HOW FIRES ARE CAUSED AT SEA.

Dunstan Times, Issue 795, 13 July 1877, Page 4

HOW FIRES ARE CAUSED AT SEA.

o Concerning fires at sea, “An Old Sailor” writes to the Homo News as follows :—“ I have lately made a voyage as passenger in one of the regular Australian passenger ships, and was surprised to find that kerosene oil was used for the cabin and forecastle lamps, and indeed for all the lamps used on hoard, with the exception of the side and b’nnaclo lamps. This, I am infoitned, is now the custom on board nearly all vessels. It is easy, therefore, to conceive how very much the danger of fire has increased on board ship. I used to feel very uncomfortable on seeing the steward or cuddy servants take an old lantern, with a blazing kerosene lamp in it, down into the store-room to get up the daily quantum of bottled beers, wine, spirits, Ac., and, considering the quantity of loose straw which is generally kicking about in the said store-room, it was a mercy we were not burnt at sea, as many others have been, no doubt, from that cause. I do not see any reason why ship’s bottled beer, wines, Ac., canid not be packed in sawdust instead of straw. Bottled fruits are thus packed, and the expenses would not be much greater, if any. I remember also seeing the boatswain of the ship I am speaking of go below one night in a furious gale of wind to get up a topsail to replace the one we had just had blown away, and he carried below with him an old lantern with three out of the six panes of glass in it broken, and a kerosene lamp burning brightly enough. Well, he had to get his sail out of the between decks, which also contained all the ship’s hay, and if Jack had lost his sea legs and gone to leeward in one of the heavy lurches with the said lantern, T know pretty well what must Jhave happened before morning. The careless use of lucifer matches also by the sailors on board ship is, I feel sure, another fruitful source of misfortunes of this kind. Jack is sent below for a block or a piece of rope, and to save the trouble of taking a lantern with him he takes his box of lucifers and strikes one or two, often dropping one in his hurry. The paint-room of a ship should also be attended to. Linseed oil and oakum will create spontaneous combustion, and they are often found in close proximity in the paintlocker. The paint-room could easily be lined with sheet-iron and placed on the upper-deck, and no linseed oil or paraffin or oakum should ever be stowed together below decks. When drawing off spirits from the lazarette or store-room no light should be taken near the cask. The store-room could be easily lighted by a trunk let down from the deck, having glass in each side of considerable thickness, and the lamp placed in this trunk would light up the whole of the store-room. This is, I believe, the plan adopted for powder-magazines. 1 should like to say a word or two about ships’ boats, their general inefficiency, and the absurd way in winch they are generally carried, making the lowering of them an almost impossible feat at night, or in a gale of wind.”