Page 2 Advertisements Column 3

Taihape Daily Times, 17 December 1917, Page 2

EXCITEMENT AT LYTTELTON. -A BAEQUENTINE ON FIEE. SUNK IN 33 FEET OF WATEE. CHEISTCHUECH, Dec. 14. A three-masted wooden barqueutine which arrived in New Zealand waters some time ago from an overseas port with a large cargo of benzine, petrol kerosene and other oils, caught fire at her berth in Lyttelton this morning and had to be sunk alongside the wharf. Fortunately her cargo had been discharged. As the vessel is an oversea one, her name may not be published. She was stoutly-built vessel of 991 tons, built forty years ago, She carried a master (Captain Bennett), two mates, a carpenter, sis able-bodied seaman and a cook. At the outbreak of war the vessel was used as a barge in the Alaskan ore trade, but of course the great demand for ships increased her value, considerably and once more she was brought into the blue-water service. She was chartered by the Vacuum Oil Co. By 10.20 a great quantity of smoko was rolling out of the ship, but the good work of the fire figthers soon told. The large discharging-pipe of the Canterbury dredge poured great quantities of of water into the barquentine ’s hold, and this and the leads of water from the dredge Tewheka made the burning ship sink lower and lower in the water. Gradually the vessel listed over to port, and eventually sank in 33ft of water. The vessel is held to the jetty by wire ropes, and is in an upright position. All the vessel’s papers have been saved. Apparently the fire started in the middle hold. It is believed that, thanks to the quantity of ballast in her, and the thickness of her timbering the vessel’s hold is not greatly damaged, and that she can be refloated and repaired without any extraordinary degree of trouble. Wellington; Dec. m. A firq was discovered early this morning in a vessel’s bunkers, but was extinguished by the officers and crew, after an hour and a half’s strenuous work . Real old matured Malt Vinegar! That’s Lotus Brand