The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-10-18
THE CARTOONS FIRE OUT
SIXTEEN HUNDRED BALES OF
COTTON DAMAGED.

The Cargo in the Compartme emit
Where the Fire Started to be Dis
Charged The Vessel Not Damaged
by Fire and Being Pumped Out by
Tugs The Survey or the Vessel
TIE Work Of the Firemen-Theories
of the Fires Origin.
Chief Fireman Puder declared the fire
out in the British steamship Carlton, lying
at the Gordon wharves, at o'clock yester-
day morning. but as a precaution the
Mogul engine was not ordered to its
quarters until o'clock in the afternoon.
The fire was not extinguished until
the tug Forest City was again put
TO work on the vessel, when fire
was discovered coming up out of the
forecastle. The whole forward compart-
ment was flooded with water, W ich was
level with the cotton. The water forced
its way through the engine room door bulk
head, and put out the fires of the donkey
pump. A fire was then started up under
the main boiler. and the work Of pumping
out the ship was commenced.
AsURvEY ON THE VESSEL.
y
day morning by the captain. The board of
surveyors consisted of Port Warden Wig
gins, Maj. James T. S ewart, Loyds' agent,
and Capt. Morris OF the British steamship
Evelyn. The surveyors were accompanied
by j. n. Johnston, agent of the under
writers, and Walter Robertson British vice
consul. After a thorough examination
they recommended that Vie ship be pumped
out and then moved to another berth, or
suitable location, and that all the
cotton in the forward compartment
be discharged. 1t was found that
the vessel drew too much water by
the head to transfer her up the river, and
she was hauled out of her berth and the
Albania took it, the Carlton being placed
on the outside Strachan 81 Co., as a mat
ter of security, chartered the tug Forest
City to lie alongside of her and assist in
pumping her out, the tug remaining by her
all day.
About two-thirds of the cotton aboard of
the ship, or nearly / 800 bales, were in the
forward comp rtment, all Of which is
damaged more or less ny fro and water.
PART OF THE CARGO NOT DAMAGED.
The C lrgo in the afterpart of the ship is
perfectly dry. From the looks Of the cotton
in the fore or No. hatch, 1t is evident that
the fire origi ated near the hatch. After
the vessel has been pumped out the upper
tier Of burned cotton will be broken out aud
hghtered, after which the vessel will be
transferred, probably, to d. j. Murphy's
wharf, where the bala ce of the damaged
cotton in Nos. l and 2 holds will be dis
charged. The dlmage to the ship is very
slight, if she is damaged at all.
The origin of the fire has not been dis
covered, but two theories have been ad-
vanced. One is that sparks from the smoke
stack communicated with the cotton on the
wharf either before it was loaded or after
it was lowered into the hold, as the donkey
engine is kept running while cotton is
being loaded. A sailor informed Chief
Fireman Puder that several incipient fires
in the coal bunkers had been put out previ-
Gus to yesterday mornings fire
THEORY OF THE FIRES ORIGIN.
The other theory is that the intense heat
of the vessels side from the fire at the
cotton presses last week set the cotton on
fire, and it smoldcred until Yesterday
morning, when it suddenly blazed up. The
vessel " as lying alongside the wharf front
ing the cotton presses which burned, and
was hard aground, so that her hull was
exposed to heat wnich blistered its sides,
and on the day folio wing one of the fire.
men said that he believed that the hull was
so hot that the cotton could not escape
ignition.
There was some confusion among ship
ping men on the Bay when the fire broke
out, owing to the failure of the exchange
bell to sound al intelligent alarm, but
Chief Fireman Puder said that the alarms
came in all right at headquarters, at the
various engine houses, aud to his gong at his
residence, and there was no confusion
among thefiremen. Policeman Maher, who
was on Gas House hill, heard the
alarm of fire, and turned in an alarm
from box shortly before midnight.
and the night Waterman at the warehouses
in the rear of the ruins of the Tyler press
property, hearing the les of fire, sent in
anotl or alarm from box 81, but as two
rounds of the alarm from box went in
first, the fremen had no trouble in locating
the fire. Engines Nos 1, 2 and respo nded,
and six lines of hose, or 2, 100 feet, we're soon
laid, and we're soon pouring strong streams
of water into the hold where the cotton was
burning, the eng mes pumping from the
river. The No. 3 engine was sent in at 5
O'Clock yesterday morning, the No. Q four
hours later, and the Mogul pumped until z
O'Clock and suspended pumping, but re-
manned on the ground for eight hours
longer