The Portland daily press., 1884-12-20
The Steamer Caspian.
Accounts of the Scenes ON Board Daring
Fire Her Lnst Trip.

AecOunis or fhe scenes on Hoard During
n Fire ON EEer Lnst Trip.
A letter received from one OF the officers Of
the steamer Caspian of the Allan Line. which
arrived at Liverpool November 26, gives an
interesting account of tine scenes on board
during the FIRE which broke out 10 her cargo OF
cotton. After giving an account OF severe
gale which was successfully weathered, the
letter goes on to speak Of the fire as follows:
Last night at half-past tsn, 1 was standing
on the quarter deck, talking with the officer
on duty when we noticed q smell of SOME
thi0g burning, and there seemed TO be little
excitement. / went to the saloon, aud found
it full OF smoke; all the passages also. The
smoke was pouring up through the pantry
floor, from the stater0oms on the lower deck.
Everyone felt wonderfully cool, and had their
wits about them. All the crew we're turned
out, and they got the hose along TO the pantry
and cut hole through the floor aud pat ths
hose down. They turned the steam on into
the hold where the fire was. Ten minutes
before, as passed through the saloon, IL had
been perfectly clear; now the smoke was
rushing out in great volumes. There was only
. wooden door between the lower saloon and
he fire All the stewards we're put there bat
teniDg up the door and ali the chinks TO keep
the air out The steam we Injected down
began TO force the smoke out ahead OF it, and
the mixture Of smoke and steam in the lower
saloon was sutfOcating. do not understand
how the men stood it to work there. After
some time the water that had bsen pumped
through the hole in the pantry floor began to
run into the lower saloon under the door, and
as it had passed through the fire, it vas boil
ing, and the men had great trouble bailing 10
out in the scuppers. After about two hours
hard work, they thought it was all ont, and
Just as they had gone away and tEseu the
hose with them, tho iire broke out wOrg8 man
before and then the real work OF the night be-
gan. They cut two holes through the saloon
floor aud poured the Warer down there as we'll
as in the pantry. They worked very hard,
sometimes the fire getting the staat aud then
they sometimes would get ahead, till about six
O'Clock in the morning, when it was got under
control and hope for good and all. The ss-
loon wss completely dism Antled. Mirrors we're
taken down, cushions curtains and carpets
taken out, and the air was so thick with smoke
aud steam that you could not breathe.
AT the com .Oeucement Of the fire, Mrs. Boil
ton, the stewardess collected all the ladies and
chlldred and took them ou deck to the smok-
ing room, where they spent the night. They
we're very quiet, not a scream a case Of hy-
stefics. The Durser had the mails moved to
place OF safety temporarily aud secured mis-
tin box with the papers aud the money. He
then went on deck, and walked up and down
whstiug as usual. Neither he nor / had any
regular fire stations. All the meu passengers
were very quiet, though those with wives and
children aboard looked sauly uneasy. Toward
morning, smoke was seen pouring from hole
in the ships side, near the waters edge. 1t
turned out TO be the discharge from the pan
try sink the pipe had melted aud that let air
ia and kept the fire soing. They lot tbe car
penter down TO the waters edge with a rope
around him, and he plugged the huls mn For
tan@tely it is beautifully calm weather,
though cold. How providential that tue fire
old not break ont during the gale last eek.
We were $50 miles from land when the fire be-
gan, By niue O'Clock in ths morning they bad
nang a nlrrnHl nrTa kr... -
are all bate ned down, but it is smouldering be-
low, and we expect it to break out at any nc
ment again. This fire is directly uudei the
pantry around the mast. The pantry iron floors
are very hot; aud where the iron hatch
comes up through the saloon, you cannot bear
your haud on it. rbe air about that place ia
very hot; there ia not much smoke about, but
general smell of fire and smoke IL o0ziDg up
through the batch on the upper deck. As we
havt an enormous cargo OF cotton hoard,
l6 600 bales, it makes one feel uneasy. The
captain has put lot of sailors in the stokehole
and the tfemen are all doing double time He
Is running he ship as quick rs possible t. Ire
land, as that Is her test chance. He hopes to
get there before the fire can make much more
hesdway. It IS 800 miles off at noon today, so
we have "A hours more ahead Of us. II gives
oae very uneasy feeling, living on top of
h0atieg furnace as We are. and no one seems
able t. settle down. However what Is to be
"ill DO. Tho sea now is very smooth. aud we
b
seems rather absurd TO be putting all this IN a
letter which YOU may not get At all. Every
one has headaches, aud their eyes look like
holes IN blanket, punched with red hot
iron. You should have seen Mr.. II. dance
about. He locked the bar AID the sDisit room,
and put the KEY in his pocket, and then led
the stormers (hgurativey speakins). Wber-
ever the smoke was thickest, you coald ses his
anxious face looming up aud hear hun shout
ing. He worked equal to any six men. The
MAJ 10 nj, a.luaa
were the ship boys They were under every
body aud in every body's way, aud seemed per-
fectly happy. l was surprised at the perfect dis-
clpine among the sailors, ste Yards and al hands
Iuesday-The tire broke out again at nine
o'clock tonight, but they turned on tue steam,
and, after an hour or so. the fire seemed to be
put out. There are two men at watch in the
saloon for a. night, and the hose is connected
with ever thing ali ready. n. has jast been
making list of provisions to bo taken 10 the
boats If We need them, viz, hardtack, Liebig's
extract, condensed milk, etc, which 1 really
trust we shall not need.
"Wednesday night-There has been no fur
ther outbreak eince last night, though it is
pretty hot and the smoke ia thick about the
saloon, but hope we have seen the last of il.
When we take the matches off in Liverpool
there may be some blaz-, bat a. We will
then be 10 port it will not matter. We sighted
land at O'Clock this morning and think ey-
erJone was glad enough to see it. 1 never felt
so pleased at the sight of the Irish coast before.
We arrived at Q Qleenstown at 10 o'clock, and
after landisg The mail proceeded at once on
our way. The saloon passengers had intended
leaving the ship at Qneenstlwn. We shall ar
live at Liverpool, ID ", at 10 O'Clock tomor-
row morning, just IN time for this letter to
catch the Canada mail packet. In the previ-
Gus part Of the letter l had written rather
serious account, as was somewhat solemn at
the time of writing. Our pilot came on board
today aud took up his quarters in the smoking
rOOm; all the passengers were there feeling
very cheerful at being so near Liverpool. The
pilot thereupon proceeded to tell of all the
wrecks that had taken place at the niol Of
the Mersey on tue Bar. The most OF them (as
he sad) attended by peculiarly harroWiug ci-
cumstances, aud by These means he succeeded
in indnciOg a very pleasant fra lie Of mind
among them.