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Show CREW FIGHTS FIRE IN MUNITION CARGO OF U.S. TRANSPORT, I HONOLULU, T. H . Aug. 7 For eight days and nights Captain Eugene McCarthy and the crew of tho big United States Rrmy transport fought and finally conquered a fire In the ship's cargo of munitions, while small arm ammunition, shrapnel, grenades and bombs burst in all directions. It was learned here recently on tho tians-port's tians-port's return from Manila. Smoke was seen first Issuing from ! ono of the forward hatches at ten j o'clock at night, during the ship's last Voyage to the Philippines. The officer 'of the watch sounded a general fire alarm and water was turned Into the hold, where 4 000 tons of ammunition ; of all sizes wero stored. Explosions of munitions in one hatch were taking place every little While" said Captain McCarthy. The cargo there included shrapnel shells, hand grenades. detonating fuses, bombs and small arm ammunition. My men carried case after case of ammunitions, ammu-nitions, lllcely to explode at any minute, min-ute, from the hold and threw them overboard. The hoxes were too hot to handle with bare hands, so the men wore gloves. Lieutenant Bowman, transport quartermaster, was overcome by powder fumes and was confined to his room for several days. "On sereval Occasions i had to m m- euver the Marica before the wind to keep the fire from spreading On the eighth night It got so bad we had j to leave the hold, batten down thej hatchets and turn on the smothering' pipes. We flooded the hold with water) and tw.. nights later the blaze way cm Ingulshed." Captain McCarthy said the explos-1 ives Were loaded at Hobokon iii March and he declared It as his belief that spontaneous combustion started the fire. oo More than half the world s population popula-tion lives within 2500 miles of I long-1 Kong. |