HOW FIRES ARE CAUSED AT SEA.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2635, 19 June 1877, Page 3

HOW FIRES ARE CAUSED AT SEA.

Concerning fires at sea, "An Old Sailor" writes- as follows:—i"I have lately made a voyage as passenger in one of ibe regular.AustraUan passenger ships, and I was surprised to find that kerosene oil was used for the cabin and forecastle lamps, and indeed for all the lamps used on board, with the exception of the binnacle and side lamps. This, lam informed, is"now the custom on board nearly all vessels. It is easy, therefore, to conceive how very much the danger of fire has increased on board ship. I used to feel very uncomfortable on seeing the steward or cuddy servants take an old .lantern, ■with: a blazing kerosene lamp in it, down into the' storeroom to: get up the daily quantum of bottled beer, wine, spirits, &c, und, considering the quantity of loose straw which is generally kicking about in the said store-room, it was a mercy we were not burnt at sea, as many others have been, no doubt, from that cause. I do not see any reason why ships' bottled heen, ( wines, <fee, could riot be packed in sawdust instead of straw. Bottled fruits are thus, packed, and the expenses would not be much gre ,ler, if any. I remember also seeing the boatswain of the ship lam speaking of go below one. night in a furious gale of wind to get up a topsail.to replace the one we had just had blown away, and he carried below with him an old lantern with three out of the six panes of glass in it broken, and a kerosene lamp burning brightly enough. Well, hie had. to get his sail out of the between decks, which also contained all the ship's hay, and if Jack had lost his sea legs and gone to leeward mi one of* the heavy lurches with the said lantern, 1 kribyp pretty well.. what must have hap-, pened.before morning. The careless use of- lucifer matches also, by the sailors on board ship is, I feel sure, another fruitful sourceof misfortunes of this kind. Jackis sent below for a block or a piece of, rope, and to save the trouble of taking a lantern -with' him he takes* his box of lucifers and strikes a match or two, aften dropping one in his hurry. The paint - room of a ship should also be, attended to. -Linseed oil and oakum will create spontaneous combustion, and they are often found in close proximity in the paint-locker, for Jack is •fond of wipiDg,his hands and brushes in a little oakum, and throwing the latter into the first corner of tbe locker. The paint store-room could easily be lined with sheet-iron and placed on the upper-deck; and no linseed oil or paraffin or oakum should ever' be stowed together below decks. When drawing o.ff spirits from the lazarette or store-room no light should be taken near the cask. .Tie store-room could be easily lighted by a trunk let down from the deck, having glass in each aide of considerable thickness, and the lamp placed in this trunk would light up the whole of the store-ioom. This is, I believe, the plan adopted for powdermagazines. ■ I should like to say a word or two about ships' boats, their general inefficiency, and the absurd way in which they are generally carried, making the lowering of them an almost impossible feat at night or in a gale of wind.'—Home News.'-". -■ ■:;.■ ■■;•■,.{-• '■■- >■;■.;.■■ ■