THE KAIKOURA WHARF FIRE.

Colonist, Volume LXI, Issue 15000, 22 February 1919, Page 2

THE KAIKOURA WHARF FIRE.

A PECULIAR THEORY

An inquiry into the circumstances connected with the destruction by fire of one of the sheds on Kaikoura wliarf on January 9th has been held by Mr. Bailey, S.M., and Coroner, who declined to accept the explanation that the outbreak was caused by a spark from a file struck by an ordinary hammer, fie had, he said' (reports the Christ-church |"Star') made a number of experiments, including the emission of sparks from a file ground on an emery wheel on to cotton v/00l soaked in petrol. The wool ignited, but not the petrol. Dr. Evans. 3h-ofessor o'c Chemistry, of Canterbury College, had made other ■ experiments with petrol ether (more volatile than the liquid alleged to have caused the fire), yet he could not get ignition under the conditions deposed to. There was a i emote- chance that tht« fire had 'been caused as stated, or b.y the ash from, a cigarette (Avhieh the wharfinger may have been.smoking at the time, though He bad no recollection of doing so), but such was not shown.

The verdict was that the main shed at Kaikoura wharf, with the contents thereof, was destroyed by a fire which originated -when the harbourmaster was in the shed, and it is attributed by him to the. ignition-of a tin of petrol (which he was opening) hy a spark struck by a hammer off the file he was using for the purpose of makiag the opening in the_ tin, bub that the Coroner is "not satisfied that the ignition of the petrol was caused in the manner alleoed by the harbourmaster, and there is "no other evidence to show how it occurred.