STORY OF FIGHT WITH FIRE AT SEA

Chronicle (Levin), 30 December 1946, Page 2

STORY OF FIGHT WITH FIRE AT SEA

-Pres.t Association

R?/ Tp.lp.nrn.nh.—

AUCKLAND, 4 Dee. 29. "Witli her aff superstrueture blaekened by smoke and steel deck plates ' buckled by the intense heat of a lire which r aged for eiglit days, the Nor- ! wegian motorship Tarn arrived at ! Auckland from Sydney on Saturday. I When the ship was about 40 miles ! south of Dakar on the voyage from Oslo i to Auckland, a fire broke out in her deck cargo of cork which was loaded | at Lisbon for Australia and New Zealand. Passengers and crew fought the flames whieli spread to three holds and destroyed the crew's quarters before it burnt itself out. Oliicers on the ship said on Saturday that the ihe started during the day of j September 2(3 and within a few minutes J tlie whole of the deck aft was» ablaze. ' The offieers and crew of about 2(5, Jieiped by some of the IS passengers, attacked the fire \Vith lioses and trieo to dump the burning cargo overboard. yfany of the men were burned about I the arms and faee as they tried to stop the fire from spreading to a cargo of cork paper and general goods in the ' liolds. The tlames were leaping about I 40 feet into the air as the ship made for ! Dakar at full speed. Two of the six j lifeboats were destroyed and while the ! crew were working on the cargo, the Jiire swept through their quarters dej stroying everything below deck. The heat had set some of the cargo ablaze j and the holds amidship were threatened. Within an hour after the fire began j the ship's steering gear was thrown out of action when the electric cables I were burnt out. Stcered by her engines the ship reached Dakar with ; the fire still burning in three of her ! holds, on the day after the toutbreak began. She lay at Dakar for a week before the lire burnt itself out. A survey made at Dakar sliowed that the ship ivas still seaworthy and she sailed for Capetown where most of the j passengers disembarked, and Australia. ! About 12(5 tons of cork was destroyed in the fire and some of this was to have , been discharged at Auckland. The j ship had about 2000 tons of cork paper ! and general cargo for Auckland and the j quantity of cargo which escaped the lire will not be known uutil a survey is ' made when she is discharging. I The Tarn remained in the stream during the weekend and will go intu doclc tomorrow for a routine survey and cleauing. After discharging at Auckland she will sail for Europe where the damage. caused by the lire : will be repaired.