The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1883-05-18
STEAMER MISSISSIPPI BURNED AT Sc
ATTLE.
Chief Engineer 6urned to Death.

Chief Engineer Surned to Death.
At 2 o'clock last Sunday morning fire
broke out in the oil room of the steamer
Mississippi, lying alongside the dock of the
Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad Com
pany, at Seattle. An alarm was instantly
sounded, the hose brought out, and the
pumps started.
She had HOO tons of coal on board
There was no steamer or tug to tow her
away. The fire spread to the coal bun
kers, burning 500 feet. The Chief Engineer
Knapp was burned to death. Bunker tim.
bers fell and killed one and injured one
The steamer is total loss.
Owing to the infiammable nature of the
surroundings it was plain from the outset
that there was no hope of putting the fire
out, that the ship was doomed, and that it
behooved all hands to get. ashore at the ear
lest possible moment. The men accordingly
went, some on the wharf and some over
board, none of them saving any thing, those
who were asleep not even getting their
clothing.
In almost less time than it takes to write
it, the wooden deck houses, the rigging of
the ship and the whole upper works were
ablaze, as well as the dock, to which the
flames were quickly impaired and in twenty
minutes from the first alarm the whole outer
part of the upper wharf, 800 feet long and
built up 60 feet above the water, was mass
Of fire.
The ship Spartin lay on the other side of
the wharf, only sixty feet from the Missis-
sippi, and she too would have gone had not
the captain instantly acted. He parted his
lines at once and was gently moved away
from the place of danger by the light wind
prevailing
The city fire department hurried to the
fire; owing, however to the low stage of the
tide, they were unable to hoist water from
the bay and there were no other accessible.
They therefore were practically Of no. value
in saving either the ship or wharf.
At 4 o'clock section of the high incline
fell among large number of people, A
ship carpenter, named Hogon, was hurt
so badly that he died from his wounds.
Several other persons were hurt by the tim
bers, but not seriously. A dozen or more
were knocked down with and among the
falling timbers, aid as many picked up as
were discovered. It is not known that any
others were killed or drowned, but it is
quite possible that several lives were lost, of
which we have no account
mi l. Al L
to have been burned to death was Charles
Knapp, the chief engineer. who was probab-
lv suffocated while in bed, and whose bones
were afterward found ON board of the ship
Mr.. Knapp leaves wife and children in
San Francisco.
The hull. being of iron, was not destroyed
but everything of wood in or on her was.
Had there been SOME tug in port with steam
up the Mississippi could have been towed
into the stream and the wharf saved.
LATER-The steamer was taken hold of
and towed ashore, where they have been
pouring water into her all day, the 500 tons
of coal in her hold making terrible fire all
the while. The lower hull will not be in
jured beyond repair, but may again be built
upon.
The Mississippi was an iron screw of
about 1900 tons burden, and was built for a
blockade runner during the war. but was
captured during her first voyage with car
go on board, said to be the most valuable ta-
ken during the war. She was afterward
placed in cotton-carrying trade, and ran
on various routes till some two years ago.
when che was purchased By the Oregon I'm