Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-02-08
DOOMED DOCKS.
The IN COmaany's Pier in New York, with
lis Contents Destroyed by Fire.

A"e ihWhh eVhiFahl ; EteF IN New i0fk, villa
lis Contents Destroyed by Fire.
NEW York, Feb. IA conilagration
broke out at an early hour this morning
in the carpenter shop on the Inman
CompaDy's pier. ut the foot of Charlton
street. which is at a point where shipp-
ing OF this class is very numerous and
the enormous storehouses filled with
every description stand very close to
one another. When the alarm was
given the pier freight house was beyond
that point where there was any posi-
bilitv of saving it. The steamship
Egypt, of the National Companys
Line, and which was some time AFRO
chartered by the lnman Company. was
lying in the berth alongside the pier.
1t was quite evident, from the headway
the flames had secured, that the steamer
must be destroyed unless she could be
got into the stream without delay. The
fire had already worked its way towards
her, and once the intiammable material
of her rigging caught, she must be give
over TO the element. If allowed TO re-
main where she was, the fire from the
Egypt must communicate with ship
ping beyond and also the freight-houses
OF the neighboring steamship companies
The Fire Department had meantime
reached the scene, three alarms having
been sent in. and aid from tugs in the
river was summoned. Two tugs res
ronded, and hawsers were passed TO
the Egypt and made fast. Everything
that could be carried from the steamer
was taken of, many of the navigating
instruments, charts, leompasSes, chrcn0-
meters. and other articles being thrown
into small boats which came alongside
on the lee side of the steamer, and were
thus carried 10 points of safety. 1he
hawsers connecting tie steamer 10 thc
pier, were then thrown of. bur before
she could be towed out Of the berth the
flames from tie fr~eight-housc jumped
into the ligging and found Judgment
between decks through the open freight
ports.
As the steamer was towed into the
stream, the flames running swiftly up
the rigging and gaining Roadway else
where as she came into the breeze
sweeping along the river, the spectacle
was nj of grandeur. The lire spread
into every part of the ship with great
rapidly, and the vast volumes of smoke
rolling from the hatehways and waited
up and down 1t times almost entirely
concealed the huh from view. Pres
emily there was q terrific explosion, and
the flames shot upward with renewed
energy. Then came n second, third.
fourth. ard fifth eXploS on that babe fair,
from their violence. to rend the blazing
hull in twain. 1t was explained by
those who knew the nature of the mate
rial stored on the Egypt that these eN-
plosionS were caused by the igniting of
distress signals, of which there were a
large number on board.
he steamer Henry also lay in the
same slip with the Egypt, and as soon
as the latter was got into the stream
the Hayemeyer and the police-boat Sem
eca. with the aid of other tugs which
had been summoned by the firing of
minute-guns, towed the Henry out.
Her rigging, however, had taken fire.
but the Havemeyer succeeded in eXtin-
gushing tile flames.
The watehmen on the pier were
Thomas Burns at the west end and l..
Leach on the east end. A smell of
smoke attracted the attention of Burns.
and, on making an investigation, he
ADhAiA q l0i St EtdL ibEAcI NJ Ailt WtSi
end of the pier emitting smoke. When
it was opened flames rushed out, and
Burns gave an alarm. II is supposed
that a tobacco-smoker who violated the
rules tooka quiet Whit at the end Of the
pier, and when he thought he had over
staid his time put the pipe with m en-
Der in il in the locker.
Superintendent Brewster, of the In
man dock, stated that the total loss
will amount to at least $500, 900,
Beyond the pier itself and its con
tents the loss proved inconsiderable.
The Egypt is iron, and y thousand dol
lars or two will mend her injury.
The wind blew directly in from the
river, and carried the smoke and ashes
in over the city, to the embarrassment
of the tiremen, but to the advantage of
the surrounding shipping, which, by that
fact, was saved from destruction.
The engineer on the pier is Amos
Smith. He was in the engine-room at
the extreme end of the pier, attending
to his duties. when the fire broke out,
and was the first TO discover it. He
fought il for fully a quarter of an hour,
and claims to have been the last who
left the pier. His Lands and face are
burned, and his hair and g ebrows are
scOrchcd.