FAMOUS LINER BURNED

Taranaki Daily News, 30 January 1931, Page 9

FAMOUS LINER BURNED

EMPRESS OF SCOTLAND. -. :meN-'S -DASH-FOR SAFETY. The total destruction by fire of th® old Canadian Pacific liner, the 25,000ton Empress of Scotland, in which once the Prince of Wales travelled, followed an. outbreak which was discovered iu the ship at Blyth, Northumberland, in December. ' s Desperate attempts Were made to prevent the flames reaching the oil fuel tanks but later these became involved, 300 tons of oil blazing up. Nearly every plate on the port side of the ship was red-hot. Several fire brigades and every available boat equipped with fire appliances fought the flames. The boats were marshalled into a long line 30 yards from the liner. As the tide receded sand was drawn up from the river by the pumps, clogging the fire engines,. The vessel? which was .taken out of service last October, was at Blyth for breaking up. The few men who were on board—six belonging to the skeleton crew and two officials of the 6 hip-breaking company—lest all'their belongings in their dash for safety when the fire .was discovered. One of the ipen who escaped is Mi*. J. Cutler, a donkeyman, of Portsmouth. When daylight broke smoke was pouring out of - every ventilator, and flames were leaping from all parte of the huge super-structure amidships, in which the first-class cabins, ballroom, winter garden and lounges and navigating offices are situated. Clouds of smoke made approach to the vessel from the eastward difficult and hampered the work of the. firemen, who were climbing about on board wearing gas -Oil tanks containing several hundred tons of fuel for the furnaces created an additional source of danger, and every effort was being made to prevent the flames reaching them. Three fire brigades were engaged in fighting the fire. Engines were throwing tons of, water into the burning vessel while numerous jete were being directed from the Blyth Harbour. Commissioner’s vessels. The theory was held that the fire was started by a cigarette end probably thrown down by a yisitof, thousands of whom had inspected the chip. Another likely cause was stated to be the fusing of an electric cable. After carrying on the Canadian Pacific express service from Southampton to Quebec for eight yeans, the Empress of Scotland was sold for £42,000 to Messrs. Hughes Bolckow, of Blyth, for breaking up. She would have provided nine months’ work for the yard, the biggest job that has ever been taken to the port. Her last voyage was made from Quebec' on September 30. During her active, career the vessel had a narrow escape from destruction by fire at Alexandria in 1928. The flames were not extinguished until the wireless operators’ cabin, the wireless room and some of the deck had been destroyed. In 1&25 she was in collision with the cargo vessel Scotteburg near New York,, and last May she went aground on a mud bank in the st, Lawrence River and the passengers had to be ferried ashore. As the old Kaiserin Augusta Victoria, of the HamburgAmerika Line, she was a ship of history and romance. She was surrendered to Britain after the war. When the Empress of Scotland was built in 1905 she was the biggest ship in the world. She was 670 ft. long and had accommodation for 460 flrst-cltos. 454 second, and 500 third-class passengers. When secured by the Canadian Pacific Railway she was turned into a ship for lovers! Yof on her wonderful luxury cruises Cupid, the sea, the sun and the moonlight worked their magic on younw hearts. On one world trip extending for 35,000 miles, 27 engagements were announced among the 400 passengers. The vessel had already several honeymoon couples on board.