Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-03-25
DANGEROUS CARGoES.

DANGEROUS CARGoES.
Cotton, Coffee and Pine Panking Are
the Most Dreaded.
It might be imagined that ship own
ers and sailors would object most
strongly to oil as a cargo for their
vessels. Oil is. of course, a dangerous
freight. but when properly tanked 1t
seems to contain an element of risk
less than that which Is entailed by
some other articles.
Cotton, for instance, Is not looked
upon with favor. 1t is especially LA
BILE to spontaneous combustion. A pile
Of oily cotton waste left in a moe ar
ately warm room will set fire spon-
taneously. Many a factory on shore
has been burnt from this simple cause
Cotton is, of course, usually loaded
at southern ports. where other staples
are turpentine and rosin. The steamer
Manchester Merchant had truly ter
rible experience in January. 1903. on
her homeward voyage from New Or
leans, when her mixed cargo of these
three commodities caught fire. The
ship was almost in sight of the Irish
coast when the flames burst forth.
The crew at once attempted to jetti-
son the cargo but the volumes OF
dense black, resinous smoke drove
them back.
The heat became terrific, and a Sec
ond danger threatened, for the acrid
fumes penetrated to the engine room
and rendered working below impossi-
BILE.
The captain tried sinking the steam
er by the stern, but the water failed
to reach the burning cargo. The decks
were red-hot, and the crew only half
conscious from heat and smoke wher
the steamer entered Dingle bay. The
crew escaped in their boats, and the
ship shortly afterward sank.
Another danger of cotton cargo Is
exemplified by the case Of the Danish
ship Euxinia, from Savannah to Brem.
en-, also with a cargo composed prin-
cipally of cotton. The fire was discov-
cred while still four days out from the
English coast. The crew proceeded to
deluge the cotton with water.
Now cotton, especially when tightly
baled, absorbs enormous quantities OF
water. One by one the bales went to
pieces, and the cotton, swelling enor-
mously, threatened to burst the sides
Of the ship.
Eventually, however, the crew sue
ceeded in navigating the steamer into
Plymouth, where with aid from the
shore the fire was at last eXtinguished
Governor Grey Wilson, Of the Falk-
land Islands, relates a very curious
mishap caused to a ship which put in
to the main island for repairs. She
was q Chilian vessel, bound from Eu.
rope with a cargo mainly composed oi
sulphuric acid. This was contained ir
iron drums which were packed ir
chalk.
Whoever was responsible for this
cargo must have been singularly ig-
norant of the properties of sulphurit
acid 1t ate through the drums. and
acting chemically upon the chalk, il
formed so much carbonic acid gas thai
eventually the matches blew off. Their
the rest of the acid dripped down tc
the bottom of the ship, and corrodeC
her iron frame so badly that she could
not continue her voyage.
Cargoes that give off gases or fumes
are always dangerous. One day last
year two bargemen were found in the
cabin of their vessel on the Thames
under curious circumstances.
The two were seen to go aboard of
Honduras wharf at midnight, with the
intention of having their supper, sleep
ing aboard and getting off with the
morning tide. They engaged a man tc
rouse them at 7 o'clock. The man, go
ing aboard, descended the companion
ladder, and half way down stumbled
over the blackened remains of the
skipper. On the floor below lay the
other man. also dead. The barge was
laden with re1uSe, anu IL was louio
that the two unfortunate men had
been suffocated by the noXious gases
thrown off from the cargo.
Of cargoes not absolutely dangerous
to the vessel itself. but even more de-
tested by the sailors themselves thar
more perilous articles, coffee is one ol
the worst. The green berry has pc
culiar smell, which, though pleasant
in small quantities, becomes horrlbl!
nuuseous. Eventually the odor seems
to impregnate everything aboard, and
the crew become unable to eat, anc
sometimes suffer seriously, indeed.
Another cargo Objectionable for
similar reason is pine planking. The
rosin or turpentine from the wooo
seems to pervade everything especial
" the drinking water. 1t is Impossible
to get the flavor out Of ones mouth
Men have been known to die of fever
caused by the thirst consequent on re-
fusing to drink the tainted water
Pearsons Weekly.