Great Fire on Board the Steamer Wairarapa.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XVIII, Issue 1754, 2 November 1885, Page 2

Great Fire on Board the Steamer Wairarapa.

A great sensation was caused at Gisborne on Sunday morning, as the above steamer was seen entering Gisborne amid dense volumes of smoke and sounding signals oi distress with her whistle. Immediately the anchor was dropped the ship’s boats were lowered, and crowds of passengers were seen getting hurriedly into them. The passengers were landed (about 100 in number) and taken in omnibuses and cabs to the hotels. It appears at about daylight on Sunday morning an alarm of lire was raised and the passengers were awakened with the utmost expedition. Several passengers were nearly suffocated in their cabins and bad to rush through smoke and flames for their lives and crowd upon deck. The fire originated in the linen closet and spread through to the ladies’ cabin. It then travelled aft and spread over the whole width of the ship ; the plates on both sides of the vessel got red hot. At one time it was feared that the vessel could not be saved. It was found that the whole centre of the ship for about one fourth of her length was completely gutted, all the woodwork and fittings being destroyed. The engines were kept hard at work to subdue the fiamss, and the water constantly poured on the deck kept the fire from actually bursting through. The flames shot up through the skylights, which were destroyed. It is not known how the fire originated. Some passengers lost nearly all their effects, and it is reported that several were injured by the heat. It is computed that it will cost at least £SOOO to refit the vessel.

'We believe Mr Thomas Kempton, jun., of Greytown, was on board on his way to Auckland for a change.