Glasgow And Ships Of The Clyde

Elder Dempster's cargo ship CANADA CAPE is well on fire and beached in Table Bay, Cape Town

   Elder Dempster & Company Limited of Liverpool advise

that they have received a report from Cape Town,

 South Africa, that their 4,286 gross-ton cargo steamer

 CANADA CAPE is well on fire and has been beached in

Table Bay.   The fire is raging in two forward holds and

the situation is critical. 

  The Ships’ owners Marine Superintendent Captain Matyn

from their Cape Town office is on the scene and

directing operations.

   CANADA CAPE has been on the Canada to South African

service since she was built in 1904 and had left Sydney,

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada on 4^th May for

Cape Town.

   The owners had a message from Lloyds in Cape Town

which told that the fire is gaining in intensity.   The fire

is in numbers 1 and 2 holds and the cargo is destroyed.

   Lighters from Cape Town have come alongside and

cargo from numbers 3 and 4 holds is being discharged

into the lighters.   The fire has gutted the steamer forward

of the engine room.

   A later telegram to the owners said that the fire was

discovered in the ship’s coal bunkers on Monday evening

and, despite the efforts of the Fire Brigade, the flames

spread to other parts of the vessel.   CANADA CAPE has

been blazing all day and reports allege that she will be

a constructive total loss.