New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-10-07
A STEAMSHIP In PERIL.
FIRE ON THE CITY OF RICHMOND.

..xuvoIusBED so QUIETLY THAT FEW VI THE
PASSENGERS KNEW OF 1T.
M .,oomsbin City OF Richmond. of the lnmau
v,na NhIch arrived in this port on Friday mar
WV escaped calami ty on the third day AFTER
leaving Queenstown. IL has become the practice oil
To- sbins of this line upon their voyage to New
VII n IN the lower between decks with coal so as
20 void the necessity Of lay ng In supply OF fuel
Gers Alter the bunkers are emptled they are re-
HTIoj from this store But there IL always danger,
IN is said unless great care Is exercsel tDat cOs III
sch great uuartlty will heat and take hre OF ~
self Such appears to have Deeh the case on 1no
C.tv of Richmond On tho third day out smoke was
obS.ryed issuing from betWeen-deCke. lheIe WIS;
also a faint smell of either burning coal or chsIIou
Ixond Captain C0udTOn prevented anE. alalni
among the passengers cOplous stream % " ai
turned on the hidden fire, soon eXtlnguishCu II" a
few OF the passengers learned OF the ct otng
eral who were last night insisted Una. H"' t
had happened TO mar the pleasure OF -.
With the exception of fog when Iasio LII
portion OF one day, they haa Gn, rs the ssrIet
kent that Commissioner john -. CIiiii, ,o ~ tLa
40 Fast SGthy-eghth-st., Wno was Uro 'I oG
messengers on the steamer adViSeu ioiId' -; VI
gIRIrvE IN cease all inquiry because the thlhS
was simply impossible linn onic.s in broadway
IuUuiry at the fnman Line uloos Ia ~ forori
bowever allotted q prompt anu stidIEhVIol Tdiu
uoweNoi, % tbs facts Mr. Floyd, who had long
conVersati"n with the captain OF the yeSse,, said
tnat the latter reported the lncidehI anu appediou
tG. V la that the result had been so fortunate as
~ ,os = I asked him. said Mr.. loyd' " II ne eA-
Iected TO make requisltion' no, was tne , .'u,
pootOu - a nennV She Is not damaged III any way
49, Y visit to the steamship showed THIS
tt.Toent n he correct There Is no indication 10
be seen of the peril through when the NGSSei
Messenger on the steamship lie at Lrst expressed
a reluctance to tell anything oil the hre "uI AFTER
ward said: "Snce you learneI from announcer POT,
son that there was "a fire Oh the City Of Richmond l
am willing to tell all | know about Toe maJtel'
About o'clock on Sunday morning Wh'h we wee
nerhaps 100 miles from queenstown, was
aXyo kened by the noise of voices and the hnrrYng
steps of men on deck. Hastily throwing about me my
overcOat went on deck to learn Tue cause OF Ene US
turbapce Judge Ofmy surprise to see clouds o smoke
beynIpg TO rise from the hatchway in the alter part
of the steeIage passengers DECK ulo ut sea Is uoG
"A pleasant feature of an ocean voyage Dut az IloU
did NOT think there was any cause for serious alarm
nor did the captain, evidently Inc wa,ch uaa
been called and attempt was mace 10 eAtdnggiSa
the tro without using the appliances tat WouI9 De
necessary if "a large fire was apprehehuTu ILe
hose used fer the purpose OF Washing the dechs was
broupht into requsItIOn but there was considerable
difficulty in making the connection: Men were SEM
below to nut ont the fire, aud remained so lObg the
volume of smoke in the meantime lhcTeaslne, tl!U
the danger of a conhagTatlOn seemed imminent.
The CAPTAIN then ordered out the entire nre service
and for a time the outlook was not encouraging
Still there no panic. | was the only passenger
that med TO have been disturbed and as soon AS
If appeared necessary for the captain to take suc
urgent measures to exungulSh the flames went
Tinker of the firm of Root " Tinker, to whom Ok
planned my reason for so doing, and also called
Two Young ladies without any explanation a'u
then went to my room ana dTeSSou.
As soon as my friends ana were leauy 10 go OH
decR we did So and then we were thu only passen-
gers there Apparently the olncers hal caNeu, no
one nor warned them of any danger After We had
been on deck a short tIme the men began 70 return
from the scene of the fire. their faces aud clothes
blackeued. In abOut enty minutes from the Time
when the captain appeared to realize the extent OF
the danger the mon had all returned from the hold
and the fire was apparently out. so quiet was the
affair kept that only my friends and myself seemed
In know to how great danger the ship aud passen-
GERS had been exposed
So far as was able to learn two causes for the
fire were advanced. One officer whom questioned
fold me that there had been spontaneous cOmbus-
tion of coal-an occurrence, he SAID, that was not
inrreoueut on an ocean steamship Another officer,
seemingly equally well-informod about the ire SAID
that The wooden sheathing near the bCIler-rOom
lad caught FIRE Ny own impression 10 that it was
wood and not coal that was burning, and this i'm
preston formed from the smell " hlch the bnTHng
produced and the implements used TO put ont the
fire. wish you would add that it gives me consld-
cradle pleasure 10 say that ii were to be subjected
to another fire at sea would he glad TO nave such
,fcent officers In command as those on the City OF
Richmond"