Bulolo Afire

Out of P-NG Run For 2-3 Months

ON Wednesday, August 29, 48 hours after the Burns Philp motor- liner Bulolo (6,397 tons) arrived in Sydney from Papua-New Guinea, the copra in No. 3 hold was found to be ablaze. Spontaneous combustion is blamed.

Firefighters poured in enormous quantities of water, but the fire got Digger. The liner carried so much water that she developed a iangerous list. Everyone was ordered off, and she was hurriedly xjwed across the harbour to Kero sene Bay and beached in the mud.

After another 24 hours, the fire vas quenched. The water then was mmped out, the Bulolo was hauled >ff the mud, and returned on Friday o her berth at Walsh Bay. As she tfas coming in, she bumped the iner Marinella, and both vessels vere slightly damaged.

The ship has suffered no tructural damage, but there is a :reat deal of general superficial lamage, and destruction especially n No. 3 hold, and in the refrigera i°n section. It is estimated that epairs will take two to three lonths.

The next sailing of the Bulolo was

cancelled at once ai\d the October sailing probably will be: 160 passengers, due to sail north in September, had to make other arrangements.

The worst feature of the accident was the disturbance of arrange ments made to send urgent cargo to Papua-New Guinea, especially foodstuffs and refrigerator items.

The following arrangements were announced within a couple of days by Burns Philp and Co.: ® The freighter Burnside, then loading for Singapore, was in structed to also load refrigerated cargo for Port Moresby. • The Nellore, for the East, also would load refrigerated cargo for New Guinea ports. • Other ships would similarly lift cargo for the Territories. • The Mangola, which was then at Madang, would be brought south as soon as possible, to take over some of the Bulolo’s services.

A Burns Philp spokesman said that the damage to the Bulolo was less than had been at first antici pated.

The first High Commissioner of the American Trust Territory of Micronesia is Mr. Elbert D. Thomas former US Senator from the State of Utah, professor of political science, and a Far Eastern mis sionary for many years.

As an indication of developments, it is noted that TEAL on September 1 took over, in Suva, the office that has been maintained there by NZ National Airways for some years. It will be, for the present, TEAL’s Islands headquarters. Mr. John Wisdom is in charge.