FIRE ON THE WAIMATE.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 4 December 1901, Page 3

FIRE ON THE WAIMATE.

Serious Damage Done.

Fire Still Burning

(per press association)

Napier, This Day.

A fire broke out aboard the Waimate at 7.30. The crew resolutely grappled with the outbreak, but the flames suddenly gained on them. At 9.30 rockets were sent up for assistance, and the Harbor Master promptly had the pilot boat aitd crew in readiness to go out, but finding that the signals had apparently ceased, no immediate action was taken.

The signals, however, were repeated just after 11, and the pilot then proceeded to the vessel to ascertain the cause of distress, but when about half way to the steamer the pilot was met by a boat from the Grassmere, the crew of which informed the Harbor Master that the Waimate was afire, and the assistance of the fire brigade was required. The pilot's boat returned with all speed to the Spit, and in quick time the Aburiri with the brigade aboard was on its way to the burning ship. Oa er.ival, great volumes of smoke were issuing from the Waimate. No time was lost by the brigade in getting the hose to work. Great efforts were made to locate the seat of the fire which was in No 4 hold. Man after man decended in turn protected by respirators, but as each came up he reported the fire still burning strongly, and that it was extremely difficult to get a good play of water on to the seat of the fire because of its being on the local deck.

At 3 a>m. the Captain declared that no headway was being made. Another hose was run out, and this fortunately seemed to check the flames, but they broke out with renewed fierceness at 5 a.m.

The Ahuriri came in for a fresh gang of men.

The latest reports state that the fire is still burning strongly. The Waimate had very nearly completed loading here, requiring only about 3,000 bales of wool to finish, and she would probably have left for Auckland to-day. She also has on board a quantity of cargo shipped at Lyttelton, Wellington and Wanganui. The steamer Weka which shortly after eight o'clock took out sixty men to combat the fire on the Waimate, returned at ten o'clock for appliances for pumping carbonic gas into the vessel's hold.

When the Weka left the Waimate fire was still raging fiercely though efforts to confine the flames to No. 4 hold had so far been successful.

The fire broke out in a consignment of flax shipped at Wanganui and stored on the middle deck and m No. 4 hold.

The cargo stored on the lower hold has not, it is believed, been damaged by fire, btit must have suffered greatly from water.

The only cargo in No 4 hold of the Waimate when she left Wellington was 100 casks of tallow shipped at Wanganui.

The latest news from Waimate state that the fire has spread to No. 5 hold, The Hastings steam fire engine is to be sent aboard.