STEAMER ON FIRE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2905, 17 November 1909, Page 35

STEAMER ON FIRE.

OUTBREAK ON THE WARRIMOO. CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE. TRIP TO MELBOURNE ABANDONED. t ■ I People bound citywards on Monday morning missed -the characteristic " rake aft " in ' tho masts and funnel of the Union Steam I Ship Company's Warrimoo, as those ap- [ pendages topped the wharfside sheds. This j " tautness " could only be explained by I the vessel being very much down by the bow, and investigation showed that she lay with her nose on the mud, her bow submerged to midway between waterline ■ and anchor*- flukes, this being caused by many hundred tons of water in her fore hold. ' Round her floated patches of perished paint on <the water, and a few lingering' wreaths of smoke on the air, I while- everything^ was bitter with the tang ' of much burning. It- was obvious that the j Warrimoo would not sail that day, as adj vertised. ! "" A glimpse down the fore hatchway 1 bhowed a chaotic mass of partially burned flax, barrels, cases (stencilled " glass with . care"), and other oddmenrts floating, on the * surface of ; nk-like water that came level i with the lower deck. Further forward, the j orew's quarters were seared, blistered, and ' blackened, the fire "having surprised the occupants of tho forecastle by blazing up through the deck. This" was all the damage visible. The rest was overside, or deep I down in the bowels of the ship, and the ' extent of it will not be ascertained for a day or two. The steerage showed signs ' of having been hastily abandoned by it 3 occupants, and of a good deal of attentionfrom fire hoses. , * SCENES AT THE FIRE. At 3.30 a.m., according to the ship's j log, the fire was discovered. Cargo was -not then be^ng worked. On board vessels by the wharfside there is usually a variety of odours, but one of the men on anchor watch appears to heve emelt something unusual*-something burning — an acrid, pun- ' ■ gent smell, wh'iclh at sea sets men's hearts ' 1 going like the clapper of the fire bell. ( Then a thin spiral of smoke was discovered rrisiag from forward, and one or two state that they discerned a crackling sound. Strenuous efforts were made to locate the fire, officers and men working at high , pressure, care at the same time beingtaken not to disturb the passeragers. Two leads were got to work, but inoreas-'ng volumes of smoke end intensity of heat | showed that the ship's hoses were taking j little effect, and the City Fire Brigade ' was summoned. TJie smoke, 'Tom a thin veil, began to ascend in dense, choking clouds, pierced by leaTping tongues of flame. Paint ourled from the ironwork" like chips, .and the depths of the r x>re hold glowed and roared like an inferno. The purser (Mr W B. Cunningham) and his assistant (Mr C. A. Campbell) reassured those among the 6aloon passengers who were disturbed ; (some knew nothing about the fire till it was over), and with commendable celerity and despatch made arrangements by wihioh all the steerage passengers were made comfortable in the saloon. These two, with the other officers, rendered good service. When the forecastle became too hot, the chief officer (Mr J. J. Hughes) ordered the men to stand off, and descended himself to salvage Ivggwgo and find a possible approach for the fire hoses. The assistant marine euperin ten dent (Captain M'DonaJd) ! was early on the scene, and was ' followed by Sir James Mills, the managing j director, and the narine superintendent j (Captain Stramg). The iron approach lad- ' dars to the forehold were by this time too hot to be used. Sfcaunchions, ribs, and plates in the region of the fire became red hot, notably on the starboard side. The ironwork began to crack ominously, giving here and there ©very symptom of buckling. Parts of the shell became so J hot tlhat the water hissed seemingly all j ■rovoid the bow of the vessel. Such was i the condition of things w,hen the Fire ! Brigade, commanded by Captain Mitchell, arrived at abo^ 4.20. The firemen, to get at the fire, hit? to knock holes through i the deck to get the leads of water through. { This accomplished, and sax leads got to j work, a scene followed in which flame and water, swam, smoke, and determined 1 figures of men, were intermingled. At- ' tempts made to get down to the seat of the fire were many, but unavailing. The lower sa.rt of the forward division of che vessel had become a great red-hot oven, in which nothing could live, and against which even the " &moke jackets " could not avail. j SAVING THE HORSE&. ! Abaft and above the fire zone were stalled 31 horses on the main deck — that is, the hold deck immediately below the upper deck. Captain, officers, crew and helpers concentrated their attention on these, and to the credit of all concerned every horse was landed without accident and with hardly any excitement. To extinguish the fire it was necessary to flood the hold, and pumping operations were in progress till about 8 a.m., when the water reached the beams, and the Warrimoo " drew " about 29ft forward, and tho public arrived to make inquiries. DAMAGE Among the first arrivals were a number of representatives from mercantile houses, but as until the vesel is unloaded the whereabouts of the consignments cannot be known they returned little wiser than when they came. When the vessel was

sufficiently 000 l the pumping-out process commenced, and at 2.30 p.m. the- salmon pink about the water-line was just re- , appearing. As far as can be gathered at present the bulk of the cargo in the damaged hold ~j Wellington flax for Melbourne. A gjtess places the destruction of flax at 20 tous. There was also timber, general cargo, and a good many large coa-eig-nments for Dunedin houses. Exactly what these goods are, to whom they have been consigned, and to what extent they have been damaged cannot be ascertained till the contents of this part of the vessel have been unloaded. The Warrimoo loads from four hatches, and exactly what is forward and what aft or amidship is not known. The damage to the cargo forward must,, however, be very considerable. The damage to the vessel appears to be several buckled ribs and plates about the starboard bow, a scorched forecabin, and partially destroyed forecastle. Some of the seamen made their escape .in the scantiest of attire, and, with the firemen, have sustained losses in personal property. One , man claims to have lost £8 besides his kit. ' The spare hands were "signed off" yes- ■ terday morning. The names of the officers are: Captain Clift; first officer, Mr J. J. Hughes; second officer, Mr C. V. Hill; third officer, Mr O. Flood f fourth officer, Mr J. Blyth; purser, Mr W. B. Cunningham ; assistant purser, Mr -C. A. Campbell. The cause of the fire is attributed to spontaneous combustion taking place among the flax. The horses were for Melbourne. ' There was a rumour in town, on Monday to the effect that, the fire on the Warrimoo 'was not caused by spontaneous combustion at all, but this theory is in no way borne out by facts as elicited by our reporter. Everything would seem to point to a combustion of Wellington flax 1 as the sole and primary cause of the tire. The Warrimoo on this trip shipped less coal -even than usual, taking in only 770 tons as against 2000 tons the trip before. When the Union Steam Ship offices opened on Monday morning ft was announced that the Warrimoo would not be able to leave on her voyage. There was an idea of transhipping passengers on to a spare steamer, but yesterday afternoon it ■ was decided to abandon the Melbourne trip this week. Passengers will proceed by the Manuka. The Warrimoo will, after pumping dry, be unloaded and probably docked a* Port Chalmers for survey. Her cargo will be taken on by tramp steamer.