New Britain herald., 1915-07-08
BRITISH LINER AFIRE
 AT SEA OFF HALIFAX.
Belief That Holt Bomb Placed on
 Minnehaha Started Blaze

uxAAAVA0AN N~sSA wv SASAN FLAMES REPORTED MASTERED sufficient Ammunition Aboard to Sink
 Craft Should Fire Reach It-No
 Passengers, Aboard Il-Fated
 Steamer
 New York, July S.-Frank Holt g last warning voiced through his widow While he lay a suicide in his cell in the Nassau county jail that a steamship would sink at sea July was answered by an explosion aboard the British liner Minnehaha, heavily laden with explosives and inf1a ammable materials, 570 miles southeast of Halifax late yesterday. News of the explosion and resultant fire was re- eeived here today by wireless from her captain.
 The Minnehaha had no passengers aboard. Her crew of approximately 100 men had brought the flames under subjection this afternoon, the captain said in his despatch, and the vessel was heading for Halifax. She was due to arrive there tomorrow morning.
 Captain Caret's Message.
 captain Claret's message read as E follows: Fire caused by explosion. Now under control by suffocation and steam. Much smoke in hold. Deemed s 1t itexpedient to make for Halifax. Due of Chebucto Head g a. m. Friday. Advise agents f,f
 The message came by way of Cape Race.
 The Minnehaha's manifest shows that she had aboard 1000 cases Of ccrdite, 2,SO0 cases of loaded shrap- mel shells. 1, 400 cases of trfnIter tuluol, 5,s4s cases of cartridges and 175 cases of safety cartridges.
 Infiammable Materials.
 Among the infiammable materials aboard with 65 packages of petroleum a,S00 barrels of oil and 1,941 barrels of wax The chemicals included S3 barrels of formaldehyde and 95 bar Tels of boracic acid. There were also aboard 230 horses, 223 cases of auto mobiles and large quantity of zinc and copper plates and products.
 The ship had sufficient animunition aboard, by the. lines admission, to sink her should the flames reach 1t. but whether the blaze in her hold was started by a bomb which Holt had placed there was a matter of pure 4 sconjccture. It was possible that he had done. so, an official stated, but one mans guess on that point was as good as another's, he added.
 . Ammunition Stored Aft.
 Captain Clarets message said that the fire was in No. 8 hold and was hct serious. The ammunition aboard the vessel was stored aft, away from this hold. The cargo in No. 3 hold, it2wasa asserted was of general nature.
 No passengers were aboard the Minnehaha. Her crew numbers ap- proximately one hundred. She was at her pier here about week, taking cr cargo, before she sailed for Lon don last Sunday, July 4. Holt would have had ample time, it was pointed cut, to place bomb aboard the Minnehaha during the five days pre- ceding his attempt on the life of J. F. Morgan, while the vessel was talk ing on cargo here.
 Should Reach Halifax Tomorrow.
 The Minnehaha should reach Hail. fax, it was said, tomorrow forenoon. We exercise, all reasonable precau- tions to prevent the placing of bombs aboard our ships" an officer of the line said today "A guard is on duty day and night at the dock and our own workmen are watched strictly and continuously. Our shipments however, are made up chiefly of large consignments and the chances of load- ing small package, such as one con- taining a bomb would be, are con siderably less than on some other transatlantic vessels"
 Released by British.
 The Minnehaha, requisitioned by the British government since the be- ginning of the European war, was re- leased for the general freight service about two months ago. Since her re- lease she has made two transatlantic trips, carrying each time large gen. erap cargo, containing munitions for war.
 The fire aboard the Minnehaha was caused by an explosion, according to a wireless message received at 12:40 D. na., today from Captain Claret. At that. time the fire was said to have been mastered.
 The Minnehaha sailed from New York July for London by way of Halifax. She carried no passengers.
 The ships crew numbered approxi- mately one hundred