STEAMER ON FIRE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 110, 11 May 1936, Page 7

STEAMER ON FIRE

DAMAGE AT MELBOURNE SHIP IN TASMANIAN SERVICE By Telegraph -Press Association Received May Id, 11.55 p.m MELBOURNE, May Hi. Damage estimated at bcm ven £BOOO and £lO,OOO was caused to the Tasmania passenger steamer J i.oona. 4286 tons, at the River Irith at 11 this morning. A fire, the cause of which is unknown, began in a between A and B docks, near the smoking room. It spread with amazing rapidity through A deck, destroying valuable panelling, fittings, and furniture in many rooms, smashing all the windows and porthole's in A deck. The ship had been undergoing an extensive overhaul at Sydney, whence she only returned on Saturday n readiness to resume the Tasmanian service on Monday. The fire in the early stage? seemed likely to threaten the destruction of the ship. Fortunately the ful crew was aboard anil the fire war promptly attacked with fire extin guishers. The city fire brigade wa: called and the flames were preventer, from reaching below B deck. Two stewards working extinguishers on B <leck had an alarming experience when they were blown through an open door on the side of the ship by the discharge of compressed snukc- and hot air from the vonfined space below. Th* force of the explosion threw them from the ship to the wharf. One theory of the cause is the fusing of electrical wiring. The Taroona, a new vessel recently built for the Tasmanian service, is owned by Tasmanian Steam hips, Ltd., the joint agents being the Union Company and the Iluddart Parker Co. Mr Gray, manager nf vhe Union Co., said he did not think anv structural damage was done.