On 5th January, 1935 a bale of cotton being lowered into the hold of Georgic II at New York's Pier 54 struck and broke a portable electric light, and then caught fire. The, hold containing 120 bales, was soon ablaze and it took an hour and a half for the ship's crew, several companies of New York City firefighters and two fireboats to extinguish the fire. Georgic's departure was delayed for eight hours as charred and smoking cotton was removed, twenty feet of water was pumped from the hold and an inspection made to determine that the ship was undamaged. No passengers cancelled their passage because of the fire and resultant delay.