A Steamer on Fire.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7735, 10 February 1905, Page 4

A Steamer on Fire.

The Fiji Times of January 2." says. : —Th» A.11.5.N. Company's inj ter-island steamer Yaralla has been having an unusual amount of bud 1 luck lately, both " abovei and below , water. A week or two ago she had a hole knockea in her bottom out Loma Loraa way, and was put on the ; " hard " at Nuklau for repairs. I These were completed on Friday last and that evening, about six o'clock, the vessel returned to Suva, going alongside the hulk for coal. Nothing wrong was noticed until about 2 a.m., when the third etgineer, who was sleeping in his room in the starboard alleyway near the lamp room, was awakened by suffocating smoke. He at once gave the alarm to the other officers, who were on deck, and the outbreak was at once attacked with hose and buckets. The lamp I room .«ms to have heen when? the ! fire originated, and thence the wind took the flames through the alleyway' i that on the port side also catching. The officers' and engineers' rooms on either side were completely gutted, and the bridge deck also destroyed. Fortunately the vessel was lying stern to winfl. otherwise her saloon . could hardly have escaped. One of | the fire hoses -was useless,as its connection was situated right where the fire was fiercest. The dense smoke | made the work of extinction particj ularly difficult, the men having to go about on their hands and knees, i After some four hours of exhausting .work the lire was subdued and the steamer was warped into the wharf. The heat in the alleyways was intense, the outer paint being burnt off all round, while over the lamproom the iron half-round connecting ! with the upper deck, has cracked through the heat. Tho woodwork inside, cabin fittings, etc., are comiplctely destroyed. The officers and i engineers suffered heavily in the loss jof clothes and effects, the chief officer (Mr Jlcln-tosh) losing valuable property, including nautical instruments. The second ollicer (Mr Hawkes), and third engineer (Mr Porter) suffered a clean sweep of their kits. The origin of the lire is unknown. The damage to the ship will necessitate considerable lepnirs before she can resume her running in the group. Tho ship's company, after-guard, engine room, and fo'-l-ard hands, deserve much commendation for the pluck and perseverance they displayed under very trying circumstances.