The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-10-08
FIVE MEN BURN TO DEATH.
IMPRISONED BY FLAME IN THE
AZ HOLD OF BURNING VESSEL.


n Rsrk Europa- Frantic Efforts to Bscnpc
4from tho Torture Of sunocatton-h man
v EuysIoped In Fire Diving from Porthoie.
At II O'Clock yesterday morning, sixty
-}hen were at work below decks IN the DARK
Europa a. she lay In a sectional dock AT the
Foot Of Rutgers street. Thirty OF them were
fsrpenters, putting in new knees in tho hold,
Ind nearly a. many sailors were In the hold and
m the lower deck, shifting some ballast and
preparing for the carpenters and caulkers The
bauikers, few In number, were at work by can
die light aft with their maets and oakum.
"Quiok, give me a pail fun OF water
eaiIor shouted to his mates, there's nre be-
ytween decksV'
Tho water was handed to him, and the sailors
ION deck went on with their work They guessed
hrom tho mans manner that the FIRE was not
lserlous Suddenly dense volumes of smoke
iroiied out Of the portfolios and mp through the
Matches and from the hold came the sailors and
iworkmon, many Of them half sunocated, all of
tthsm biaokenod with smoke, and few singed
10y the flames which suddenly shot up from the
matches with a noise like an explosion. Sailors,
IoHioers and workmen congregatod at the ladder
land olainbered or swung themselves to the plat
form of the balance dock.
4. at was the suddenest thing ever saw said
Tmile Hartmann, the second mate afterward.
|" First | smelt little smoke, then saw a little
land instantly everything was almost smothered
u ran for the hatchway, and hea behind me the
svoices and feet Of the carpenters as they strug
gled to nud their way out
After the last man Of those who had gathered
at the head Of the ladder on shipbosrd had made
mia way to safety, and It was suppos ed that the
bark was wholly deserted. John Casey. who lives
fet W sheriff street, and was one Of the carpen-
ltsrs. was seen to work his way out Of a portfolio
yon the lsrbOard side Of the vessel. lie caught
bold Of the ladder that rested on the side of the
I..AL .r.la fh,Ia
loiothing was in flames Slowly and weakly he
lciimbed to the platform. and fell In a burning
was were thrown around his burning clothing,
land the flames which were consuming him were
treet police station. and there II was discovered
that his face, limbs. and the greater portion of
}his trunk wore parbaked. and from tho fact that
ne was unable to strAighten his body II was be-
teved that he had inhaled the flames and was
INTERNALLY burned lie gave his name and ad-
hress In the station. speaking between painful
peuscs, and grosning incessan,ly' ,.,, -
was working with an ausur." said Casey,
feebly, "and the match they were holding for
me TO SEQ by dropped on the noor
The other workmen cay that no matches were
used, but for each workman an assistant held a
candle whore 1t was necessary Casey was taken
to Bellevue Hospital. Il was not believed pos
sievers, a carpenter; OF 10! Iil- street Williams
burgh had his hands and arms terribly burned,
and was sent to the same hospital.
The bark was soon envel"ped In hames, which
to .S tie
deok. The 1remen worked apparently against
Az ehshSe nf oi 5uceess' on' nnay oHesTsne Yer tae
hsstcned to the vessel and searched for their
sss SSs Ths d5ss sSc man to SesCnd ;9S fprTsd
he said that mans body was lying near the
hatchwsy on the lower deck. At nearly the
ssaiso!. announced to %. CAPT. MeElwaH
shsir fear that some Of their fellow work
vessel. Inspector Thorne. who was in
charge of the police, ordered a search TO be
aHa hp fllaf "A rr-f IA ing fpr
ward ON tue lower deck was tina, Of George Gill
eyed ~, oi ~ East Twelfth street III face was
terribly burned. Below, in tho hold
Sody %"s %'S fSund ss Se4e ' the remains Of four
other men Thomas lngrahaln. aged -; - East
Fourth street; William Furlong, aged Is, Of i2G
East seveniy-hfth street, and John Mcdonald,
,psHters. r., and had familie. Ther bodies were
found close together In the hold and u was
tempting /" nnd the elects by which to reach the
deck. The soamen who We're NJ work with them
knew their way and were more expert The
beeu sufficiently serinuH tu aure DEATH but two
Of the bodies had broken limits.
The i've bodies We're placed side 10y side in a
rear room In the Madison street station. and
pie most Of whom were mere -ieht-seers In tho
evening The bodies Of George Hiii Dennis sulli-
removed Iv their friend. The remains Of
Thomas Ingraham, who lived In East New York.
were not claimed. and were taken TO the Morgue
lngraham was recognized hy several lfeeua-
sons, who knew him as a member OF Henry Clay
Lodge Of this city.
The bark Europa was undergoing thorough
repairs New knees and timbers were being
substituted for weak and old ones. aud she was
To have been newly coprered. y. Steengfnfe
Co., shipwrights. 80 South street. contracted tn
do the work, and by thcm the workmen were
~ from London She had received stranne
during her voyage and leaked badly. She Wai
put upon tho balance dock at Pier q on Friday
shc was German vessel; and i.od been eneN;ed
for several years In chnylns petroleum and ben
New
soaked with these cOmbustihie nuds, She wa.
nearly twenty years old ;hEa capacity Tor nearl,
1Tinkama Her owners were Mend Company
or brelneh, wiios, agents IN this city are kuol
6Gompany ot - William street
ihe cduu~- Of the disaster l. not positively
fhOwi iany different versions are related by
sne snsaa sst[s ana worhncn' and all the accounts
est<Aped enyeloped In nau..s from a poflholc
WiSnGlcd tho nre. Whether afier ightins his
pipe he dropped burning match INTO a heap Of
Oakum Of whether he huucaed over a candle
which fell upon the oa@um not Suthorl,
tatlvey declared by any eye r.iucss. None ol
gid. Ia either case the sc4ud Wac that the
flames ran up the oil-soakcd tuher, of The shin
and spread over the innalumahle plAnking OF
The hold Casey WAS Al work in the lower hold
on the nrbOard side ui go Ne-Frl Abrehst
2i nc main hetcL. win him No 1sr.
timbers and planking hv boring into them
with algers and caulNer- who were closing
the seams in he vessels side with oakum All
agree that the oallum took lire nrsi. and ~ the
men worked 10y candle light IL is not improbable
name 10 the combuhtlhlr material. Iue hold.
The lower deck. and the frame work of the
hatchways are charred, and iu some places thor
oughly burned The poop dtch and the hight
wood work ol the cabins alc destroyed. The
injury 10 the vessel y lu"sell estlmetcl at 5000
bhe was insured In Bremen.
Coronor Eickhun impanelled jury early In
the afternoons and the jurors viewed tho hodiet
hold tomorrow.