"BLOW UP" ON S.S. MAITAI.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1833, 20 August 1913, Page 6

"BLOW UP" ON S.S. MAITAI.

STEAMPIPE BURSTS. Volumes of stoam (necompani<rf by fl [ioafening noiso) were to be seen isstung from the onyine-room of tlio Union Com* pany's Maitai as slio lay at tho Queen 0 Wharf last evening, Naturally the msturbance" attracted people to the whan, and the fccono was a rather etribiiff one. White clouds of steam were shooting upwards, and hardly any part pf tho vessels funnel could bo seen. Tim first stage of tlio "eruption commenced at about 5.15 p.m., when ji few jets wore seen issuing from the stokehold gratings. Almost immediately three loud reports-were hoard, nnd from about 5.20 till 5.45 p.m. steam bellowed out of the rents in a burst ste&inpipo. At. that time, the Maitai was about to cast off from tlio wharf, outwards bound for Lyttolton, ana a full head of steam had been rami in the boilers. It was presently madie known that something had carried away, but (no extent of the damage could not bo ascertoined till tho boiler had bwn practioaily emptied. As soon as the blowout commenced, and the affected , .Y"! "isolated," awl when danger of had passod, tho engineers managed to etnit off tho ccck connecting stcampipo and bU lt OT was then found tint an auxiliary stcampipo.loading from ono of thej main boilers had burst. As this pipo led up to tho wholo of the dock machinery, it ras decided that the vessel should not leave Wellington last evening, and her depart,.l "or Lyttelton has been postponed till 3 p.m. to-day. lassengors for fiVttelton were sent south by tho Mararoa 'iCdamagcd steampine was brought ashore for repairs, but it was found thot a new pipe was necossary.