, 1875-02-16
A STEAMER ON FIRE.
rliustrntisn OF tho Vh1uo OF Dtsc,n.
fiuc. Coulnras, nnl E0urMEd ON
EkUurI SfIn4

|'NAP7
.,nc. co"!ness' a",.. anu co"r"ed on
1tonru Shlrt
Cdrrtaponafnet o. &c Lond1n 7itnrs.
ARpAmEs, lee u. lsi4.Llno Noyal Nail
Steam Packet C0mpanys blchfnah'p tho Milo
Capt. navets, lets Soatnaaanson ~ % 9n tho After.
noun OF the l7tli OF Decefaber' having on board
0tglltY.etght paseolEerH and . crow Of y hands
all told. After experiencing unusually fiEs
weather for snoh !ifhe a,9 q aae yoar, tho Milo.
aome 900 mllcs to the sout!wsstsard y Of slls
Azores, III nhout lAtlttldo 33 deg north and
Longitude ~ dog. wese' Hlo pses.
od W tho is!afas on tnn s'tefnooh Of
tue 23a nnoas a,I Hao ocloss' ,,ex WMe tao
saoon, tho alatm was given TINT tho ah.p was
on lire. It WINS found TINT t'e cargo ato"cd in
tho after nod immc:laiely anal sno e'lEIno,
rnon' had become ignteh, aha thht TIC lire bad
of ING hold had heeh 'nsneeteu SHORTLY attere
O'CLOCK ny tho mate OF tue ,ind' ~! Wno aiu hot
then perceive anSth,hg anllpa. Inc Hfe VA
ptobablY catlsca ny tho anohtaheous combustion
slowed thefa. All hands wero At once turned up
and, without tho lenst confusion or panic, oretY
1nah took his post During the tifst few da5t
OF tho yoynRo tlo crew ihd boon VOL exercised
A. Tire drill and boat,dflt ny Sapt. NoVett' aud
this training NOW bore good frl.lt. Al! tue
ptitBps we're at once got go'tse' anu I'VE hotea
poured down O. delngo 9f water on the
burning cargo Jhoro ~ probably no omeIgcucI
which more severely tests tue courage and
caractty Of t!io cofntnahdcr aHd inc discipline
mid pluck Of Tho oficcrH and crew than tire ina
skip at sea with large 1l!nher on board nhd
lar from land. Capt. lFayett and hla Ullce1
met the Flrnin on them vel. 90 tnofongh Was
tho discipline and 10 quietly we're tile arrahRo-
mentH carried ont that the lire had been b1rAing
mud the pumps playing q, It tor somo time be-
fore lhrgo section OF tho panBenEera we're
aware that anything VAS wrons' For some
time not the loast IMPRESSION was mado Gu
4hn RI n " }hh
engine pump ahd tho iore-at,d'Rit Uownton
pumps played on 1t without ceasins
Denac Volumes OF mose st1noca1ihg sfnohe con.
tlhnod Lo pour up. ~ d5o O'CLOCK tho ifs
had made such 'say tilat otuorB vera
given to clear away tho boats md got everything
rea3y for lowotlnE them. This work .Wah car.
red out hy gang OF met, ltnAef the third off,
Ger, ass lHtcl by tho seRhsen OF tho lolorophon.
supply OF Nster a,aa PROVISIONS was p.aeea'h
each boat, and n largo nu!nbor OF cork Bwln-
lNing-1ackctB distributed through then. Ihs
ire still continuing to make way, tha magazine
waa opened mid MI tho ''oWaor IN II removed
| Nltor tlio supcrlnte!Menco OF Commander fane.
aud Aont forward. wleie it waH placed untlor Tho
charge Of Mr. Thomas Reynolds, Q bontHWain 10
tho Royal Navy who was oho of tho pnssenEeys
by tho Milo. As tho fire vas now III datgeroua
proximity 10 tho spitit:roon', gang Of volunteers
was organized under the direction OF Capt. Wcls,
and tho tcu hogshea.le Of rum 1t contained were
lotated on dock ready to be thrown overheard
This WAS feat Of somo difficulty Hs tho hlaia
hatchway not being fleo. tlio caalss had to ba
passed. up oy Illo iowor neeh nnn thence tafoae9
tho snloou. The fire st!l! hold Its own, and st
| $50, although m enormous quantity Of wa.ei
| had been pumped Into tho hold, and the carpen-
tor reported feet Of water there great 9uan.
| tity Of tho most suilocating smoke continuedm 70
result. especially by thoHc who know that atorea
immediately uext to the burning .wnste veroa
largo number Of casks Of mnchins oil, nnda
| quantity OF coal IN tarreu haga II the Of! took
rEn1 n n F3r
baek those who we're below batting With ~
fire. Hodonbled exortiona wero now naae. Fol'
! unteerB for tho pumps were called Tor f:on
among tho passengers to relieve the crew. ana
throo gaugs were oEgaulzcd who SGT to Wofk with
q will ut the after DoWnton pump. Midnhipmaa
Lionel Wells, OF tho Be!lerorhon naval oiieet,
| who has not ynt quite 1oachad tho age ef 10
years constituted himself, with universal assent,
| tho director OF operations there. With . nil
ture OF good-slumored bauthage atld ehconthse.
nont ho kont bis mon to their work. Althongh
| but fow OF tho arlnteur pnmpera WORKING unaef
lis directions wore no fortunate aH to merit saa
approval OF his ripe and crticai Judgment
thero woro still fower OF them WHO BAN tue
yonngsters cootesh md courage who were nos
impressed With tue tlought TINT young Ne!s
had in him tho stun Of which Booa sailors eTe
made. 1t is difficult to oyetpr"lse tie coolaesa
courage, anu discl!iho " sue olatSls anu G S.s'
OF tho Nile. from tlle beelnlllnG OF tne Hro Capa
noyott aud hiB chief oAloer, Mr. AamShils
we're working below ln tho very thlckest Q! the
smoke. On tho or'op decS the sr,,,s atmospts.e .e
WAS so dcuse with a'nokot hnd so offensive shaI
it VAS hasdiy posRbo to breathe there. I"!ee
Capt hevot orouFh. On aeeh aGs, anG ue
Ind restored him, lso inststed on aEatn acsceha-
iug TO- tho post Of danGer; HeioW. hr: Aamshts at
Orr tho mate of tho hnla. anu DybDo az aes ~
seaman, with ropes tlcd around tiaom. Gfoim ~
sno - H. ia 1,sJ thc nj, h.rnt imto Hsme
a,as ,va,,t1 hava hnan far hoynul ali hun,n
hclo. and they knew weli,: the risk thsy
an Sfore than once wera Orr aud Dyb-
bcl hauled back i,y tho ropcH attached to them:
scarcely alyo from tho ,,laltity Of smoke thoy had
swallowed, ThrougAoilt tho whole Of tho tr5iug
Luurs of ths fire tue complotest order prevailed,
aud, wero it tho custp1n OF the Royal Mall Com.
pany to hayo i!se once q wopk OH board OF thel'
veseeIs, tho officers aud men ooull not haFs
shown themselves mora au fnlt at tholr work, q
moro cool and collected. Up to half-paAt, y
o'clock tho ire htill held tts own. Az tho shIp
was so1tlng down very much by tho storm, owing
to Tho tons OF water that had been poured into
her, orders we're g!yen to screw down all The
cabin porta OH the lower deck. At length, When