Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-02-02
NEW YORK.
Burning of the Inman Pier and Contents
Yesterday.
Several Vessels Damaged-LoSs About
Half Million.
Industrious Work Of Firemen to Save the
Property.

y
man Cine dock burned this morning
Loss about three or four hundred thou
sand dollars. AT . o'clock this morn
ing the Inman docks were still burn
ing. Most of the buildings on the
pier and contents are now consumed.
The loss Is roughly estimated at a
million dollars. The steamer Egypt
of the National Line, which was lying
at the pier, caught fire and was towed
into the stream and the flames eXtin-
guished after she had been greatly
damaged. The fire department. and
two fire boats were mt work on the
flames. OF the large covered sheds on
the pier nothing remains, save frag-
ments of the frame work at
the ent rance that totters in the
winds and threatens TO fall at any mo-
ment. The pier itself, with all its con
tents, was burned down to the piles
upon which the structure rested along
the waters edge. The flames are yet
playing hide and seek amid the wreck
and licking up the remnant of the
million dollar bonfire. a throng Of
people surround the scene of desola-
ton. The National Line steamer
Egypt lies out in the main stream,
with her port side scorched and her
rigging and standing gear burned and
| blackened.
New York, February beyond
! the pier house and its contents the
loss proved inconsiderable. The
Egypt is iron, and thousand dol
lars or two will mend her injury. In
twenty-four hours she will be in sail
ing order. The wind blew directly
from the river and carried the smoke
and ashes in over the city TO the EN-
I barrassment of iinmen but to the adj
( vantage Of the surrounding shipping.
4 which fact saved rom destruction the
| Savannah Steam Chattahoochie that
lay at pier 80, exposed to the full ex-
/ tent OF the flames and was hardly
! scorched, her crew being on hand with
hose and pumps. The ocean steamer
company's dock is not damaged at ALL
At the pier on the north, n full-rigged
ship, Henry a German vessel, unload
Jag soda, caught fire and was lowed
out in the stream with her rigging n
! flame. She, however, is not badly
damaged, and was towed to the Jersey
Flats where she now lies. An Erie
barge loaded with -four was caught in
! the slip. Vain efforts were made TO
/ tow it but it would remain where
Az "uS' ihc "oou WoTk on tne
deck caught fire and the
Hour in bags was partly burned. On
the bulkhead, at the end of the pier. a
large quantity of crockery in crates
carbolic acid and other merchandise
was stored. When the saving of the
burning pier was given up rs hope
less task the tircmen concen-
trated their whole energy on
the protection of these goods, and
succeeded WELL they catching fire
again and again. The bulk of mer-
chandise was nevertheless saved.
About fifty longshoremen were at work
on the extreme end of the pier un-
loading the Egypt when the fire
broke out. 1t was feared that some of
| these had been burned. This fear
has in a great measure been dispelled
this morning by the statement Of the
engineer who discovered and fought the
! fire till the tiremen came. 1t is still
! possible some may have been caught
and have lost their lives, but il is not
| probable. The engineer on the pier is
Amos Smith. He was in the engine
/ room at the extreme end of the pier.
/ attending 10 his duties when the fire
broke out, and he was the first to dis
cover it. He fought the flames for
tully a quarter Of an hour and claims
10 have been the last who left the pier.
His hands and face are burned, and
his hair and eyebrows scorched.
The pier itself which Is
| the understructure, il is stated, is
not insured, and the damage to il will
not amount to much, unless the spiles
| should be destroyed. The cost OF the
/ shed on the pier is stated 10 be be-
1 tween seventy-iive and ninety thous-
and dollars. Superintendent Brewster
of the inman Lnie, stated total loss
will amount TO at least soc 900. He
believes the company was partially
insured ON the pier, which wa.
butt only last year at n cost of $780,
600. All books, papers aud iocu-
ments are gone. The only property
on the dock, with the exception OF the
'Egypts' cargo. consisted of old ropes
sails and lumber. He considered
nearly all the cargo Of the
Egypt had been discharged.
Nj. j Hurt of the National Line
Company, said the Egypt was not so
much damaged rs might have been
expected. Her sails aud running rig
ging were all burned away. the mssts
and standing rigging being OF iron aud
remained intact. The vessel was
slightly damaged below by water. She
will be hauled into the White Star