IV. — MISCELLANEOUS, 



Art. LV. — Causes of Fires on Shipboard and Elsewhere. 



By J. C. Firth. 



[Read before the Auckland Institute, 17th October, 1892.] 



The occurrence of a fire on the 21st September, 1892, on board 

 the iron ship " Timaru," from the spontaneous combustion of 

 her charcoal insulation, whilst lying in Auckland Harbour, again 

 forcibly directs attention to some of the causes of fires on 

 shipboard, and has induced me to read a paper on the subject 

 before the New Zealand Institute. In this paper 1 shall con- 

 fine my attention to the occurrence and causes of fires on 

 ships arising from spontaneous combustion. I shall not treat 

 upon the numerous fires on coal -ships arising beyond all 

 doubt from the spontaneous combustion of the coal on board, 

 as this branch of the subject does not come within the limits 

 of this inquiry. The increasing wants of our times have called 

 for improved facilities for the preservation of perishable ar- 

 ticles of food, and for their safe transportation from producer 

 to consumer. These objects are secured by freezing and insu- 

 lation ashore and afloat, the insulating-material being char- 

 coal. It has been found, however, that many mysterious 

 fires have occurred in connection with these cooled- chambers 

 both on land and at sea. 



These fires have at length aroused the attention of a por- 

 tion of the sea-going public and of some of the insurance 

 offices, and, unless means can be found to prevent their 

 occurrence, a growing feeling of insecurity amongst passen- 

 gers, with greatly-increased insurance-rates, are certain to 

 result when the danger becomes more fully known. 



The cause of many of these fires is to be found in the 

 material used for insulating purposes — namely, charcoal, 

 which fairly secures insulation, but its tendency to sponta- 

 neous combustion renders its use highly dangerous. Though I 

 have long and carefully studied this subject, I should not have 

 ventured my own opinion on a matter upon the right treat- 

 ment of which the lives of thousands of sea-going people 

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