Burning of a Ship.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6293, 13 February 1892, Page 2

Burning of a Ship.

SUSPICION RESTS ON SAILORS. Lyttei/ton, last night.— An enquiry into the fire on the ship Everest on the morning of the 30th January was opened before Mr Beetham, R.M., this morning. Sergeant O'Malley conducts and Mr J. C. Martin, Crown Prosecutor, appears on behalf of the Crown. The evidence of Captain Hibbot, master, the first and second officers, and the watchman on board, of the crew, and a member of the fire brigade has been taken, and points to the ship having been wilfully set on fire by some of the crew. A good sum is due to the crew for wages and if the ship were burnt or condemned this would be paid. A tin of kerosene when missed was found after where the fire had broken out, being cut open. The captain noticed a strong smell of kerosene when he went aboard at 11.45 p.m., and thought it was from the cabin lamp. The fire started ot 12.10 o'clock. The jury at the inquiry held as to the fire in the lazarette of the ship Everest on January 30th, returned a verdict that the vessel was set fire by some person unknown, but immediately afterwards Emanuel Font, cook of the ship, was arrested on a charge of arson, and remanded to Wednesday. The evidence showed that he and other members of the crew had incurred debts to a tailor in Lyttelton, who trusted them on the understanding that if the ship was condemned, he would get paid. The crew apparently thought it probable she would be condemned as unseaworthy. On the night of the fire the cook came aboard, and went behind a tank near where the fire began, and remained there several minutes. Soon after the fire broke out he made contradictory statements to the police, and made one of the crew drunk in order to induce him to tell a story about having heard the mate say he had dynamite, and thought to destroy the ship. A kerosene tin usually kept by the cook was found in the lazarette after the fire. It was not there on the previous evening.