The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-02-21
under the charge OF Mr.. b. Meyer. OF yona.,
banks place. on Common street
BRIG GRANT.
she Takes Fire Foot Of Montegut stve.t
and IL saved by the Prereetor

AT about twenty minutes to 9 o'cloet
Thursday morning. fire-caused by spontana.
GUS combustion-was discovered In the hold NJ
the Austrian brig Grant-Catternich, MASTER
lying at the head of Montegut street. AT Tho
time CT the fire the brig was loading for Gonoa
and had on board 400 bales of cotton. 500 bar.
rels OF cotton seed oil and 200 barrels OF rosin
The IRE broke out on the starboard side. right
abreast Of the mainmast. and when discovered
appeared to have gained considerable head
way.
The bells Of the various crafts lying along tho
leVee rang. which brought the steamtug Pro-
tector, Capt. Coburn master, to the scene An
alarm was sounded from box SIS notifying ths
nre department Before the dep trtment ar
rived the Protector started to work by pumping
water Win her small hose, as the flames an.
peared 70 have gained considerable headway
ann were eb bursting out OF the forward hatch.
=, Wneh tne Hre department arrived, although
Inc protector had placed her gas pipes In the
sn1p and was about to put the gas on. Chief
hO hs P bse to Play In he
after hatch. Finally the chief asked Cant. Col
Durn II rs was ready to put the gas into the
ship. Being answer ID In the affirmative. he
ordered the engines to stop pumping, and bofb
matches were batteDed down. As the gaa was
about to De poured into the ship. Chief OCon
nor had the forward hatch again removed. and
sent some OF his men down to onuoitre,
81, W tnd this was going on the second assistant
the hold Of he shin Tboaa n s foremost into
n
Die telt that he would never come up alive He
was gotten up however. and rs he had fallen on
the cotton, WAS only slightly injured
About the same time n cry OF "a man over
board" was shouted both on the wharf and on
the burning ship. A crowd went to the resere
ana C0nstdfne Domerye was taken out Of The,
river with no other misfortune than good
duckino- s0O~
After Chief OConnor had made the inspection
he turned the burning vessel over to Capt Col
burn, who battOned down the matches and i'm
mediately started to fill the brig with earbonIc
acid gas. When the fire on board OF this shin
was discovered the captain was out la town.
and the crew. becoming demoralized deserted
ner. The matches Of the brig were kept bat
toned down until noon yesterday. sand when
ssney were removed not vestige Of the fire was
found remaining.
An inspection of the hold Of the vessel aftsr
the fire showed that the vessel was Compare
lively slightly damaged and the majority Of the
cotton not hurt at ALL
1t is said by those who are acquainted with
sh1p 1reS that nothing save the Protector could
nave saved th1s brig from utter destruction, for
had the extinguishinR Of the flames depended
upon water, the vessel would have been sunk
before the fire would have been put out
At O'Clock the gas had evaporated enough to
permit OF men going down In the hold tc break
ne cotton out, which was done. The presidents
d tne insurance com Danfes who visited the
.h1p expressed much satisfaction at the way
Japt: Colburn had extipguished the Ire with
20 do 1t in.
The Grant is an Austrian brig; ia insured
% lAostr1a valued at 5000, and IL $50 tons
% measurement.
The loss as yet cannot be ascertained. Phd-
ak No. remained alongside Of the brig yes
erday and pumped her out.