The S.S. Kaikoura on Fire.

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 255, 5 March 1894, Page 2

The S.S. Kaikoura on Fire.

MOST OF THE CARGO DAMAGED. NARROW ESCAPE OF THE OFFICERS. [PEE press association." Wh LLINGTON, This Day. The Kaikoura was within two hours' steam of Teneriffe when a fire was discovered in No. 5 hold aft. All preparations were made to copo with it, ancl on reaching the anchorage a hatch was taken off. From the volume of smoke whicii poured out it was clearly seen the fire had a good hold. The hatch was put on again and everything made airtight, then the hose were turned on. It was hoped a small depth of water would have choked the flames, but it rose steadily foot by foot, aud still the smoke poured through the chinks all that night. Till noon next day the work of Hooding went on ; but it was not till the hold was entirely full that the fire was extinguished. It was afterwards found the fire had worked its way upwards and reached the top of the cargo, aud then ignited the deck beams. This was all the damage to the ship, but the cargo is badly damj.g;d, except grindstones and such ware. So far as could bo ascertained, the fire b *gan among somo cases of drapery, but there is nothiug to show what caused it. A striking incident of this fire was that the wholo of the officers, except the Captain, nearly lost their lives while searching for the exact location of the tire. They were overpowered, one after the other, by the pungent smoke, and as each sprang to the rescue he iv turn fell choked. Captain Forbes eventually managed to get them up, and he was the only oue not affected. All five of them were laid ou the deck side by side, apparently dead, and only recovered after two hours' treatment.