The New York herald., 1876-10-08
FIRE ON SHIPBOARD.
The Bark Europa Burned on
the Dry Dock.
We LIVE S LOS
Dreadful SufferingS Of the
Victims.

In event on board a vessel lying port. The trading
bark Europa, OF Bremen, while lying high and dry on
.hc sectional dock at the foot OF Rutgers street. East
River, took lre yesterday morning Almost instantly
ihe flames rushed upward from the hold amidships
whore the fire originated catching the middle hold and
envcoping tho poop deck on the port side aft Some
sixty work in the hold OF the vessel when
the fire broke out A rush made for tho ladders
when the alarm gwen and all but six mado good
their escape. 1t not known that any OF the work.
men left behind, but when the flames were sub
dued the bodies OF i've men were discovered stun In
DEATH tho faces showing plainly the agony or their
sufcrings.
Another IN nforiunate found fearfully burned
About tho head and arms but still alive and moaning
In the most cxcrutiatlng pain. Tho bodies were re-
moved TO the Seventh precinct station house, followed
by numbers OF strangely curious people Tho remains
Of tho victims were identified by their fellow work.
men -
Thomas Ingrahnm. East New York.
Derni. Sullivan, No. 377 East Fourth street
George Gill, No Cannon street
William Furlong No. 81 avenueD.
John Mcdonald, No. 253 Seventh street.
James Casey, the man who was SO iearfully burned
hastily sent to Bellevue Hospital but there is lit
tie hopo OF his recovery. Gill also burned about
the arms and shoulders. but the othors, though
biackencd with SCOT and SMOKE apparently died from
suIocation
Captain Brinkama, OF the Europa. who was on board
when the nrc broke out, made tho following state
ment:-.sMr Hending and myself had Just returned 10
tho cabin to complete short report OF the sur
vcy which he had been making. That was about n
quarter TO eleven. We sat there n moment talking,
when smoke came pulling out OF the cabin hatch, and
Dome cried out, what is thatY Cries of Fire =
same in reply, and in few minutes flames rushed up.
and the scrambled best they could to get out
of tho hold
"Thcre about sixty men in all nt work, most
Of them in the lower hold aud some between decks.
They al ship carpenters engaged IN ovcrhauing
the ships timbcrs cannot say how the fire origin
ated The vessel generally carries large quantities OF
oil, and her decks and hold arc thoroughly soaked
with It, and that accounts for the great rapidty with
which tho flames spread. Four OF the unfortunate
found in the lower hold. One man was
tound between decks. stu living, but SO badly burned
that ho died shortly after"
A SHIP cARpESrER's STORY.
IL among the In tho hold OF the Europa
when the nrc broke out They were hurry to got
her of the dock, and put extra force hands
In the morning did not see the fro break out but
little hemp caught ire In some way, and one OF the
men went up TO get bucket OF water to put II out
The .mssrs Were 50 & OF oil thu. the s spread
for our lives. We were working by candle light The
candles fixed on pieces OF wood standing on the
flooring Ono OF tho told me he another lit
the candle to examine piece OF the timber he had
Just bored to test lis soundness and that piece OF The
No thought much OF It AZ nrsI but 1t spread
so fast could do nothing but save ourselves"
Daniel Casey told the sergeant at the Seventh pre-
cinct that he dropped match which he lighted TO ex-
anime augur hole Just bored and that that was the
cause OF The fire. Ho made this statement between his
from pain and probably meant the lighted candle
TeIerred to above During the day the friends Of ail
tho victims but Thomas ingraham arrived and con-
vcyed the bodies to their homes Tho body oi lngra-
haui, whose residence East New York could be
learned, was sent to tho Morgue.
THE BURNING VESSEL.
Tho bursting OF the confiagration
sudden, and its cxtngushkcnt snguarly rapid,
considering the material which tho devourng eis-
mcnt preycd A column Of smoke. almost inpcr-
ceptibe at first but rapidly hckcning, rose above tho
vessels deck, and IN an incredibly short space OF mo
there ouburst OF flame and dense, black
cloud rolled up, obscuring tho masts ana spars and
floating for time above the crowded shipping moored
crowd thronged TO tho dock the workmen who had
narrowly escaped being imprisoned IN the
their efforts to combat fire. In mo
lncnt engines and hose carriages appeared and the
exunrulshing Of the flames whicn were now gaming
dreadful headway. From the extremity ofthe poop
deck the ire moved forward wreathng around all tho
pillars and uprghts supporting IT. and IN time burst
ing through tho hatchway and charring ihe bull
warks aud spar iImbers. Every exeron was made to
stem its progress, and when the remen had struggled
up to the deck and gained positions the dock along
side 10 turn upon II ihe whole force of the water,
IL began slowly Ticker and finally extinguished,
leaving tho poop deck and beams and flooring be-
tween decks skeleton like ramo of blacsencd timber.
OF course large crowd gathered on tho scene and
the last tongue went and tho
smoke cleared away movement was made by many
toward the dock and vessel, and II required tho
utmost efforts OF the police To preserve srder The
gathering od noNdspcrse TIL the fireman had entered
the hold and raised the deck leess and smoke
begrmed bodies OF tho five workmcn who had been
suocacd in the burning gases and had pcrishcd with
being able TO make an cnort ut scltprcservation.
AS soon AS 1t became known that dreadful tragedy
was added the other horrors OF the con1agration
there general expression OF sympathy among
The ionsshorcnch al hand and general crowdins or
ward learn the details OF the sad affair aud 10 look
upon the victims. Many tho gathering had friends
and relatives at work on board the damaged vessel,
ana for these the discovery of tho bodies
had peculiarly painful interest The sur
vwors OF the disaster were eagerly sough,
and questioned, but owing TO tho precipitation with
when they left the hold aud the subsequent confusion
very little could be learned from them. lew OF ihom,
however, were taken board by the po~e, and they
recognized the dead men mainly by their clothes as
their faccs were SO smokc-oegnmed as 10 be beyond
immcdiatc recognition Coroner Eickhotr and Deputy
Coroner Cusnman were notified OF the discovery OF the
bodies and appeared upon the spot soon after tho nrc.
Thcn which had been teegraphed for took the
Madison street, where they lay until identified by
friends Here very painful scene had occurred
Casey, who had escaped death, but had been
severely burned TO make his sur
vival exceedingly improbable, had been brought
here Immediately on his reaching the dock An ambu-
lance telcgraphed for 10 Bellevue Hospital. and
prior to Its arrival the apparently dying man seemed
be SOLDERING the most irighttu orures HIS groans
were heartrending and he presented spectacle bor-
rblc almost beyond description. HIS scalp WIS nearly
bare, the hair having been all swept OF and every
stitch OF clothing had been burned from his trunk and
limbs. His body scared and scorchcd and places
great pieces OF skin hung loose mud ready 10 tall oil On
reaching the station house he had been wrapped IN
blanket, and he roclined where he had been laid,
twitchng his burned limbs about III agony OF sui
fering, and calling aloud:--s'O God, . God must
die WIN the doctor never Gomez oh, | am dying,
I am dyingv While in this condition tho
sergeant duty, who trying sootne
him, cndcavored 10 learn from him the OF the
disaster and he said that had been boring the
side Of the vessel, AMI he raised match II
be was work ing In the right direction, II happened to
TALL from his hands upon lump OF hemp, which In
usnty ignited and In an instant the oi!-soakcd
blanks beside and undcr him a blaze Casey
nearly hall hour the station house before the
arrival OF the ambulance, and when he had been with
diuculiy removed TO IL t seemed doubtful II he would
be able 10 reach Bellevue Hospital alive. When the
corpses reached the place they we're stretched In a
row inner room to await identification and re-
movai TO their homes. Then many heart.
rcnding incident occurred wives and mothers
TO whose the dreadful bad been