Narrative of a Passenger. (BY TELEGRAPH-PRESS ASSSOCIATION.)

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 127, 7 November 1885, Page 4

Narrative of a Passenger. (BY TELEGRAPH-PRESS ASSSOCIATION.)

Wellington, this day A Gi c BnRNE passenger gives the following narrative of the fire : - When the alarm was given through the bulkhead on the upper side of the alley-way which crosses the ehip at this part the fire waB a seething maf-a of white flame, and must have been burning for some time on the other side of the partition before the alarm was given Some of the past>engers were with difficulty aroused from the stupor produced .by the smoke. The ladiea were particularly unfortunate, the greater numoer escaping in a single garment, but were quickly supplied with blankets. He thinks there wa* great neglect Bomewhere, for it was not till the fire had a firm hold and had burnt through the partition that any alarm was given, and ten minuted more delay would have been death to many. Had a watch been kept below, the fire would have been discovered earlier and extinguished with little difficulty. He nays that the boats carried by those large passenger steamers are quite inadequate to accommodate the large number of passengers carried. A rough estimate has been maie, from which it is calculated that the clothing, money, watches, luggage, and effects lost by passengers would be worth about £2,000. Some lost all their clothes but what they stood in. Oi.e man states that he recovered his pocket book, but some notes were taken from it.

Insurance. Dunedin, this day. The Union Company bold one third of the insurance on the vessel, the balance ia distributed in home an1 colonial offices. The total insurance is £51,000. The Union Company have arranged that the through passengers for Sydney from the Wairarapa fhould be provided with accommodation here until the departure of the s s. Kingarooma for that port on Thursday evening next. The Wairarapa had on board 40,000 sovereigns transhipped from the Ionic for the Bank of New Zealand.