Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-12-26
FIGHTISG FIRE AT SEA.


10 Philadelphia recently one of the most
discopsolate and wretched-looking lot Of
Seafarers who ever reached the port. One
# fihem-and perhaps the cherriest Of the
iot-was ;. woman, aud good looking one.
S;... was the wife OF Captain Alexander
Knowles. of .;re 600 ton Nova Scolian brig
Belle which left Giace bay, IN the blue
y sed province, on the 1st Of December for
NrA York. and MAS abandoned when on
ii Sky miles off Cape Henlopen on Fri
~. Her captain, his wife, crew, and
G~,,ge b. Harron, New York pilot, were
i, rn oil by the schooner David Clarkson,
!. which they arrived at the Breakwater
al Saturday Three Of the six men, who,
with the captain, two mates, and COOK,
made up the briggs complement, were SO
badly fros, bitten in the feet that they had
10 be carried across the gang plank to the
Walnut-sireet wharf, where the Franklin
landed.
The Belle had trouble from head winds
nearly from the start. She had great dltl-
Guilty in getting near enough to New York
hasbor 10 get pilot, and picked up Har-
ron. an adventurous mariner, hundred
miles out at sea Then came IL north wind,
such as Captain Knowles said he never
kuew when the Gulf of ST. Lawrence was
mis- principal cruising ground. The vessel
had secured her pilot, but when they got
him he was of no use, for the wind took the
ship in hand and blew her straight down
he jersey coast. It was in the first of that
gale that the three men got their feet FROST
bitten. They were in the rigging for three
hours in getting The canvas furlrd, which
aud been all set in order to make New York
hirbor.
II was at this time, when half the fore
mast hands were laid up that the vessel
.nok fire ut l o'clock in the afternoon of
FRIDAY. She had been drifting under bare
:,otes ali night and in the morning Captain
Knowles had endeavored to work up against
no wind and get somewhere near New
York. He gave up the idea shortly before
he fire broke out, and his short handed
crew were exhausted in the effort to make
vii. /, WAS Mrs. Knowles who discovered
fire.
Il was in the galley" she said, "for the
crew were 50 shorthunded that the cook
cad been elping to work the ship, and was
worn out, 50 was getting dinner. l suppose
that if ~, feet had not been SO desperately
cuiG (iior we could not even keep the cabin
warm | should have discovered the fire
sooner for the deck beneath my feet must
nave been red hot long before | saw the
first smoke When saw it come tilterng
through the cracks l ran and gave the
alarm"
Captain Knowles went down alone under
the fore peak to see the cause of the distur-
bance. As he entered the hole he was met
by sitting blast of gas, and then the flame
leaped up. The cargo was largely composed
of Nova Scotia coal, which had been ignited
by spontaneous combustion from a lot OF
old paint cans The captain dashed back
for life, puff of flame following him. Then
all hands-eveu the frost-bitten men-were
called to the pumps, and the light began.
The water froZe almost in the air and the
pilot, who was handling the nozzle when
The first stream was directed, left good
sized patch of skin from his right hand on
the brass.
Meantime the wind kept on blowing, and
as it caught the flames the latter began to
spring cut in all directions. The water
thrown on it seemed only to feed it, Plucky
Mrs. Knowles went quietly to work and
got what effects she could out of the cabin,
while the men were fighting the fire. With
her own hand she improvised signal OF
distress and ran it up the mainmast. Then
she calmly watched the unequal conflict,
for the gale was steadily driving the men
aft. Those who worked the pumps were
coated with ice in half an hours time after
the fire broke out, the gale throwing back
more of the sea-water from their hose on
them than reached the fire.
The Clarkson came to the rescue in about
two hours after the distress. signal was
husted There was no need of it then, fol
the flames had got free enough to light the
sen for miles around When her yawl boat
resched the side of the Belle the whole
ships company had been crowded into the
stern by the fire. So narrow was the es'
cape that not even the captains kit, which
his wife had brought on deck, was saved
Half an hour later the 400 tons of blazing
coal went Kissing to the bottom.-Philadel