CONCERN AROUSED

Chronicle (Levin), 11 March 1946, Page 5

CONCERN AROUSED

Press Assn.

Britak's Shipping Fires ELABQRATE SAEEGUARDS

By Telegraph

-Copyright

Reeeiived., Sunday, 8.15 p.m. ' L.QNDQN, March 10. British troops may be sent to Southampton to guard. the docks, where three of the world)' s, b.iggest liners, the Queen Elizabeth (85^000 t.Qns>„ the Queen Mary (81,000. tons,),, and the- Aquitania (44,000 tons) will in the next few day3 lie- together, says. the' Daiiy MaiL ( . There was no- question of a short-cir-cuit causing the fire aboard the liner Queen Eliz-abeth, because- the> lighting was still in order on the remainder of the promenade deck and was supp-ied rom the same source, said the Cniex Constahl'e of'- Southaanpton. He acided that the fire was confined to three- ba-th-rooms, a lavatory and a eupboard fn the isolation hospital where disinfectants ..-ere stored, which, it is believed', ae counted . for the voTames- of acrid smoke with which the firemen had to contendl The Chief Constable- said r ' ' The fire may prove to he an accFTent, but in ' view of recent happenings xn Liverpoou, we cannot preclud'e the possibility of subotage." Detectives questioned all 814 menroers of the Queen Elizageth's crew xrom the; captain down to the youngest cabinboy. Blaborate precautions were taken not only to safeguard the Queen Elizabeth, but also other famous ves se.s in port, including the Ile de France (43,000 tons), the Alcantara (22,000 tons), the Andes (25,000 tons)), rhe Athlone Castle (.25,000 tons) and the Pasteur (29,000 tons). NO REASONABliE EXPLANATION. The General Manager of the CunardWhite Star Line (Mr. F. Craill) after fche preliminary' inquiry, said:_ "I don't think there is any reasonable explanation for the fire. I don't wsnt t.o say it is sabotage, but certain. views uave been expressed." Home Ofiice- scientist experts have joined Scotland Yard in investigating cne fire. J. B. Firth, Director of thc dome Ofiice Porensic Science Laboratory at Preston |has been called in. Firemen with spotlights strapped to their chests entered the block immediately after the fire was extinguished and searched for clues. Scotland Yard has established an office aboard the liner. Two of the sbip's waiters discovered the fire aand immediately gave. the aiarxn. Emergency squads held the fire in- check until the hrigades, with full equipment, arrived. Members of the crew of the Queen Elizabeth said they would have had great dixficalty in finding the seat o.x the fire if the two waiters had not discovered just where it was. The smoke filled the four decks. A reporter who boarded the vessel said that he found it impossible to get through the smokefilled corridors near the fire. The correspondent of the Evening' News at Southampton says the theory is heing investigated that the fire is the iatest of a series of suspected sabotage attempts made at the docks in the past fortnight. Security control' in the docks which was recently tightened, has been made even more strict. Nobody is allowed in the dock area without a special permit. Civil a-nd military police have heen drafted in. Only high officials are allowed near the Queen Elizabeth 's berth. Special pickets are on duty as an extra precaution following the warning of the Ministry of War Transport to all shipping companies. The fire-fighters were badly hampered by the dense smoke. The whole of Southampton 's fire-fighting force turned out. Fire fioats and 100-ft. ladders were- brought into use and water was oox\red on the promenade deck. Some hrigades came from 30 miles away in case the fire should spread. The lifeboats were lowered to. the level of the portholes to enable the firemen to fight the flames from them. The fire-fighting operatior 5 were directed from the ship's loudspaaker system. Fire broke ..out in the boiler room of,the aircraft-cirrier Victori-ous at Dev- ' enport on Friday night. The crew and dockyard firemen bronght the fire under contvol in less than an hour. An investigation is going on, but the cause is thought to he purely mechanical. The Yictorious, one of the ships engaged to repatriate personnel, was due to sail for Auatraiia about the middle of the month, and the fire damage is not likely to delay her departure.. One member of the- crew was killed and .30 injured, seven dangerously, when an explosion followed a fire aboard the minesweeper Steadfast oft Dover.