EXPLOSION ON A STEAMER.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 January 1921, Page 6

EXPLOSION ON A STEAMER.

NAKED LIGHT IGNITES BENZINE. TWO AIEN INJURED. At about three o’clock on Tuesday afternoon an explosion occurred on the coastal steamer Kapunj, which was loading cheese at the West Coast Refrigerating Company’s wharf at Patea. The explosion was fairly severe, but the material damage done was slight. The engineer, Mr. N. Walker, of Auckland, and the fireman, Air. W. Leech, of Scotland, were severely burned about the arms, head, face and neck, and after being treated on board the ship by Captain Gibson, were taken to the Patea Hospital. The accident was caused through the engineer and fireman mistaking a tin of benzine for a tin of kerosene. It is stated that a case supposed to contain kerosene was taken on board and into the engine-room to refill the kerosenfe tank there. The case, however, was Jfound to contain benzine, and was im-" mediately put ashore again. Another case was brought aboard, and taken down to the engine-room. Whether one tin was kerosene or both were filled with benzine is not known, but when, the .two men were filling the tank the fumes of benzine were ignited by the naked lamp which was burning, and an explosion was the immediate result. The skylight was blown off, but peculiarly enough /the glass was not broken. A of plates in (the stokehold were brought up by the vacuum created, while, the engine-room itself immediately caught fire. Luckily, half a dozen nre extinguishers were handy, and the blaze was soon subdued. .When the explosion occurred the flames shot out of the door leading into the .engine-room, and flew into a small room opposite, blowing one wall of this structure fully an inch or an inch and a half out. The tanks—there are several, and each .for a different kind of oil —stand against the aft bulkhead on the port side of the engine-room, rather high up, and .when being filled it is usual for one of the men to stand on the narrow ladder leading to the platform above the engines. In stumbling up this ladder after the explosion the two occupants of the engine-room were severely burnt, and this made their condition considerably worse than it would otherwise have been.

It was very lucky that the explosion did not occur on the floor of the en-gine-room as the damage would hax/ 1 been far more extensive. The plates and flooring would probably have been blown up and the damage to the ship would have been considerable. It was also fortunate that no one was standing outside the engine-room door or on the platform at the time. Had they been so standing, they would undoubtedly have been severely injured. The report that the explosion was caused through benzine fumes creeping through a leaky bulkhead is stated to have no foundation.

It is understood that the two injured members of the crew are progressing favorably.

The Patea Press, referring to the explosion, says: 'Fortunately, neither the engineer nor the fireman was rendered insensible, but both made a dash up the iron ladders through the flames to the open air. How they managed to travel the distance they did through the flames is a mystery, and their escape from death can be considered little short of marvellous. On emerging on deck the upper portion of Fireman Leech was a mass of fire, his singlet being completely burnt off him, and it was seen at once that he was badly , burnt. Chief Engineer Walker was somewhat better off, being protected by a shirt and waistcoat. He however, was badly burnt about the head and hands, his hair being well alight as he emerged from the engine-room.