FIRE ON THE MARIPOSA.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 291, 27 April 1889, Page 2

FIRE ON THE MARIPOSA.

A FULLER DESCRIPTION. Ths following graphic account of the fire on board the Mariposa is from the pen of a wellknown journalist, who was a passenger :— The Mariposa left the Queen-street JVharf at a quarter-past three on Monday, thb 22nd April, with the San Francisco mails, 130 cabin passenger, and about 70 steerage passengers, and a cargo including 500 bales of flax. She went away with a good southwesterly breeze behind her, and made 14 knots for a good part of the night. All went well, except that there were great complaints of overcrowding, every berth in the ship being occupied, and many passengers having no accommodation at all, though they Imagined that they had secured berths weeks ago when they paid for their passages. The night was beautifully fine and the steamer spanked along very steadily till between five and six on Tuesday morning, when she began to roll and to slacken her speed. Passengers who went on deck to see what was the matter, found that she was not steaming, but just lopping along under mainsail, main-topsail and main top gallantsail. In answer to inquiries as to the cause of this, the officers were very reticent, merely saying with an air of indifference that speed had been slackened for a bit for some purpose, but that she would soon go ahead again. It was at once noticed, nevertheless, that something very unusual had occurred or was going on. The deck forward of the pilot house, which ordinarily forms part of the cabin passengers’ promenade, was divided off by a cable, none of the crew were to be seen anywhere about the ship except around the fore hatch, where a number of them wers gathered under the command of Capt. Hayward, of the Mariposa, apparently working with all their might and main at some operations in the forehold, while hose pipes lay all along the deck, through which water was being pumped by the donkey engine forward. Smoke and steam were issuing from the fore hatch, and though no passengers were allowed to go forward, it soon became known that the cargo was on fire. At this time most of the passengers were still in bed or in the bath-rooms, and the few who came on deck and learnt the state of the case were easily made to understand the necessity for self-control and for making as light of the matter as possible, so as to avoid a panic, especially among tbs womsn and children, who numbered between SO and 60. One or two ladies sleeping in the deck cabins were aroused, and came out in a state of alarm, but were quieted by assurances that there was no danger! -and all, without a ■ingle exoeption, behaved admirably, By degress the news was quietly mada known to all on board that the flax had taken fire by aponransous combustion, but that the fire had been quickly discovered and affective measures were being taken for suppressing it, Not ths slightest panic or disorder of any description occurred, but •verything went on throughout the crowded ship just as if she were steaming safely on her oourse. The tables were laid for break fast and the social hall was well filled with ladles and children by half past seven, Meanwhile the pumping of water into the fore-hatch went on incessantly from three hose-pipes, until the steamer was perceptibly down by the head. About a quarter to eight all sail was taken in and the steamer, after rolling about for a while, went halfspeed ahexd in the teeth of a southerly breeze, which made her ship a good deal of water, It was seen at once that she had been put about and was going back to New Zealand, at this time distant about 200 miles, and for a short time a good deal of uneasiness was felt. The truth was, the fire had gained such a hold, in spite of all efforts to extinguish it, that Captain Hayward deemed it advisable to return to Auckland, instead of running any risk of a catastophe at sea. It happened that there were on board as passengers Captain Mclntyre, of the American ship Red Cross, recently wrecked at Tongatabu, and seventeen of hie crew, and Captain Hayward readily accepted the proffered help of this fine body of men under their own commander.

Even with their assistance, however, the labour in the fore hold was terribly severe. By nine o’clock four men had dropped down in a state of suffocation, and been taken aft unconscious, and several of the officers were very much exhausted, and suffering severely from the smoke which now pervaded the ship. Still, the most complete confidence was felt in Captain Hayward, who never left the forehatch, and whose coolness and firm good sense almost did away with tha idea of danger. The boats were got ready without attracting more notice than was necessary, and so well was the appearance of safety maintained that breakfast was served just as usual, and very fairly patronised even by the la lies and the children.

By ten o’clock the work of getting out the flax was in full swing, the men going down in shifts to fix the tackle on the bales in the great heat and stifling atmosphere of the hold, whilst other men and boys rolled them along the deck. This went on all the morning until about 50 bales had been brought up and piled on deck, filling up nearly all the space forward. The flooding of the hold where the flax was stowed went on simultaneously, the watertight compartments being closed. The flax and water and smoke together made it impossible for the passengers to remain on deck, and considerable discomfort ensued, but everybody seemed determined to make the best of it, and some amusement was caused by the children in the social hall playing st a steamer catching fire and having to return to port. By three o'clock the fire was completely under control, there being four feet ot water in the forehold, and the flax being kept saturated with steam. The ship then went full speed ahead for Auckland, where she arrived at 3.30 o'clock on Wednesday morn-

ing. While there is but one opinion as to the admirable conduct of Captain Hayward, his officers and crew, and of Captain Mclntyre and his crew, in doing everything that could be done with the utmost courage and skill, after tho fire broke out, there is a very grave feeling of uneasiness and indignation as to the tremendous risk that was run by flax being shipped in such a condition on a ' steamer with nearly 300 souls on board. The fire must have begun within a very few hours of the ship leaving the wharf, and if it had gained muoh more headway before it was discovered, the great majority of the people on board must have perished. The women and the children alone would have filled the boats, and these would have had little chance of reaching land against the southerly wind and the heavy sea that was running. There is a strong feeling that that 6 ought to be a searching inquiry into the causes of a mishap which narrowly fell short of being a terrible disaster,