Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-02-02
A PERSISTED PIER.
THE GREAT FIRE IN TIE STTTPPKNG
DISTSTCT OF NEW YORK.

| The InInan Line Pier and Contents Totally
| DestrOyed-The Loss Aggregating Over
| Half Million-Narrow Escape of Sixty
! 'Longshoremen-The Damage to the
| Shipping Slight.
NEW YORK, Feb. AT 8 o'clock this
morning the Inman dock was still burn
| ing. Most of the buildings on the pier and
contents are now consumed. The loss is
roughly estimated at 100000. The
steamer Egypt, of the National line, which
was lying at the pier, caught fire. She
was towed out into the stream, and the
flames extinguished after she had been
greatly damaged. The fire department
and two fire boats are at work on the
flames. Of the large covered sheds on the
| pier, nothing remains save a fragment of
the framework at the entrance, that
totters in the wind and threatens to
fall every moment The pier itself
with ali upon it is burned down to the
spiles upon which the structure rested.
Along the waters edge the flames are yet
playing hide and seek amid the wreck, and
| licking up the remnants of the $1,000,000
bonfire. Great througs of people sur
rounded the scene of desolation. The
National line steamer Egypt lies in mid
stream with her port side scorched and her
rigging and standing gear burned and
blackened. Beyond the pier itself and
contents the loss proved uncomfortable.
| The Egypt is iron and $1,000 or $4,000
| will mend her injury. In twenty-four hours
she will be in sailing order. The wind
blew directly in from the river and carried
| the smoke and ashes all over the city, to
| the embarrassment of the firemen, but to
| the advantage of the surrounding ship
ping, which that fact saved from destruc-
ton. The Savannah steamer, Chatta-
hochee, that lay at pier thirty-fve exposed
to the full extent of the flames, was hardly
scorched, her crew being on hand with
hose and pumps. The Ocean Steamship
company's dock was not damaged at all :.
At pier No. 81 the full rugged
ship Henry, German vessel unloadin G
soda ash, caught fire and was towed into
the stream with he rigging afame. She
| however, was not badly damaged, and was
towed over on Jersey flats, where she lies.
An Erie barge loaded with flour was
caught in the slip. Vain efforts we're made
| to tow it out, but it still remains where it
was. The woodwork on the deck caught
fire and the deck load of flour in bags was
partly burned. On the bulkhead at the
end of the pier large quantity of crock
| cry in crates, carboys of acid and other
merchandise was stored. When
the saving of the burning pier
was given up, the firemen concentrated
their whole energy upon the protection of
these goods, and succeeded well.s Catching
| fire again and again the bulk of the mer-
chandise was nevertheless saved. About
sixty longshoremen were at work on the
| stream end of the pier unloading the
Egypt when the fire broke out. 1t was
| feared some of these had been burned, but
the fear in great measure has been dis
PEELED this morning by the
statement of the engineer who
| discovered and fought the fire
till the fremen came. It is still possible that
some may have been caught and have lost
| their lives, but it is not probable.
| The engineer on the pier is Amos Smith.
He was i'll the engine room at his duties
when the fire broke out. and was the first
| to discover it. He fought the flames for
| fully quarter of an hour, and claims to
| have been the last who left the pier. His
| hands and face are burned and his hair
| and eyebrows scorched.
| Engineer Smith made a statement de-
scribing the manner in which the men
escaped, which shows that they had a mar
row one. He did everything possible with
| the help of others to subdue the flames, but
finding it was useless he 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 insur-
ance policies held by the dock
department on the buildings on the
pier amount to 100000. These
policies are assigned by the Inman line to
the dock department as security for the
lease held by them on the pier from the
dock department The lease is for ten
pier itself, which is the understructure, it
is stated is not insured, and the damage to
it will not amount to much unless the
splits bHOulQ OO QOoOlOJO0 ~ ill., LhO
cost of the sheds on the pier is stated to be
between $4,000 to 100000 Superin-
tendent Brewster, of the Inman dock,
stated that the total loss will
amount to at Leaf 100000. He believed
the company was partially insured on the
pier, which was built only last year, at
cost of $4,000. ALI the books, papers
and documents are gone. The only prop
erty on the dock, with the exception of the
Egypt's cargo, consisted of old ropes, sails
and lumber. He considered nearly all the
cargo of the Egypt had been discharged.
W. j. Hurst, of the National Line COM
pany, said the Egypt was not SO much
damaged as might have been expected.
The sails and rigging were all burned
away. Thessmasts and standing rigging,
being of iron, remained intact. The YES
sci is slightly below water. She will be
hauled into the White Star
pier to-day and her cargo
fully discharged, after which she will
be thoroughly overhauled. The National
Line company did not insure its vessels,
and extra precautions are therefore taken
to prevent fire. The losses on the cargo,
which was general one, would fall upon
the consignees if they we're uninsured.