HARTINGTON FIRE.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 July 1923, Page 4

HARTINGTON FIRE.

A GRIM EIGHT. SYDNEY, July I j Ti... i hnlling story o' the gallant j light in I■ -:t I I 'd heat of I he crew ei j the -teaiiivt I lart i ugron. v.hi.c hunk- i er,. caught lire, -hows that the highes! j traditic.il, of the -ea were "pkeM. j The lire was first itt*<•<•' 1 aeon! I' : | o’clock ol! June 2rl h. !-. quote I*' j "Evening New-," c.-ccon-. An inspec- ( lion r.'ea.i .! I bat H-” holi.mi layer- of j coal in Hie i-ros—h'linkcr* were -moo!-] tiering. The Imleli was op -tied up. j ni,,l a line of luise run down, but G’" den-'i.' volumes of '-mole' which belched! fiv-m the hatch amidships grew wor-e. j Efforts were immediately mad" lo j <• r iiWiiv the* bnn»in\>’ <•<-;«! : but tins prnwtl an inrpos-iblo tain and officers th. u set an examphworthy "I the highest iredilien; ol the j sea. The hold was a ranif ■ inferno of j smoke .•mil snip!',n rotis fume-: hut eio-’i j in iurn. the eanlain. idlieers, and chief j engiui'er, volniilocred to go below to! jigbt i he llame--. ! il’e-liims were re-| qni-il imii il, and a hiunaii n ’ay '-y-- j t. m was begun. | of a line armed w ill) a sliovi ! with j wl.ieh to at tempt to sim i a liiriln'r t'i:! I i•»M o'" I he coal. ’1 i-i!-;nl nut - spellI la v tin.'!.: -IP loinntcs in li.-ll 1 hauled again lo the dock, co-ping ami j partiadv inn om—ion-. Then. w ill; a j m- c-uia- at, Vila, il.-i ermina; ain, the ! next i-i imp r. 'id down. .Mihmigh! t!u*y did not -uo'-"i-.! in totally exlln-j gnishing the hlar.e, tiieii* .-li'irts at i least eimliled the stokers t,> continue al their work'. And the safety ol tin’| -hip depcinb-t on the stoking of l L-■ j I’orna. os. The ( hitte-c crew -i-o I by j all the tinii.', and llie morale <■! me j coliipleiic.'iit wa - exi-i'llent t !i ro:;g holt I. j wa- i-i.te mu, I. By Stiii'ht. aiteniisni j the bn ! 1.i.. a d 111 v ill; II!! tile bit i n iug

white hot, and it was then decided to summon assistance, as it would have been impossible to continue stoking had the bulkhead given way. AA'ireless messages were sent out, one of which was picked up by the destroyer Anzac. She rushed to the scene immediately, but when she drew alongside the weather was too rough to permit of a party going aboard. Consequently both ships set sail for Aloreton Bnv.

“For five days, seemingly endless days, we have been fighting the fire. Fighting it for our lives,” said Captain T. A. Xcott, master of the Hartington. “If the bulkheads had collapse-:! we could never have reached, port, because the firemen could not ! have worked in tiro midst of such j snifoeating smoke. "Thank goodness, we managed to j reach Brisbane without the bulkheadgiving way. lint to me it seems a miracle that they have stood the severe te-t. Of course, we have no idea of the extent to which the ship has bean damaged. It is impossible, owing to the smoke, to see anything below-; but 1 think that the damage will not he a- considerable as one might expect.’’ h wa -lated that a bunker lire 01riitTrd up the vessel oil May titli la-i, dining Hie phi from Durban to Thing Kong, hut that on that occasion the blaze was cxlingui-hed before it gain- .-. 1 a Hircuiouing hold. In this instance the danger was nut one ei per sniie.l salelv. but arose from the fact | that within.a tew hours of the time ihe ! ten ir gt qi di'iipp-.' I anchor. Ihe : tvnihtble nd -t:pt»lv would have been i eompletely exhausletl. l.'Lerallv ■j: ahing. Ibcre were Inti a few shovel--i -:!•!'■ a! t mi board. !: '.- not exj) et.-.l that the cargo ! :I, ■ .'mi- w..- ii Id be damaged. alii: . I ; in l ':•• lorv. ai d bold may i k. Hi ::• i -li-.' hi !v f'rum w ater.