Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1889-07-23
A THRILLING STORY.
How the Steamer Lorenzo D. Baker
Was Burned at Sea.
ALL BUT TwO Or zee CREw sAvED

The ship Takes Fire a. Midnight Ia >
Heavy Sea The Heats Capalned--A
water Logged Life Raft-The surviv-
ora Resenea BY = whaisr ana Brouehs
% New Bedfora.
NEW BEDFORD, Mass, July cS. Capt.
WYlie and crew of the Boston steamer
Lorenzo d. Baker arrived in this port
on the whaler Franklin.
Their own vessel was burned at sea
and the survivors have q thrilling story
Of their experience.
Two firemen were lost with the shin.
Capt. Wylie told his story IN the fol-
lowing words:
I'VE left Port Antonio, Jamaica, July
10, with cargo Of bananas for Boston.
We had six cabin passengers, Mrs.
Elizabeth Lime, of Dundee. Scotland:
Josiah Dillon, of Iowa, Lorenzo ID.
Baker, Jr,, OF WellfIett, Mass; Jere-
miah O'Callahan, Of Boston, and Ernest
B. Thing. Of Lynn. Then there were
Lawrence Jensen and Peter SaxiId,
sailors, who Were working their passage
and nineteen OF the officers and crew, In
ell twenty-seven persons
The midnight Alarm Of Fire.
1--WE had smooth wster up to the even-
ing OF July 10, when we were in latitude
49, 10 north, longitude so 40. At this
time fresh gale from the southwest set
In, causing the ship to roll some, but not
severely.
ssAt midnight there was an alarm az
fire. / went out on deck and saw the
engine room in blaze. ordered the
hose on, but the engineer said he could
not get to the pumps. Then ordered
the fire buckets and alarmed the passen.
gers and ordered the boats to be swung
out.
The Boats Hoisted Ont.
SPY this time the flames had burst
through the top OF the engine room and
the starboard boat was on fire. We
swung out the port boat and lowered
her to the rail. ordered this one to be
manned. Two or three passengers got
into the boat. The fire now was within
three feet of us and the heat to those
who stood by the boat was intense.
Placing the boats painter i'm the hands
of q sailor and telling him to hold Il fast
/ ordered the first mate to take the bow,
and, springing into the stern, told the
men TO lower away, thinking as soon as
the boat was afoet and detached from
the tackles to return on board and get
out the raft and small boat, rs they were
then comparatively safe and away from
the fire.
The Boat CapsiEsd.
"But in lowering the boat as Il struck
the water IL Immediately cap8ized and
threw us out On coming to the surface
found the man holding the painter had
let go of It when he saw the accident,
50 that the boat was near us. Helping
the passengers to a safe hold on the keel,
in Few minutes the mate and righted
the boat. On getting our company to
safe positions again, we bailed the boat.
took the passengers in and looked around
for the ship, which had by this time
drifted about half mile away.
The Life Raft Useless.
1T had been twenty minutes from the
time of lowering the boat until we were
in IL again. We put away for the
steamer, and when half way to Il we
fell in with the raft, which had eight
persons on IL. IL h0ated with only one
end above water, having been injured
in launching. We took all from the
raft into the boat. The wind had now
increased and the sea was high. Some
time was consumed with the raft, and
we we're q mile from the wreck when
we again started for her
After rowing some time we picked
up q sailor floating on the gangway
steps. From him we learned that he
had gone In the small boat and that four
sailors and two firemen were left on
board the steamer, they having been cut
of from the boats hy the fire. One, a
fireman, had been drowned In trying 70
reach tho small boat. We now found. ID.
our sorrow, that the distance between
Us and the ship was increasing, but still.
as the wind and sea would permit, w@
struggled to get to the wreck.
Picked Up by the Franklin.
The forenoon was rapidly passing
away, when to our iOy we saw aschooner
bearing down to the ship. We saw her
lay BY and take of some men and then.
come 70 rs. We were soon safely on.
board the vessel, which proved to be the
Franklin, Capt. Rose. Of New Bedford.
We found she had taken five men frOml
3 spar alongside the steamer. Another
fireman had been drowned in swimming.
from the steamers bowsprit to the snar.
At this time the steamer had burned to-
within three feet of the waters edge.
We soon found the small boat, and
twenty live out of twenty-seven souls
who had been on the steamer had been
saved and safe on board the Franklin.
The most generous treatment was
accorded 1s by Capt. Rose and the crew
of the schooner, and clothing was given
us all, and not one Of US was fully
dressed. The best the rescuers had was
freely offered to rs.
Said Capt. Rose: Ny voyage win not
be pp tor month, but / viii carry ron
into port, and we started for New Bed
ford