A FIRE AT SEA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81891, 21 November 1906, Page 2

A FIRE AT SEA.

BURNING OF THE HAVERSHAM GRANGE. FOREIGN FUNKS. Per Press Association. Auckland, Novcmbe 20. A member of the crew of the Macatua, in rcfetring to the fire on tho J Haversham Gauge said : "As soon as we got in touch with the burning steamer, we found out that tne fire had been disebveiyd snmewheje m the after-hold, and at the first go oft a lot of the crew and firemen had taken a deadly funk and wore less ;han useless. These fellows were Belgians and other foreign chaps, and just ran about yelling and kicking up so much excitement tuat the skipper reckoned the best thing to ''o with them was to sling overboard some of the boats and drop them into them. This was done, and then the remainder of the crew got going to baule with the flames. They must have had a red-hot time from die pumps, for when we came up with chem the heat of the fire was so great in tho after-part that they, couldn't stand on the decks. You see, she was loaded with kerosene, resin, and turpentine, and when it got fairly going it roared about below th« decks like Kue blazes. As the morning went on, we could see; that the fire was growing stronger, end spreading, but the skipper of , tho burning vessel seemed ta think that he had a good chance' still. As soon, however, as the fire got forward of the engines the crew saw, the game was up, and signalled to us to take them on board. . No sooner did they leave 'her, than the whole ship seemed to burst out like a furnace from stem to stern. It was a great sight, but a terrible one. All the porlß were spouting flame, while the roar and racket of the fire, with the oil and other stuff all alight, sounded to us just like a gala 1 coming along.