The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1883-02-10


sgypt Narrowly Escapes 8estruc-
'i"n---tEer Rigging sadly Burned
sand ser sides Scorcaed---A Finn
ing SHIP EOsvod EmIo the Stream
aud Sayed---A Number "G steve
dores said To EEave Been Lost.
NLw loBK, February The Inman
Steamship Lines warehouses and docks
caught fire shortly after midnight and
burned with great fury. 4 general
alarm was sounded and fire apparatus
from all parts Of the city rushed to the
scene. The river fire boats were brought
INTO active service and ferry boats and
steam-tugs eudeavored to assist the i'm
peuled ships. The intense heat made ef-
fective work difficult. The fire continued
to extend until most Of the buildings
on the pier with their contents
were consumed. OF the large
covered sheds on the pier, nothing
remains save q fragment Of the frame
work at the entrance that totters in the
wind and threatens to fall at any mo-
ment. The pier itself with all upon it Is
burned down to the spiies upon which
the structure rested. Along the waters
edge he flames are vet playing hide and
seek amid the wreck and licking up the
remnants OF n million dollar bonfire
Great tlTongs Of people are visiting the
scene of desOlatloa.
The National line steamer Egvpt lies
ont III mid stream with her port side
scorchel and her rigging and standing
gear burned and bIackened. When she
caught on fire she was towed out In the
stream where the flames were exTin-
puished alter she had been somewhat
damaged.
Beyond the pier, itself and contents.
the loss proved inconsiderabie. The
Egypt Is made of iron and Il thousand
dollars or two will mend her injury. In
twenty-fOur hours she viii be IL sailing
order. The wind blew directly IN from
the riyerand carried the smoke and ashes
III over the city, 10 the embarrassment
of the tiremeD, but TO the advantage of
the surrounding shipping which that
TACT saved from destruction. The Sa-
Vannah steamer Chattab0chee, that lay
at pier No 35, exposed to the full ex-
tent Cf the flames, was hardly scorched.
her crew being on hand with hose and
pumps. The Ocean Steamship
Company's dock was not dam
aged at al. At pier No. 81
6 fuil-ngged ship, the Henry. German
vessel, unloading soda ash, caught fire,
and was towed into the stream with rig-
ging aHame. She. however, was not
badly damaged, and WAS tOwcd on the
Jersey flats, where she lies. An Erie
barge loaded with -four was caught
in the slip. Vain efforts were made
To tow her out, but she still remains
deck caught fire and the deck-lOad of
-four in bags was partly burned. On
the Dulkhead ct the end of the pier a
large quantity OF crockery IN crates, car
boys of acid and other merchandise was
slowed. When the saving of the
burning pier was given mp, the firemen
concentrating their whole energy upon
the protection of these goods and sue
ceeded well. The goods caught fire
again and again, but were nevertheless
saved. About sixty longshoremen
were at work on the stream end
Of the pier unloading the Egypt
when the fire broke out. It was feared
that some of these have been
burned but the fear has in great
measure been dispelled this morning:
but from the statement of the engineer
who discovered and fought the FIRE until
the firemen came. it Is s5Iil possible that
some may have been caught
and have lost their lives. The
engineer on the pier is Amos
Smith. He was IN the engine room on
his duties when the fire broke out and
was the first to discover it. He fought
the flames for fully a quarter of an hour
and Is claimed to have been the last who
left the pier. His hands and face are
burned and his hair and eyebrows
scorched.
Engineer Smith made statement and
described the manner in which the men
escaped, which shows that they had
narrow one. He did everything posi-
bic, with the help Of others, to subdue
the flames, but finding it was useless be
gave warning to those on the pier to
leave. He crawled out to the street by
placing his hands on the rail track
which runs from the end of the
pier. He believes all got out.
The insurance policies held by the
dock department on the buildings on
the pier amount to $4,000 These
policies We're assigned by the Inman line
to the dock department as security for
3 lease held by them on the pier from
the dock department. The lease is for
ten years, and dates from June |, 1881.
The pier itself, which is indeatructible.
1t is stated, is not insured.
and the damage to 1t viii not
amount to much, unless It's spiles
should be destroyed by the fire. The
cost Of the shed ON the pier is stated to
have been between 575, 800 and 800, ,OOO.
superintendent Brewster. of the In
man dock, stated that total loss viii
amount 70 at least $500. 900. He
believed the company was partially in
sred on the pier, which was built only
last year at q cost of $3.50, 600. All
the books, papers and documents
are gone. The only property on the
dock, with the exception of Egypt's car
go, consisted of old ropes, sails and lum-
Der. He considered that nearly all the
cargo OF the Egypt had been dis
charged.
W. J. Hurst, of the National Line
Company, said the Egypt was not so
much damaged as might have been ex-
pected. Her sails and rigging were a
burned away. The masts and standin
rigging being of iron remained intact
At a meeting of the board OF under
writer's to-day the committees were aD-
pointed to adjust the losses on pier,
machinery and merchandise.
The amounts Of insurance are: pier
$50, 600, machinery S2l, 900 and mer-
chandise $780, 900.