FIRE ON TURAKINA.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1692, 7 March 1913, Page 5

FIRE ON TURAKINA.

VESSEL BEACHED. BUTTER CARGO BURNING. ANXIETY FOR VESSEL'S SAFETY. By Telecrapli—Frees Association—OoDyrisiit Rio de Janeiro, March 5. Tho fire which started iu No. .1 cross bunker in tho lower hold of tho Turakina lui9,'reached tho insulation, and tho butter is burning. Tho hold is being flooded. Tho passengers aro landing. The Turakina has been beached. Tho firo is burning fiercely, and there is anxiety for the safety of the ship. . , UNDERWRITING LOSSES. (Rec. March 7, 0.10 a.m.) London, March G. Tho underwriting interests in tho Turakina total over half a million. Most of the vacancies in tho first and second-class were filled at' Monto Video. Tho reinsurance fluctuated thirty per cent It is hoped at worst that there will be a large salvage. TURAKINA'S OUTWARD CARGO. Turakijia, R.H.S., of tho New Zealand Shipping Company's fleet, which left Wellington for London on February 7, took the following cargo from the undermentioned ports-.—From Lyttelton to London—4342 bales wool, 93 bales sheepskins,

551 casea cheese, 3038 boxes butter, 19 sacks hides, 11 casks pelts, 4 cases rubber, 10,055 carcasses mutt'on, 21,501 carcasses lamb, 48 packages sun dries. From Lyttelton to Goole—79o bales wool. From Lyttelton to

Hull—93B bales wool. From Auckland to London—77G ca«3 clieoso, 21,73G boxes butter. From Duncdin to London—4oo boxes butter. From Wellington to London—lo2l bales wool, 227 casks tallow, 119 casks pelts, 15 casks casings, 2Gt quarters beef, (1320 carcasses lamb, 8338 carcasses lamb, 12 carcasses tegs, 19,815 boxes butter, 13,348 cases cheese, 985 cases shell, 21 packages rubber, 110 sacks seed, 833 tins milk, 958 bales hemp, 48 bales toV, 05 packages general: From Wellington to Monte Video —13 sheep, GO packages ganeral. DAIRY PRODUCE CARGO. The Turakina had in her insulates! holds 15,588 boxc-s of butter and 14.50G crates of cheese from the following ports:

Totals' 45,588 ■ 14,5G8 SOME FURTHER DETAILS. (By Telegraph—ProES Association;) Christchurchj March 6. The Turakina took the following cargo from LytteltonWool, 6070 bales; cheese, 551 cases; 'butter, 3G38 boxes; hides, 1!) sacks; pelts, 4 casks; skins, 93; sundries, 52 packages. The New Zealand Shipping Company,' which owns the vessel, lias been informed that the fir© is ill No. 3 hold. This has two decks, one with a space of G9,030 cubic •feet, .and .the other with 35,500 cubic feet. The messages received by tho company state thnt tho hold which contained tho butter has been destroyed, and that tho vessel has been beached, and. that all passengers arc ashore. It is supposed that the referenco in tho Press Association's message to tho firo reaching tho. insulators, deals with a refrigerating room which lies partly on top of the hold in which the lire broke out. AUCKLAND CARGO. Auckland, March G. The Turakina's cargo includes 21,737 boxes of butter and 400 crates of clieeso from Auckland, its estimated value f.o.b. at Auckland being about J-'GO.OOO. PREVIOUS FIRE ON THE TURAKINA.

Tliero was considerable cxoitcment in Wellington .between 10 and 11 a.m. on October 7, 1907, when it bccamb known that this satn'e vessel—the Turakina— which had left port for London, was returning owing to an outbreak of fire amongst her cargo. The news was received from tlie outer tignal station at about 10.3(1 a.m. on the day in question. The Union Company's Tcrawhiti and the fire brigade's big steam engine were put to work, and 1020 tons of water an hour were thrown into tho hold. The water seemed to liavo no effect, for, about half-past seven the fire was worse th«ja ever. Forks of flamo shot up into tho still evening air, and it looked as if the Turakina would have been gutted. Gradually, however, the ominous red of tho inferno below lost its glow, giving place to ugly black smoko mixed with tho wreathing steam, as in the crater of a volcano. At midnight tho fire was out, and tho pump 3 were stopped a litt-lo ■ later. On one other occasion the Turakina was on.fire. This was some time previous to tho big outbreak described above. Tho first fire was discovered in No. 4 hold, while the liner was berthed at the Glasgow Wharf, Wellington.

Butter Cheese Boxes. Crates. Auckland 21,735 7G7 Patea — 10,GII8 Wellington 9,225 2,473 Lyttclton 8,038' 551 Wanganui 1,300 167 lluiieilin 400 — New Plymouth 9,290 —