FIRE ON S.S. MOKOIA.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10964, 6 May 1907, Page 2

FIRE ON S.S. MOKOIA.

(Per Press Association.) DUNEDIN, this day. A quantity of tow shipped at Wellington on Friday last was found to be on fire im the hod of tlie s.s. Mokoia shortly after midnight. Tlie trouble was discovered when the lumpers took the hatches off m order to commence discharge of th^steamer's cargo. It is stated rain was falling when tlie tow was taken aboard at Wellington* wliich would enliance the liability to cause spontaneous combustion. * The fire brigade were summoned and speedily extinguished the fire. The fire on 'the s.s. Mokoia took •lour hours tp suppress. The foreliold oori*f tajtned 51200 .bales of tow and flax, the * rifincigijl shippers being Levin and Co., Pattorsgh nnd Co M an<J Kayo and* Carter, .. ,of WeUinjjjton. The i}hip_ hose* were 'playing Avit^n three minutes of the-dis--covery of the flife. Two. failed to locate the .immediate region of the' outbreak, (bo* it wa«« determined to flood the lower * portion .of the holcL With this end m vieww) toa? of' water was poured int«) the ship, the 'water rising to a depth of 12ft 6in m tlie hold. When the fire -Was extirig*£__hed the work *of .. pumping but the hold* Was carried oh by the crew,' but at noon, when the vessel left for Port dialmers, there was still -ff-f water below. The damage done to the vessel was trifling,- . some of the woodwork on the top deck being burned. A gepral average of five per cent, was collected on the cargo to-day. The insurances on the latter are unknown.