FIRE ON TAHITI

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 162, 5 April 1921, Page 6

FIRE ON TAHITI

OUTBREAK BETWEEN LOWER HOLD AND ’TWEEN DECKS

SHIP HAS A LUCKY ESCAPE The subduing of the fire in the forehold of the Tahiti and the subsequent investigation convinced Superintendent H. Tait, of the Wellington Fire Brigade, that the vessel had a lucky escape. When the hatches were lifted tho forehold was found to bo well filled with the fumes from the Clayton chemical engine, and the brigadesmen had a tough time of it before the air cleared. The seat of tho firo was between tho lower hold and the upper ■’tween decks, right in the square of the hatch, and the heat was so great that the hatch covers of the lower hold were burnt through, allowing tho fire to penetrate to the lower hold. The cargo, which was actually touched by the fii;e—in some cases it had burnt two inches into the bales—consisted of 30 bales of wool, -1-0 hales of hemp, 15 bales of rabbit skins, and 50 sacks of grass-seed. No difficulty was experienced in subduing the fire once tho brigade located its seat. • No time was lost during the night in clearing out the damaged cargo from tho square of the hatch. It was carted to tho reclaimed land (near the Clyde Quay Wharf), clusters of electric lights being erected along the waterfront to facilitate the work. Most of the cargo will stand re-conditioning when dry. As showing how near the fire was to'being a very serious outbreak, tho cross-beams of the ['tween decks were quite hot when tho brigadesmen got to work. To facilitate the work of subduing the fire. Superintendent Tait went off to meet the Tahiti on the tug Terawhiti, leaving instructions for the brigade to bo ready as soon as the steamer berthed at tho Taranaki Street Wharf.

Everything Worked Smoothly.

Superintendent Tait, in commenting on the use of chemical fumes at sea, said that whilst they killed the oxygen in the air, and so prevented a spread of flames, they did not reduce the heat unit That was proved by the fact that as soon as the Tahiti’s hatch covers were removed the fire met them. Such fumes would always pr,event men getting at the seat of* a fire, and did not seem to affect the fire at the point of ignition. It was fortunate that the outbreak was discovered so near port. An inquiry into the cause of the firo will be held. At present no cause other than spontaneous combustion in the hemp has been suggested. The comparstive frequency of such fires is causing a little anxiety in some quarters. The damage to tho ship itself, other than the chaired hatch-covers, is negligible. The Union Company hopes to be able to dispatch the Tahiti to San Francisco this afternoon.