FIRE ON A BARQUE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIV, Issue 64, 7 March 1902, Page 3

FIRE ON A BARQUE.

PLUCKY CONDUCT OF FIREMEN, NINE RENDERED INSENSIBLE. PHB FBSSS ASSOCIATION. Wellington, March 6. In fighting the fire on the Jes« : r Osborne, tke firemen showed thgreatest plunk and d«t«rmina^io n . They went into the holds in smoke jackets, air being pumped to th*>m for respiration by a haul pump. At l?«s f nine ware rcndeied temp"rarily insensible, and somp, inc'ndine Oaptain Hugo, had to bs tak>n homo in cab? and medical'? attended. Thn v*wel has 11 feat; of water in her fo w*rd hold and ten f/et aft. The firs I«st9d all through th« nieh 1 , but was fully conquered hy the Briende by 5.30 this morning. A number of firemen are, however, still standing hy the vessel incase of a renewal of the outbreak. The barque is now low in the water, her forward part resting on the bottom. The fire spurted amongst the cargo in the forehold, and seems to have bean confined to a spaca pxtpnding from the forepeak to abcu 1- 15 picts abaft the hatchway of the forohold. Tow and woo!, which were stowed together, ar» the principal goods burned, but thß ■water must have affected most of tho rest of the cargo. The Jessie Osborne is an iron barque owned by J. Irving, of Liverpool, and was built 28 yeirs ago. Her cargo consists of 3300 bales of wool, 400 bales of i o®, and 100 tons kauri gum, Tb6 insurance v-due is estimated at about £40,000. The Insurance C'ompinies a»e not yet able to s'ate thn distribution of rinks.