Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-12-31
BURNING OF THE BRISTOL
The Splendid Sound Steamer
 Is Totally Destroyed.
FORTUNATELY NO LIVES LOST.

The Confiagration Occurred After HeH
 Arrival at Newport-Niost of the Pas
 sengers Had Gone, but Some Were Still
 Sleeping, and Escaped Half Clad.
 NEWPORT R. l., Dec. 31.-The steamer Bristol, of the Fall River line, was found to De on fire at SEQ a. m., and in short time was destroyed. No one was injured, though few Newport passengers who had remained in their staterooGis to await convenient hour for rising had narrow escapes, and some of them lost all their clothing. All tne bag gage, however, was saved The steamers freight had also been landed before the fire broke out The Fall River and Boston pas sengers had all departed, the last train leav- ing just as the alarm was given.
 The fire started near the kitchen, and spread very rapidly. The fire department of Newport, together with the police force, exerted themselves in every possible way to check the flames but the joiner work of the staterooms saloon aud stairways was as dry as finder, and draughts through the steamer caused fearfully rapid spread of the flames, so that before the fire department arrived there was mass of fire sweeping her almost from stem to stern.
 Some of the passengers still on board did not understand the meaning of the first dIdTiu dIlu "eIe OIllJ LII puSSu ny lhS Sl hCA' ing of the flames near by. All succeeded in escaping, but some with only portion of their clothing. One man with two little children, who occupied a stateroom, was awakened by the sound of cracking flames, and barely est:aped wi h his little ones dressed, but with their clothing in their hands.
 When the department arrived the upper decks and center of the steamer were a mass of flames, which gave out such an intense heat that it could scarcely be borne at a dis tance of several hundred feet. This greatly impeded the work of the firemen. The flames had gained such headway that they could only be fought from the wharf side, while the great heat and flying sparks endangered buildings on the docks and steamers lying on either side of the wharf, and constant effort was required on the part of the fremen to prevent them from igniting. 4 dozen streams were soon pouring into the flames with little apparent effect for over an hour, while others were employed in drenching the dock and buildings.
 A gang of employees of the company was at once put upon the steamer Pilgrim, which was in the greatest danger, as she lay in the slip to the south of the burning steamer, with her bow very near the Bristols side. She was speedily warped over to the other side of the slip and several streams from her own apparatus kept her constantly drenched. A southerly wind also aided the firemen, and, indeed, if the wind had been from the north it is extremely doubtful if she could have been moved in time to save her from great damage.
 In the slip on the north side lay the freight steamer City of New Bedford, which also had to be constantly kept drenched, and which | did take fire about no n, but the blaze was soon extinguished. It was an hour and a half after the department arrived before their efforts made any appreciable difference in the volume of fire. Shortly before 8 o'clock, however, the flames were down so far as to permit few firemen to board the steamer and work from outside the guards of the lower and second decks, though in con- stant peril from falling timber and ma chinery.
 The Bristol was built twenty-two years ago, at cost of nearly s1 OOO, 900, to run to Bristol In opposition to the Fall River line | When Jim Fisk got control of the Fall River , line he bought the Bristol. The Bristol was insured for $45O, 900, but her insurance was but $500 900, which General Manager Kend rick says will nearly cover the loss, | The Bristol lies at the head of the wharf sunk to her guards, with paddle boxes stand ing and the inside burned out completely Both smoke stacks gone and both hog | frames burned. The bow of the boat 1! burned to the guards, while the flag staff ii standing and the pennant still flying. Th' port side aft is burned to the guards but ,tht starboard only to the second deck. The walk ing beam is standing, but has settled con siderably. She lies with her starboard sid, to the dock and is nearly below the level O ! {|,o rf