Evening journal., 1888-09-27
LAST EDITION
THE JUNIATA BURNED.

She Goes Up in Flames and Smoke While
Lying at Pennsgroye Last Nisht-Built
Over Forty Years Ago-Loss Light.
The steamboat Juniata which was run
between this city and Pennsgrove, N. j..
during the past summer. was burned to
the waters edge last night, while lying
at the wharf at Pennsgrove. After the
upper works had burned the hull filed
with water and sank; the smokestack
remains standing out of the water. The
wharf was also burned considerably.
There were seven of the crew aboard
of the boat last night sound asleep, when
the fire broke out They were awakened
about a half hour after midnight by the
smoke and heat and barely escaped with
their lives, losing all of their clothing.
Their names are Charles Uron who was
first mate; Harry Maxwell engineer;
William McAyery, fireman. and Samuel
Kealney George Derrickson and William
Reilly, deckhands One of these men
had his hair singed while escaping and
Others got ashore in their night clothes
They state that when they were
awakened at - 80 o'clock this morning
the boat was all ahame.
As the upper works Of the boat were
all in flames before the fire was discover
ed, nothing reliable as to the cause of the
ire, az when it started could be learned
Those who saw it. however. agree that it
probably started about midships. Those
on board first discovered it in the saloon.
breaking through by the walking beam.
The boat was old aud dry as a punk
and the flames spread from bow to stern
IN a moment. It was entirely destroyed
by 3oclock this morning One of the
hands thinks that the fire started lust
over the galley, which was aft on the
starboard side Some suspect that the
boat was set on fire
The pier caught fire from the burning
boat and 4, 600 feet of the planlxing was
burned with the house on the wharf.
The timbers Of the wharf are not much
damaged the residents of Pennsgrove
saving them by the use of buckets Of
water. About forty feet of the wharf is
standing uninjured. The damage to the
wharf will be about 5000 or $500.
The steam barge Anna Mary, which
began to run from Pennsgrove to this
city this week, in opposition to the
Juniata was lying at the other side of
the wharf when the fire broke out. Her
lines were cast off and she was saved bv
drifting up the river
John f. Ford. the Third street bridge
tender, saw the fire between II and .
o'clock last night He saws it burned
until o'clock this morning.
Blake and Baisley, Second and Walnut
streets, Philadelphia, were the owners Of
the burned boat James McIntire was the
captain. It is reported that the above
firm bought her for 5000 last fall and that
there was 81 500 insurance on her. The
boat was built at Baltimore in 1S4s Her
dlmentions were: Length, 1856 feet,
breadth 25 feet and depth Z feet. Her
gross tonnage was 284f3 and the net
tonnage 242. 81 Her engine was 374 horse
power
The boat was built for a tow-boat on
Chesapeake Bay and has had very
variable career. Her last owners used
her 70 take excursions around the war
vessels lying in the Delaware off Pbila-
delphia at the constitutional centennial
last fail. Later in the season she was
used for lightering oil at Point Breeze
and this spring was put on the route be-
tween this city and Pennsgrove.
On the 5th Of last August an accident
occurred to the boiler while the vessel Law
at Pennsgrove wharf and the following
day the EVENING JOURNAL made some
comments regarding her age and condf-
tion, and safety as an excursion boat.
Ihese,remarks angered the owners and
they demanded satisfaction, which the
publishers of the JOURNAL publicly said
that they would give when her perfect
safety had been demonstrated Nothing
more, however, was heard Of the matter