EXPLOSION ON THE KAPUNI

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 166, 9 April 1921, Page 3

EXPLOSION ON THE KAPUNI

NAUTICAL INQUIRY

BENZINE IN THE ENGINE-ROOM

On the afternoon otbJanuary 25, while the s.s. Kapuni was lying at the wharf at Patea. near the West Coast Refrigerating Company's works, an explosion occurred on the vesseel, and yesterday morning an inquiry into the matter was held at the Magistrate's Court. The Court consisted of Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M. (.chairman) and Messrs. David K. Blair and William Hood, engineers. Mr. J. Prendevilie, of the Crown Law Office, appeared for the Marine Department, Mr. J. F. B. Stevenson for the owners of the vessel; and Mr. T. Young for the Seamen's Union. Arthur Peroy Gilwon, master of the Kapuni, stated that the ve-ssel, which was a wooden one, registered at A) ellington, was lying alongside the wharf at Patea on January 25, having arrived from Wellington with general cargo, which did ndt include bemrine, At 3 p.m., while in his cabin, he heard a violent explosion, and on going on deck noticed flames issuing from the engineroom. After seeing that his men wore safe, he assisted in extinguishing the fire. Patent fire-extinguishers were used, but it was some time before the fire was put out. .Walker, the . engineer, and Leitch a fireman, were injured by the explosion. On the night of January 25, » fireman named Brown asked witness to visit the engine-room and enamine < tank, in which witness found benzine. The tank usually contained kerosene. The whole fire was on the port side, in the after end of the engine-room, where all the lubricating oils had been stored. Witness had never, known benzine to have been stored there. Benzine had been frequently earned on the vessel as cargo. ;t .„ Mr Biddell, remarked that the suitability of the vessel for carrying benzine as cargo was not in question. The object of the inquiry was to ascertain whether the explosion was purely accidental, or whether it was caused by someone's neglect. A suggestion was made to the Court that the question of whether the bu kheads were airtight was a matter for suggested that'the sion might have been due to the escape of fumes from the hold in which benzt had been carried. Continuing, the witness said that as a result of the explosion the vessel suffered. no structural damage, and i hat damage was done was practically fined to the paint work. To Mr. Stevenson: Benzine had been carried in the foretold only. The Court: Do you know >'9", ’ he benzine got into the engine-room ?- No, it should not have been there. To Mr. Young: Tho Kapuni was licensed to carry benzine, but no benzine had been carried for two or Jj'l of the vessel prior to the Two bulkheads were erected in the to e hold about twelve mouthy ago, and a water test was .applied. W'-mss the bulkheads' were aiT-hght. He did not think it was possible for »enzine to leak from the hold into the engineworn. The plates in engine-room were displaced by the effects of the exP1 To Mr. Stevenson: He felt certain that the plates were not displaced by the explosion, but were drawn up by the vacuum following the explosion. He tod received no complaints regarding or fumee escaping from the holds. Benzine Instead of Kerosene. William Leitch, fireman on the vessel, said he was on duty in the engineroom on June 25, and was engaged cleaning up. He was told by the chief engineer (Mr. Walker) to get a case of kerosene from the West Coast Reiterating Company. Witness went to th company's store and got a case which he thought was kerosene. He opened the case, took out one of the tins, made two small holes in it, and poured some of the contents into the condenser, the engineer when he smelt the fumes, remarked that he thought witness was using benzine and not kerosene. On examination the case was found to contain benzine. Witness took back the case with the full tin in, and left the other in tho engine-room. He could not remember pouring any of the benzine into the tank. Witness subsequently obtained a case of kerosene, and a few minutes after he got back to the engine-room the explosion occurred. The engineer did not give him any instructions with reject to the opened tin of benzine. To Mr. Stevenson: The order he received from the engineer was to fetch a case of kerosene. Benzine cases were usually marked with the word "benzine but he did not notice that they had distinguishing colour brands. The condenser was about three or - four ice froin the furnace. To Mr. Riddell: He had not noticed fumes of benzine in the engine-room prior to June 25. To. Mr. Young: After he'put some of the benzine in the condenser he placed the tin at the b a ck of the condenser on some boards. There, was no naked light in tho engine-room. He thought he had cleared one of the fires that day. and the ashes were piled on the plates, 'but he could not say whether those were the plates drawn out.

f.mpty Benzine Tin in Engine-room. John Gordon Peterson, chief engineer of the West Coast Refrigerating Co said he remembered Leitch coming to "him with an order for a case oi kerosene. Leitch was given the key ot the store, and told io go and take a case. Leitch went away and some time later camo back and said he had made a mistake, and hod taken benzine instead of kerosene. Leitch was again given the key of the store to get the kerosene. The benzine hnd kerosene were, stored apart in the store, the benzine on the left and the kerosene on the right. I-eitch had previously been to him for kerosene. He did not bear the explosion, but was told, tlyit the Kapuni was on fire, and he immediately made for the vessel. He went down to the engine room, where ho saw the mate and another man with • fire extinguisher and hose; he took the hose and located the fire amongst oil stored at the back of the condenser. He smelt benzine when he went into the engine room, and found an empty benzine tin at the back of the condenser. There was also unopened rese of kerosene’. The empty benwn tin had two hole", but was not knocked ° To Mr. Stevenson: He luad the bilges pumped out. and examined the discharge, but could find no traces of benzine; lubricating oils were in the bilge water. He thought the , fire was caused by pouring benzine into the condensor, the starting of the engine expanded the benzine, and the vapour then given off through the hot well had spread out and ignited pn coming into contact with the fire. The danger arose when the benzine w poured into the condensor. No danger had been done to the engine. To Mr Young: The empty benzine tin w*a*’ Standing undisturbed right alongside the seat of the fire or explosion. The lifting of the plfttw wzw, in his opinion, due to the wuura, and that evidenty accounted for the tin being undisturbed. , \ Before resuming in the afternoon the members of the Court made an .inspection of the engine-room of the KaP Cn resuming. Arthur Beddie, at present engineer of the Kapuni, soul that had to pump the engine holds out <i»rtcr or twice a h^ B opinion, I the bulk-heads were wetertiwki;. |

Benzine in Kerosene Tank. Edward 0. Brown, fireman on the Kapuni, stated that on going into the engine room after the explosion he saw an empty benzine tin. There was' tio benzine .there when he went off duty, and he 'had not previously seen benzine in the engine-room. After the explosion he extracted half a bucket of benzine from the kerosene tank. He had smelt the fumes of benzine in the men’s quarters, but when one of the fore hatches was opened, the fumes could not 'be detected iu the quarters. He had noticed benzine fumes in the engine-room when the fore hold was being pumped, and that, he thought, was due to a falty pump. By fumetP, he simply meant the smell of benzine. Carl Neilson, A.B. on the. Kapuni, stated that he had assisted Mr. son in extinguishing the fire. In the bilge there was a fire which was put out by the hose. To Mr. Young: A few days after the explosion <a water test was applied to the fore bulkhead, and the water escaped through the bulkhead into the .hold in several places. Thomas M. Jackson, mate of the Kapuni, stated that he was sitting on the deck when the explosion occurred. He detailed the steps taken to extinguish the fire, and what he found when examining the engine-room afterwards. To the Court: The man had complained on one or two occasions of the smell of benzine in their quarters. At thio stage the inquiry wae adjourned until April 22, when two additional witnesses will be examined.