THE HATIPARA FIRE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11163, 20 March 1922, Page 5

THE HATIPARA FIRE

MUCH CARGO DAMAGED BLAZE ORIGINATED IN TOP TIER OF WOOL. WATERFRONT ENGINE FAILS. The outbreak of fire in the No. 1 hold of the British India Steam Navigation Company’s big ttirgo steamer Hatipara, 8182 tons gross, berthed at the King’s wharf, was completely suppressed by 5 o’clock oil Saturday morning, after burning since about 9.20 o’clock on tlie previous evening. The fire was ultimately quenched through the services of the Union Steam Ship Company’s salvage tug, Tcra.wliiti, which pumped water from the harbour into the hold of the ’Hatipara. About fifteen feet of water was poured into the No. 1 hold before the fire was extinguished, and the vessel was somewhat down by the head on Saturday as tho result of tho weight of the water forward. FIREMEN DESCEND HOLD. Despite coilsid'orahlo heat below and thick steam anil smoko, the firemen descended No. 1 hold on Saturday morning and played the hose on the burning halos of flax while tho ship’s company hooked the flax out, and it was then lifted aslio.ro by the derricks. Charred, badly burnt, and wet balps of flax and wool were discharged on to the wharf during Saturday, to be taken away. Sometimes a bale, when lifted into the open air, would burst into flames, but these were promptly extinguished. A large quantity of wool and flax whioh has become wet is being discharged on to tlie wharf for drying and reconditioning. Somehow a little water found its way into Nos. 2 and 3 ho-lde, which contain wool and tallow in the former and: wool in the latter. WHERE WOOL CAME FROM. The wool in tho louver hold of No. 1 hatch was shipped at Timaru, fort Chalmers and Lyttelton. No. 2 lower hold, which was about three-quarters loaded, had some Wellington wool in it, with tallow in the after end of the lower hold. The Ner,v Zealand 1 Shipping Company have loaded! the vessel. An examination of the Hatipara showed' that tho flooring of the ’tween decks ha 6 been buckled by the heat, and one of the 6teei hatch beams is buckled. There is no other visible damage to the ship.

WHERE THE FIRE ORIGINATED. After a quantity of the cargo had been removed it was found that the fire originated in the top tier of the wool in No. 1 lower hold, in the square of the hatch. The top bales of wool in tho lower ' hold were considerably burnt, and a tier of wool standing on the top of the hatches of the lower hold also suffered severely from fire. It is now quite certain that the fire started in tho top tier of wool in No. 1 lower hold, and burnt its way down on to the wool in the lower hold and up to tho flax in the ’tween decks. The flax being highly inflammable, soon spread the flames.

HEEAM.. FIRE-ENGINE USELESS. , The Harbour Board!’s big steam fireengine, which was brought from the Central Fire Brigade station, was unable to lift the water from the harbour owing to an exceptionally low tide, and the engine, after some hours’ futile efforts at pumping, was sent back to the station. Tlie big intake pipe was lowered into the harbour, but the height of the engine above the surface of the harbour was too great, for its lifting capacity. To overcome this difficulty the expedient was tried of filling the intake pipe with water from an ordinary lead before dropping tho end into the harbour, but this was ineffective owing to tlie absence of a valve at the foot, or end, of the pipe to hold the water in until the pumping from the harbour commenced.

This is regarded as a serious matter, and one to which the Harbour Board should give its immediate attention. The engine is a particularly powerful one, -capable of throwing 1000 gallons of water per minute, and as it cost a big sum of money, a shipping expert expressed hie disgust at it being tried and found wanting.