FIRE ON WOOLSHIPS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1855, 8 September 1906, Page 4

FIRE ON WOOLSHIPS.

PRESS ASSOCIATION Ohristohuiob, last night. Before tbo Wool Commission to-day Mr Jno. McArthur, St. J tints, Amuri, said he had tarn a stock and station owner far in my years. Ho had net known of sheep being ebo n wet, shearers ineistiog on the ehrep being dry. Ho hal never known them to be compelled to shear wet sheop. Too shed minag r decided whether the (■beep were wet cr dry. Their practice was to allow the sheirers to appoint an umpire n fny dispute, He had not known wet wool to bo sent away, ar.d had had no heatieg in his woo! Waggons wore used lo carry the worl to Ihs railway, and thero was qoilo sufficient !o protect the wool, aid nono boearno wet in transit. An ia pictor at each port wou'd bo valuable, and a tax of 21 a brio would provide the s.larv. Ho would fsvor uu in'peoior at all scouiiDg wo k*. Mr EL Atkins, foreman felltnonger of tho Chrislohuroh M nit Company, said he had heard that some of the company’s wool was damaged in a toconi fire. The bales reported as heatad in tho osntro c n’aiocd jftt Wishirgs and pelts. In the company’s miming process there wero frequent wnbiDgs lo completely destroy the efi ct of aoy lime or chemical mixture used in tbo preparation of skins. Tho wool was thoroughly dried, but would loidily a', so-b any moisture afier leaving ho drier. The heet os it left tho drier was 190 d grees, and ha bslievod it would br q iito safe fo: a bale of wool as soon as it left tbo drier to to 6hipp;d. In regard lo tbo Gothic fire ho hod no definite information, but if tbo boating reemrod in the mi Idle t f a dump it might havo been duo to the ends of two bales having been wet in tho transit fr, m the works and to those ends boirg dumped together. Mr B. W. Hood, Hanmor, said ho had had experience of wool catching fire. He wsb oerting wool io Central Otigoin 1876. It had been a wet seaeoD, and sotno stations bad fiuished shearing before they ootid get any wool away. He took the last load from a certain station, and on the way found tbo wool very hot. They wero travellit g ! n a high wind, and ho suddenly found smoko issuing between the bales. Ho could not g.t water and turned the bales efi the waggOD. Tho wool burst into flsmes. Soyen bales that were hand pressed wero sated out of thirty on the waggon. Tbo insurance company made an erquiry, but wero satisfied tho fire was due simply to the wool heating.