 5 of the Produce Export Act, and tha evidence of JohnlWylie, A. 8., who was in charge of the hold, and that of other witnesses, ie that the flax appeared to be dry when it was shipped, and that it was a dry night.. _ , , The Court is unable to say what was the cause of the fire., According to th«.; ■evidence, every precaution was : taken against fire whilst loading, except thai men. working cargo took down into th« hold their clothes, which very probably .contained matches, and it is possible that matches may : have been dropped | in tho hold and been a source of danger. The ventilators in the hold -are properly protected, and, with the aboreancMtioned exception, every precaution was "taken against fire from . outside agency. * '•, ■ With regard to, the theory, of spontaneous combustion, the evidence -A rather that the bales were burnt i««m ■outeide and not from inside, and ther« is also evidence that the flax was in good condition when elupped. Further, as it is stated b.v Professor Park m his evidence it is doubtful whether flax '.a capaWe of spontaneous ignition, although callable of spontaneous heating. the Court strongly recommends as aeafccuird against fire that stringent precautions 0 should be adopted against nnatches or other .combustibles .. being taken into the holds of vessels by mo" working , cargo or otherwise.