Cause of P. Moresby Copra Fire
pp. 35-36 · Read in the full issue
Welder Sparks
From Our Own Correspondent
Port Moresby. Dec. 14.
SITTING as Coroner, Mr. W. R.
Humphries, R.M., inquired into the cause of the fire which, on November 10, destroyed the Burns, Philp copra shed and copra at Port Moresby; and found: “That the fire was caused by sparks from an oxy-acetylene torch falling, ac cidentally, on to a stack of copra in the copra store.”
The torch was being used to cut through some of the steel purlins, in order to fit a ventilator to the roof of the shed. Despite precautions, sparks fell on unprotected bags of copra and ignited them.
The Coroner paid warm tribute to the efforts of volunteers, both European and native, who fought the fire at consider able risk to themselves, and many of whom sustained burns in preventing the flames from spreading to adjoining build ings.
Mr. Robert Rudland Bode, only son of Mrs. and the late Mr. R. R. Bode, for merly of Hawaii and now of Suva, Fiji, recently married Miss Jean Macindoe at Holy Trinity Pro-Cathedral, Suva.