The Hawaiian gazette., 1912-03-29
.MANGH0RIA FIRE DID
THOUSANDS IN DAMAGE
Flames Discovered by Chinese
Sea Cocks Opened as
Last Resort.

Mancharia yesterday afternoon caused
the death of Fireman Thomas Ahearn
of Company S5. After the fire engines
had left the scene it was discovered at
his company headquarters that Ahearn
was missing and at 10;30 O'Clock
search of the lower hold of the vessel
by his captain, Michael Drury, revealed
the body.
The flames were discovered on the
vessel at one o'clock yesterday after
noon by Chinese members of the crew.
The fire caused damage which will de.
/ lay the sailing of the Manchuria forty
eight hours, if not more. This will al
low the liner to sail on Thursday after.
noon, its regular time calling for de.
parture at one O'Clock Tuesday after
noon.
The blaze originated in a lot of baled
cotton in lower hold No. 4. Despite
the fact that seven streams of water
from the fireboat Dennis 7. Sullivan
and tea streams of water from five fire
engines on the pier were turned into
the hold, little progress was made un.
| til five o clock, when the sea cock on
the starboard side of the steamship
was opened and flood of water let
into the hold. The flames were finally
extinguished at I'LL o'clock, after the
vessel had been alternately listed to
starboard and port so that the water
flooded all of the burning cargo.
Until the sea cock was opened the
steamship was listed heavily to star
board, the lifeboats on the starboard
side almost striking against the roof
of the dock. When the sea cock was
closed the water rushed to the port
side of the vessel and the great steam
ship listed to port. Lines had to be
put out to the piers at either side to
prevent her turning over.
Overcome by Smoke.
Two fremen, Lieutenant Beckman of
engine 35, and Lieutenant Lavaroni of
engine IL, were slightly injured, and
dozen firemen overcome temporarily
by smoke during the fighting of the
| fire.
1t was only possible for firemen to
work in the thick black smoke in the
hold by using the new Dragon helmets.
They were used for the first time in
San Francisco.
Estimates of the loss vary from
$4,000 upward. The fire burned all
afternoon and till after dark.
In addition to the cotton in the hold,
about 500 bales of 1000 pounds each,
there were quartermasters' supplies
consigned to Cavite. Other cargo was
general merchandise for Manila.
I While the fremen were fighting their
and great clouds of black smoke were
vol hn xxyhila fx,a Era
engines and fireboat were pumping
thousands of gallons of water into the
vessel and excitement ran high, mem.
bers of the Chinese crew sat calmly on
the after deck of the steamship eating
rice. The Chinese barber did not cease
his work for an instant during the en-
tire time of the fre-fghting, paying
practically no attention to the fire.
Lieutenant John Stone of the Gus
toms service sent his full crew of in
spectors to the pier when the fire was
discovered, and the customs officers pa
trolled the ship and the dock to pre-
vent smuggling during the excitement
attendant upon the fire.
Chinese summing themselves on the
afterdeck of the steamship discovered
the fire. The hatch of hold No. was
battened down, but smoke was seen
issuing from the edges of the covering.
Second Officer Calvert Varty was the
officer on duty at the time and he took
charge of affairs. He called Captain
Ryland brennan, the relief captain in
command, and the crew of 260 Chinese
and Is whites was put to work with
the small hose on the vessel.
Captain Pillsbury, on the ground
that the vessel was a mail steamer, in
behalf of the marine underwriters al
lowed Superintendent Chisholm to make
arrangements for the immediate dis
charge of the burned cargo. Stevedor-
ing gangs were ordered, and will work
night and day to bring out the burned
stuff. AS it took day and half to
stow the cargo, it is believed it will
take two days to discharge it, owing to
the fact that the water had swelled the
cotton to such an extent that the dis
charge will be materially delayed.
List to Port Dangerous.
When the eighteen streams of the fire
department proved of slight avail and
the water poured into the hold, all went
to the starboard side, giving the vessel
dangerous list to starboard and not
stopping the fire on the port side, the
pOit sedCOch5 were upchou anu Ihc III
rushing food caused the vessel to list
heavily to port. The water all rushing
to the port side quenched the flames
there, but the starboard cargo again
broke out in flames. The starboard sea-
cocks were opened and the food rushed
in, again listing the vessel to starboard.
This proved the best move in fighting
the flames.
In the first list to port the liner went
over SO suddenly that the three tug
boats on this side were in danger. The
freboat Dennis T. Sullivan, moored to
the liner, cast off its lines just as the
lifeboats and davits of the liner were
erunching against the fireboat Is stacks.
In veering off, the Sullivan broke one
of the fire ladders which had been lying
through freight port.
The work of discharging the burned
cargo went on quickly last night and
indications at late hour were that