A SENSATIONAL NIGHT

Southland Times, Issue 19194, 4 November 1903, Page 2

A SENSATIONAL NIGHT

" TflE UALLAXT FIUR"M.V> T ." DKIVEN FOR ALL SUE WAS ! WORTH. .SAFETY JUST IN TIME. CAPTAIN TODD EXTOLLED. , Per United Press Association. By Electric Telegraph.— Copyright. SYDNEY. Nov. 3. Tlie pilot steamer Captain Cook arrival tins morning, bringing several passengers of the s.s. OvaUiu. The majority ai'e returning l)\ tho Y.sabel. There is no truth in the statement * that three liremen wore injured. The Ovulau left Norfolk Island at r> p.m. on the IGth October. At <>.3u ( p.m. on the 18th smoke was observed issuing I'm *m the ventilator .in the lore hatch, the cargo there consisting of cropru uiid shell. The. vessel was driven at top speed, and reached Lord Howe Island at daybreak on the 19th. By this time tlje smoke had become very dense, rolling* out oi the ship in great volumes. Water was pumped down the ventilator continuously. The lady passengers were immediately placed in the ship's boats and landed. Many male passengers stayed aboard. At 8.40 the same morning a terrific explosion occurred, resulting in the fore hatch being blown off tho vessel. The flames shot to as high as the forei'mist, and then spread with great rapidity, soon obtaining full mastery. AM hands then took to the boats. The ship's papers and mails. 1 and the greater portion of passengers' iuggage were saved. By the time the boats were clear of the shift she was alight from end to end. The crew had just reached the shore when another tremendous explosion was heard. Apparently the boilers burst. The vessel burned all day. and sank at 4 o'clock the following morning in 11 fathoms of water. The residents on the island treated all with the greatest kindness. Captain Todd is unable to formulate any cause for the origin of the fire. He thinks the lirs£ explosion was due to gas generated by burning copra. When the fire was seen to be serious the boats were swung out, watered and provisioned. The sea was rough at the time, with a head wind, and the vessel, under accelerated speed, dived into the seas and sent the foam over her passengers, who, though terribly anxious as to whether they oould reach Lord^ Howe Island before the flames enveloped the vessel, behaved splendidty; assisting the oflicers and crew in every way possible. The liremen stuck heroically to tho task of keeping up steam, despite tho awful heat and smoke which Tilled tho stokehold of the vessel. An address and purse of KOVerigns were presented to Captain Todd, at Lord Howe Island on behalf of tho passengers. After expressing grateful appreciation of his unremitting attention to their comfort and safet\. the address says: " Your crew should remember with no ordinary gratitude the man who rescued them front ft terrible death, and then remained till the last on the ship, whose sails had already caught lire.' 1 Four of the crew who were asleep in the forecastle had a narrow escape when the lire started, being drugged out' insensible. SYDNEY, Nov. 3. Received Ith, 1.12 a.m. Prior to the iirst explosion Captain Todd. believing it might be possible to keep the iiru smouldering, conceived the idea of pushing on to Syd- ( aoy after leaving the passengers on ! Lord Howe Island, and called for voluntftys oud the crew to a man offered to stick |>y the ship. When it I was seen that the vcswel was doomed i tho engine-room stall responded to | tho chief engineer's call and drew the ; lires, though at the imminent peril of i their lives. ■ . The s.s. Ovalau was built for the Union Company by Messrs- Denny Bios', for the Island trade in 1891. Her length was 230 f t.; breadth. 82ft; depth. 17ft. She had saloon accommodation for GO passengers, furnished in" the company's well-known style, with special provision for ventilation in .view of the 'trade she' was desfgned for. I n .June last the Union Company sold the Ovalau to Messrs Burns. Philp and Co.. of Sydney, who engaged her in the Island trade.