Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-04-19

TENTS COnBumeQ-Damage 10 SfOda
dard's Range.
Yesterday morning, a few minutes before
six O'Clock, fire was discovered amidshfps
OF the fine new steamer Wheless, living at
Kelly's wharf, near the foot of Drayton
street. The steamer had only arrived here
at half.past seven O'Clock on SUNDAY night.
with a big cargo of cotton and general
freight, which had not been dis
charged. Scarcely had the alarm been
given by one of the men. when the flames
shot forth their lurid tongues In every d.
r~ection, and the aft of the steamer was al
most, in a few minutes, completely en-
veloped. TIL crew, who were on board
and who had arisen bat a few minutes
before, barely escaped with their lives, sew
eral jumping into the river, aud were after
wards rescued. The pilot, Ed. Turner, a
colored man, made a leap for the wharf,
from the hurricane deck, and fell, breaking
his leg just below the knee. He was imme,
diatelY picked up and conveyed to the hos
pital, where he received attention. Sew
eral OF the men had their hair
and whiskers ecorched, but there
were no others seriously injured.
In the meantime the cry OF Sire" was
shouted, and a number Of persons FASTENED
to Bay street to discover a policeman and
have an alarm turned In. At the Market
Capt. John Schwarz met Sergeant Lingg and
informed him there was a fire under the
bluff. Sergeant Lingg Immediately gal
loped his horse to the corner of Bay aud
Drayton streets, and turned In an alarm
from Station No. z, which brought out the
department very quickly. The fire, how
ever, had been burning probably ten min
utes before the alarm was sounded, and
when the fremen reached River street the
warehouse shed on Kelly's wharf,
In which were stored large quantities
Of cotton seed In bags, some three hundred
sacks of guano and some smaller freight
was on fire, and the flames had extended to
the rear of the buildings In Stoddard's
Range. By the time the engines were ready
to play, the Wheless, which then was q
sheet OF flames, broke from her moorings,
the hawsers having burnt, and drifted down
the river nearly opposite the foot OF Aber
corn street. She ran against the schooner
b. Z. Terry, lying on the other side of the
river, and, becoming damned, her further
progress was stayed. The flames communi-
Gated to the Terry, and also to the schooner
Addie Fuller and the tug Commodore
Foote and other tugs, which were lying at
the same point, setting all on fire.
AS soon as possible a tug was got ready
and sent across the river after the burning
steamer, and after considerable difficulty
a line wasfastened 10 her and she was towed
down the river to a point near Fig Island,
where there were no vessels, and run upon
The bank, where she burned to the waters
edge. Within the short period of two hours
nothing remained of the splendid steamer
but some warped machinery. She was lit
orally blotted from the waters. The fire
on the %schooners Terry and Fuller were ex-
tinguished in a short time by water from one
OF the tugs, not however, before considera-
Bile damage had been done the former. The
Terry had only arrived Saturday night from
New York loaded with birthstone and
aud empty barrels consigned to Messrs.
Jos. A. Roberts & Co. There was but little
insurance on her. The tug Commodore
Foote was also badly damaged, the tugs
Forest City and E.. A. Souder aud lighter
Simmons, lying near by, were also damaged
by fire, but not seriously. We understand
that the total loss to the towboat company
owning the tugs will reach between 50, 600
and $780,, upon which there is no insur-
ance.
THE FIRE ON II WHARF
was very serious, and whilst hundreds lined
the river front looking at the burning
steamer and the vessels on fire, the gallant
fremen were working with an energy de-
serving OF highest praise to save the valu
able property in Stoddard's Range, which
was threatened with destruction,
the flames having extended across River
street and igDiting the shutters and doors
OF several OF the buildings, and we are glad
to say their efforts were crowned with sue |
cess, as 1t Is estimated the total damage to
the buildings will not exceed $4,000. The
cotton seed on the wharf, of which there
were several tons, burned ~tiercely, although
deluged with water, and about an hour |
after the fire started the roof of the shed
fell in with a crash, sending myriads of
sparks h~eavenWard. The cotton seed be-
longed to- the Savannah Cotton Seed Oil
Company, and was insured for S., $50 in the |
Hartford Fire Insurance Company, repre-
sented by Mr.. E.. F. Neufville.
H CARGO OF THE WIRELESS
consisted of five hundred and eighty-fv
bales OF cotton, one carriage and two |
pair of horses belonging to E. r. Belcher, in |
the Revenue Department, which had been
sent from Augusta, two coops of chickens, |
three bundles of hides, two cases of eggs,
tTenty-eight barrels of turpentine, thirty
bales loose cotton from way landings, and
some general merchandise, all of which
were destroyed. The through cotton was
insured at Augusta, but on the other freight
there is not believed to be any insurance.
THE PASSENGERS
who came down on Sunday night, on the
last trip of the i'll fated steamer, and who
fortunately, as it seems, had not remained
on board, were as follows: w. II. Toombs,
I'll. H. McAllister, DIR. g. Norton, Master
R. G. Norton, w. G.. RahD, L. r. Sans, |
Miss Seabrook and sister, D. Green, Mrs. N.
Hill, G. w. Terry and wife, G. H. Wilcox,
Mrs. NJ. J.. Norton, E. D. White, J. D.
Simmons, U. P. Wade, Mrs. s. Maner. G..
w Elufha Mre Mn1e NEIea ~ n-oo- |
Col. A. NJ. Martin, Miss F. Norton, g. M. |
Hamilton. W. s. Wilson, j. I. Wade, II. u.
Jaudon, X. K. Williams, DR.. G.. l.. Mills.
BRIEF BUT BRILLIANT CAREER.
The Wheless arrived here on the Sth of
January from Plttsburg, where she was
built, her trip, On account of the heavy
gales prevailing at the time, occupying sew
eral weeks. She made her first trip to Au-
gusta on the 18th of January, leaving here
with a big freight and a number of passen-
gers. Since then her career had been emil
nently successful, and she had not made a
bad trip. She became very popular with
travellers and shippers on account of the ex-
cellent time she made, and her last round |
trip realized over $500. She was built
at a cost of $35, 900, and cost to bring her
here about 81 900, making her total cost be-
fore entering on the line $36, zoo. She was
insured in Augusta for $15, 900.
Captain Gibson, part owner and COM
mander, was not on the steamer at the time
of the fire, having on her arrival on Sunday
night gone to his home in this city. He
lost all his wearing apparel in his state
room, his valuable papers and some four
hundred dollars in money. The crew saved
nothing except what they had on. The |
loss of the fine Steamer was generally de- |
plored, and is a serious blow to our river
commerce. The agents of the steamer are
FL. NJ. Conner q Co., who were also inter-
ested in her, and who, we are glad to learn,
contemplate securing another good steamer
for the line.
THE WHARF FIRE
was fortunately confined to the shed ware
house and the brick warehouses on River
street, in Stoddard's Range, below the
offices on the north side of Bay, occupied
by Messrs. jos. A. Roberts, Wilder & Co.,
l.. ]. Gailmartin 81 Co., and others. They
sustained only slight damage from water,
and the damage by fire was principally In
the exterior of the buildings, the doors,
shutters and balconies being burned. The
wharf is ruined, and the shed is a total
wreck. The guano referred to belonged to
Mr.. G. C. Hardwick, and was valued at
about $1,000, upon which there was no in
surauce. 1t will not, however, prove a total
loss. The insurance on Stoddard's Range
was In the Southern Mutual, represented By
II n uardop q 10 and a0pnnaOfae wo--e |