Port Moresby's Spectacular Waterfront Fire
p. 47 · Read in the full issue
Mrs. Harold Short is returning to *apua in August, after a period in lustralia for medical treatment. As iillian Stephens, one of the earliest romen graduates of Adelaide Uni ersity, and among the first Aus ralian women at the Sorbonn 0 , arts. she held College appointments
in Australia and India. In 1926, she married an LMS missionary in Papua. There her linguistic experi ence was useful in compiling a Vocabulary and Grammar of the main language of Hood Peninsula, and a translation of the New Testa ment. She will rejoin her husband,
who has retired from the mission to a plantation on Paira Point, Beagle Bay, Papua. • The SS Fleethank left Apia on June 13 with 1,500 tons of copra and 300 tons of cocoabeans for the United Kingdom on board.
Port Moresby's most spectacular fire for ears started about 2.30 p.m. on June 16, nknown to most Moresby residents who were ingoing about their normal Saturday afternoon usiness. The fire was in No. 1 Customs [?]hed n the waterfront in which was stored the major portion of goods discharged just a few ays previously from MV "Malekula". Value
of the goods destroyed is believed to be about £60,000. Unofficial early estimates of the total fire damage were around £250,000 - which seems exaggerated.
Firemen could see immediately that there was no chance of saving the building but con centrated on saving those adjacent to it and in this they were entirely successful. A
building less than 30 feet from the Customs shed was scarcely scorched. They also moved 50 drums of petroleum products stacked near the shed.
Our photographs show, left, the shed at height of the blaze- and right, after it was ail over, residents inspect the remains. —Photos by Papuan Prints.