A Ship on Fire.

Manawatu Herald, 15 December 1896, Page 2

A Ship on Fire.

About half-past 8 on Friday night the barque Alice lying at the wool jetty was found to be on fire. The fire was found to be in the hold of the vessel in the vicinity of the main hatch. The barque is commanded by Captain Swain. She is 819 tons burden, and is loaded with flax. She ha "3 from New York, and arrived :'.: Lyttelton on the 21st of September, and afterwards sailed for Auckland, where she took in 150 tons of flax. The vessel then came on to Wellington, and arrived here on the 12th of November to complete the' loading of 200 tons more flax for the same firm for Boston, U.S.A. She bad still about 800 bales of flax to load when the fire occurred. Various theories have been advanced as to the probable cause of the outbreak, but probably the moat feasible one is that it was caused by spark from the cook's galley falling into the batch. A nor'-west wind which wa3 blowing all day Friday would direct the sparks right over the hold, and the result, if one fell into the combustible flax, would of course cause a fire. After an hour and a half's hard work the upper hand of the fire had been gained. On Captain Eemsley arriving on the scene he immediately ordered all the iSax that had been i b 'ai'ed and partially burned to bo brought up out of the hold. This I was immediately done by the fire--1 men, assisted by the seamen of the bavqup. It is expected that all of the cargo will have to be removed from the re^sel before ihe will be allowed to proceed to sea again. — N.Z. Time: