FIRE ON A STEAMER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 287, 5 December 1901, Page 2

FIRE ON A STEAMER.

BERIOUS CONDITION OF THI WUMATE, AT NAPIER, PUB PUBS ASSOOUTIOK. Napibb, Deoamber 4. A fire broke out aboard the New Zealand Shipping Company's steamer Waimate at 7'30 last night. * The crew resolutely grappled with * the outbreak, but the llamas suddenly gained on them. At 9.30 p.m. rockets were sant np for assihtanc?, and the harbouraiMter" promptly had tbe pilot boat and orew in readiness to go out, but finding the ' - i Had apparently ceased, no,fin' i» 'i t< action was taken. The signals, however, were repeated just after 11, and the pilot boat then proceeded to the vawel to ascertain the cause ot distress,

Wh°n about half-way to the steamer the boit was met by a boat from the' Grassmere, the crew of whioh infoteed the harbmimaster th«t the Waimate was afit e, and tbe aasintan e tf a Fire Brigade was required. The pilot boat returned with all speed to the Spit, and in quick *»r"f the Ahuriri, with the Brigade aboard, was on the way to the burning chip, On arrival, great volumes of nuke were issuing from the Waimata. No time was lost by tbe Brigade in getting a hose to work.

Great efforts were made to locate the seat of tbe fire) which waa in Kb. 4 hold. Man efter man descended in turn, protected by respirators, but aa each came up again be reported that the fire was still burning strongly, sal that it was extremely diffioult to get* good play of water on to tbe seat of the fire because rf its being on the lower deck. ~

At 3 a.m. the captain declared thai no headway was being made, , * Another hose «u ran out, and thf% for a time, seemed to check the hut they broke out with renewed fieroenew at 6 a.m., when the Aburiri oune in for a freeh gang of men. The latest reports state that the fii* is still burning strongly.

The steamer Weka, after eight o'clock took oat 60 men to combat the fire on the Waimate, returned at 10 o'clock for appliances for pumping carbonic gas into the vessel 1 * hold. J ♦

When the Weka left the Wiiwtt the fire wss still raging fisrely, though the efforts to oonfiiie the namei No. 4 hold had thos'far been imntss ful.

The fire broke out in a nrnstpreat of flour shipped at WangMtfi laf stored on the middle deek la Jfa. , hold,

| Tbe cargo stored on the lower deck | has not, it is believed, been by fire, bat must have svffimd greatly by water, | The Waimate had very nearly ooeepleted loading here, requiring only about 3000 sabs of wool to finish, aikl | she would probably have left for Auckland to-day. She also has on bond * quantity of cargo shipped aft Lyttelt»> Wellington sad Wanganui, Wxuunonw, December 4 The only cargo in No. i hold 4 tbe Waimate when she left hen was 100 casks of tallow shipped at Wanganui.'' Tbe litest (2.40 p.m.) neWs from tbe Waimate states that the fiiehts ipraul to No. 5 hold. The Hasting* steam fire engine has been sent aboard.

THE FIRS UNDER CONTROL. Nafixb, Dtoember 4.' It is believed (bat the fire on thf sj). Wuimate b«s pr«oticaljv been got under. At 2 o'olock this afternoontb* batches were battened down, a bole oat '• in the iron bulkhead of No. 4 bold,* pipe put through and ateam driven lot* the hold. This had the effiwt of checking the fire, and at 8 p.m. oar beau mm gas was pumped into the hoMs. Ill* hatches will be opened to-morrow, )mt from p-esent appearances it ii twpat that the fire has been put out. steamers Weka and Ahuriri are Ijiog. | alongside with the Napier anil Pj»,« fir« engines on bo«d ready to wml »•. assistance if needed. *No eetimate of. the damage can be made, nor it Hi known how the fire originared, except. that it was amongst the flax in No. 4 hold. At 11 o'clock to-night nothing further had transpire j, no ' TfigWMrhaving been given and no boat havinlj left the vessel. v