DOOMED SHIP ABLAZE.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 115, 20 June 1914, Page 3

DOOMED SHIP ABLAZE.

OIL VESSEL EXPLODES.

EIGHTEEN CARRIED TO DEATH. ' A story of the sea recalling, though happily jiot rivalling in horror, that of the Volturno, was told when the liner Limerick reached Liverpool. The Limerick, whilst returning to the Mersey port from Adelaide, picked up off Algiers five members of the crew of the ill-fated oil ship Kometa, which, following several violent explosions, sank. Eighteen of her crew, including the captain and all the officers, were killed. The Kometa was bound from the Black Sea to Mediterranean ports. She carried tanks of benzine. She was without a wireless installation, but, as in the case of the Volturno, an international fleet raced to the doomed ship's assistance. Two Terrific Explosions. Soon after the flames were sighted, . two terrific explosions took place, blowing part of the engines, most of the . deck, and the bridge, with the captain and officers on it, high into the air, and, say the survivors, twisting the vessel into the shape of a barrel. It is probable that most of the 18 ' victims were killed in these explosions. The lifeboat of the Limerick picked up the last five men. All had been severely scorched. Although the sea was calm for miles on the lee side of the Kometa, it was ablaze wjth burning benzine. v The rescuers were faced with the greatest difficulty in approaching the v doomed ship. Six naked men were seen gesticulating wildly on the burning forecastle, to which they had been driven by the fierce flames, and bofore they could be taken off one of them threw himself into the sea. Afterwards the Limerick's lifeboat approached, and the other five men, all of whom were Russians, jumped into the water and were brought safely away. Only one of the men who had the good luck to be rescued by the Limerick had any knowledge of! English, and this was so slight that he was unable to converse ■in'the language, but one of the Limerick's crew happened to speak Russian. Bushed on Deck Naked.

This man, from the lips of the terri.fied sailor, learned the story of the disaster. He could not tell how the explosions were caused. He knew only that the crew were awakened by nojse of . the explosion, and rushed, on deck naked, or almost so, to find the vessel on fire amidships. , ■* : A thrilling story was told to a .'' Daily News'' representative by third officer J. C. Watson. "The calamity occurred," he said, ■ ■"when we were off Cape Matifu, near Algiers, on Sunday night, April 26. I was on the bridge of the Limerick about 10.30 when I saw a fire in the direction of Algiers. I told our wireless operator to get into t»uch with the. Algiers station and see what was burning. ;;"We were'informed that there had been an explosion on an oil tank steamer which was believed to be a British vessel from Liverpool which had just left the port. "When we heard this, Captain. Macf arlane, of the Limerick, gave orders for the men to stoke the fires, and when the message was passed round that a Liverpool vessel was in danger the men worked like demons. We raced away to the Kometa, and it was only after wtf had rescued some of the men that we kjew that the vessel was a foreigner. Sea of Flame. '' As wc made towards her a terrific explosion occurred, and the flames appeared to shoot miles into the air, lighting the scene for a great distance round. > I saw what appeared to be a huge mass ,*. of molten metal shoot hundreds of feet ►j into the air, and the oil spread far [.; away on the lee side of. the vessel, a | floating sheet of blue flame. ; "We could see by the light of the flames half a dozen men dancing about stark naked. They were shrieking in agonised tones, and the flames were rapidly encroaching on ,the forecastle head, where they were situated. The plates beneath them were red hot, and when we got them on board the Limerick the solesl of their feet were badly blistered. "As" our lifeboat approached, them, one of the men, the ship's carpenter, jumped into 'the .water. He. had gone raving mad from pain and. fright. The other five also were half demented, and When they threw themselves into the water they were so exhausted that there was great difficulty in picking them up. ,-/';_■ ; Another Explosion.

/'Another explosion took place soon after we had got them all off the vessel, and the steamer was completely burned out, her. hull being burned into the shape of a barrel. '''The flames were visible for more than 20. miles, and we watched them until suddenly they went out—just as a candle is smrffed."