HARBOUR STEAMER BURNED.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 483, 16 April 1909, Page 9

HARBOUR STEAMER BURNED.

; ; ■UNSUCCESSFUL : FIGHT WITH- THE ■ •:;■-' a-. ! :-/7':;;; : ' : v-FLAMES;">>'- :^ '■'..■•..*;■.-- : * . : tax tw.Beiipa.— Bi'Kcui. EonnnnvnNniisT.i "C;; : '■•'"-',■ ;' ; : ... '.'■ v Dunedln; * April 15. .■.. Only the.-fumiel.of the harbour steamer 'Matariki is-.now visible.'.; of this new-vessel, :built- specially at Auckland 1 towards the end of last year at a'cost of £5000, disappeared at.Portebello early.this "morning as 'a result .of * a mysterious .fire that broko put , in the engine room whilst the vessel lay at the wharf. J. 51'Gill,'ono of the crew, Who acts as'nightwatchman, 'was sleeping .on board. : Ho-was awakened atl a.m, by finding himself, half-stifled with" smoke. Hβ jumped up and found'the!vcssoKon fire. He. called -in ■ assistance from •■ the. Moerangi, which was lying alongside,- and they at once set..going the;Matariki's'nro hose which was all; ill readiness, 'and connected ..frith . tk>; donkey-engine.' • The Moerangi's, deck' lond consisted' partly of benzine, and shewas shifted out' of:.'danger. Mr.v Moss, of : .lhp*,Tarenai," also lent a hand by getting'the'Tarenai's pumpste play on water. But the fire had such a grip of the Matariki men, though they worked as hard as they could, w'ero not able to do anything with it, and Uio explosioh of ■ the kerosene : in the engine-room' was the sign of .final doom. .They.had to drag the burning vessel inte deep'water hnd sink her. 'It-so happened, the tide was low, and she stuck.- Do'all they could'; she burnt: furiously' till the hull : had been, .consumed to thb water's edge, and then tho incoming tide rose arid -smothered, the ~fire. ;.i If /.there : is any .'salvage lit will -bo. in /the engine and boilers/ Tho.causo of thofire te'.ndt' known.;. The blaze ..started .in. the after-hold, .behind the engine; '■■ where .the kerosene for cleaning and for the lamps was stored; but 'Captain Scollay, never kept more than a couple'of tins of kerosene-,, and last nighf. thero. was only'-a tin.and; a 'half. Whilst the '-.explosion" of .the' kerosene - no doubt helped the firo te spread, the kerosene could not have been the cause of /the outbreak, for it; exploded some time after tile men started te-try to put tho fire out. The Matariki cost "within' a fraction "of £5000.. She was insured for £3000 with the New Zealand' Insuranco Company, who aro reinsured in'two or; threo other offices to the extent of £2333 6s. Bd.. Tho Peninsula Shipping Company, is therefore a heavy loser. The company wiirimmediately teko step's to' have the Matariki replaced- by another vessel .oven' more up-te-date, and hope te have her running before next season./ ..'. -.-.■. .- * .* ■