THEFT & A FIRE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2657, 31 December 1915, Page 5

THEFT & A FIRE

ON R.M.S. CORINTHIC. An alarm of fir© was raised on board the Shaw-Savill R.M.S. Corintbic at 3 a.m. yesterday, and, on investigations being mado by the second officer (MrS v H. Dray), it was discovered that the . outbreak <wm in the surgery. Prompt action with the ship's pateut fire extinguishers prevented any serious development. The Corintliic's surgeon had been away on a fow days' leave, 1 and duriug his absence the surgery had , been locked. When Mr. Drav went to the room to suppress the flames, however, the surgery had all the appearanco of having been visited by burglars. Bandages and cotton-wool had been taken from cupboards and Btrewn all over the floor, while the medicine chests had been forced open and surgical instruments valued at about £100 were missing. Admittance to the room had apparently been gained through the surgeryporthole, A light had probably been used, and it is surmised that either a lighted match or sparks from a cigarette or pipe lad fallen on the floor and ignited tho bandages, cottonWool, etc. When the intruders realised what had happened they must have made a hurried exit by way of the porthole, as tho door was still locked when the fife attracted notice. The matter was placed in the hands of tho police, and later in the day Detective-Sergeants Rawle and Lewis recovered most of tho missing property in ' boats .on tho Corinthic's deck. The detectives arrested two ;nen in connection with the occurrence, and these men aro to be charged in the Magistrate's Co.ur.t .this