FIRE ON THE KAIKOURA.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 5 March 1894, Page 2

FIRE ON THE KAIKOURA.

Caiqo Se/iously Damaged. All the OfficeisNtaily Killed, (By Telegraph,—Press Association) WmiNoTON, Monday. When the Ksikoura was within two hours steam of Teneriffe a fire was discovered in her hold. After all preparations had been made to oope wilb it on reaching anchorage, the batch was taken off, From the volume of smoke, which poured out, it was clearly seen that the Are had a good hold, uud the batch wus puton again, and everything made air tight, and the hose put on, It was hoped that a small depth of water would have choked the flameß, but it roso steadily foot by foot, and still tho smoke poured through the chinkß all that night, and till noon next day, The work of flooding wont on, but it wbb not till the hold was entirely full that the fire was extinguished. It was afterwards fouud that thefiro-had worked its way upwards and reached the top of the cargo and then ignited the (look, but this was nil the damage to the ship, although the cargo was badly damaged, 01 course 'all except j at Teneri|o, anil aope afterwards brought on. So far as pould be uscer'iftined the fire bfgan among Borne oa?68 of djapery, jiut there is nothing to show what censed it. The striking part ,ol the accident of this fire waß that the whole ol the ojScorß except the oaptaiu nearly lost their lives, While searching for the exaot locality of tljo fire tliny were overpowered one after the other by the pungent smoke, und, as each sprang to the resoue, lie in turn fell choked. Captain Forbes eventnally managed to get them up, and was the only one not affected. All fiva were laid on deok sido by side, apparently dead, and only recovered after two bourn treatment. '