A VESSEL ON FIRE.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 December 1917, Page 5

A VESSEL ON FIRE.

SUNK ALONGSIDE WHABF. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Christchurch, Last Night. A three-masted wooden barqueritine which arrived in New Zealand waters some time ago from an overseas port with a cargo of benzine, petrol, kerosene and other oils, caught Are at her berth in Lyttelton this morning, and had to be sunk alongside the wharf, fortunately her cargo had been unshipped. As the is, an one, her name may not be published. She is a, stoutly built vessel of ()9l tons, built 40 years ago. She carried a master (Captain Bennett), 2 mates, a carpenter, 6 able-bodied seamen and a cook. At the outbreak of war the vessel was used as a barge in the Alaskan ore trade, but, of course, the great demand for ships increased her value considerably, and once more she was brought into blue water service. She was chartered by the Vacuum Oil Company. By 10.20 a great quantity of smoke was rolling out of the ship, but the good work of the fire fighters soon told. The large discharging pipe of the dredge Canterbury poured great quantities of water into the barquentino's hold, and this, and the leads of water from the dredge Te Whaka made the burning vessel sink lower and lower in the water. •Gradually the vessel listed over to port, and I eventually sank in 33 feet of water. | The vessel is held to the jetty by wirer ropes, and is in an upright position. All the vessel's papers have been saved. Apparently the fire started in the middle hold. It is believed that, thanks to the quantity of ballast in her and the thickness of her timbering, the vessel's hold is not greatly damaged, and that she can be refloated and repaired without any extraordinary degree of trouble. '