Barque on Fire.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 5903, 23 October 1890, Page 2

Barque on Fire.

THE VESSEL SCUTTLED. Port Chalmers, to-day. A fire broke out this morning: on the barque Rnneo, which is loading kerosene shale for Genoa. She had on board about 1600 tons of the shale, and was expected to sail in a day or two fur her destination. The fire spread rapidly,- tho shale burning very fiercely, and sending forth a dense smoke as well as intense heat. Very great excitement was occasioned. It was i seen to be hopeless to quell the flames in any other mauner than by scuttliug the vessel. Shots were fired at her sides from the volunteers' big guv, but they failed to have any effect beyond making indeuta--1 tions in the vessel's plates. A party of - members of the Torpedo Corps then attached a charge of gun cotton to her bows five feet below the water line. A great explosion occurred and the barque was shaken violently by the shock, a hole of some size being torn in her bows. She at ouce settled down, aud when she touched bottom her bulwarks were just visible above the water, though at high tide only the masts will be visible. | . . . The origin of the tiro, which broke out in the lazaretto is unknown. The shale which was on the deck of the Ranee was shipped at a New South Wales port early in tho year foi Genoa. The ship conveying it was very old and she met with most perverse weather. When away to the south-east of Kew Zealand she encountered a great gale and was so buffetted about that the captain ran for the nearest port, the crew having to spend great exertious at the pumps. Port Chalmers was reached and the cargo discharged. The vessel has been here several months, and was only the other day condemned as being unstaworthy. It was then deoided to forward the shale on to Genoa by the. Ranee.

Nearly all the school houses in G«r* : . ; many have connected with them gymna- ? mums, workrooms, and libraries, while many are provided with bath-rooms. ,It is found that the children's freshness and enjoyment of study are greatly promoted' by occasional showers. Another novelty <>f the newest school buildings are prisoa ells for refractory pupils. The coroner at Stoko-on-Treut has applied to the Home Secretary to know 1 ow. ---;_ to deal with a young incorrigible. r J his ■ boy, 4..V years old, deliberately pushed* Another child into Ihe canul, pausing it o ..'! be drowned, and then coolly told what \q had done. Ho had twice bofovo pushed children into the watb'r, but they wonj ' ' rescu«d. _ ._;//