BURNING OIL.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 April 1924, Page 3

BURNING OIL.

STEAMER CATCHES EURE. THREE FIREMEN KII.LED. •AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CAItLE ASSOCIATION (Received this day at 10.45 a.in.) ADELAIDE. April 2S. The steamer City of Singapore, with seven hundred tons of undischarged petrol and other oiis from Now York, caught fire at eight o’clock on Saturday night as the remit of which three firemen were killed and twelve oilier persons injured. The names ui ihe dead are James Hickey, aged 22. Ucorge James Anderson 23. Albert Greenmail 29. The ship’s master said the fire broke out in No 4 hold containing 9,03(1 (Uses of motor spirit. He had no idea how the lire orginateh. When in lot med of the position tile captain ordered the hold to he Hooded. The strenuous oll'arts of the officers and crow to stifle ihe flames failed, and all the seaport, as '-d 1 as Lite Metropolitan Fire Brigades were -con on the

scene. A huge stream cf water poured into the ve-sol in (he hup'

checking lhe outbreak, before Cue are reached the more inllainmahle oils. ..a explosion was feared, but- neither firemen, officers or crew Hmelied. Shortly before eleven, a terrific explosion occurred, the timbers being blown high into the air. The side of a shod twenty yards away was blown in. Ihe top of a cowl from the ventilator was thrown u distance of four hundred yards. Heroic efforts -were made by all hands to rescue the men entombed below, despite the frequent occurrence of minor explosions. Further aft in No 5 held, a qauiititv of wheat was so thoroughly saturated with water that it prevented the Haines spreading lo b>nr thousand cases of benzine in No (5 hold. By Sunday afternoon No -I hold wus completely burnt out. including the coal hunkers. The shill’s hack was broken amidships, while aft she is resting on mud with her hows high in the air.