Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-09-03

| ran to the forward way that the lower part Of
the boat was all ablaze. l turned out the crew
| as soon possible. and then we worked as hard
rs we could to get the boat out Of the reach OF
| the other steamers. / do not think that any
one is to blame for the loss, as the fires were
well banked and there was the greatest care
taken"
The piano, on which many an amateur per-
| former had drummed during the past fifteen
years. and that had produced accom- panimeuts
| to thousands of ditties sung by merry excur-
sionists returning from Marshall Hall and
Mount Vernon, lay at the feet of the captain,
burned out of any semblance to the fine instru-
ment that it once was. Its silver throat was
choked and its voice was forever mute. Its
repertoire was at an end, and in a wild con-
fusion of strings and doleful discord of charred
wood it lay mute, its legs gone and worth
nothing.
THE SAFE intact.
The safe was near the walking beam, badly
scorched and hot as a stove, but intact. The
treasurer Of the company, Mr.. Adams says
that there was nothing in it of value, and
whatever is there is probably safe. The stream
| was played on it cautiously, and it will be cool
in few hours so that it can be opened
The bar, being well up in the bow, wal
wholly destroyed with its contents. There was
quite a stock of liquors on board the boat, and
these have all been drunk by the fire fiend, in
its unquenchable thirst. The sum of So, the
barkeeper says, was locked up in the ROOM
but unless it was in gold or silver, which ID
very improbable. it has gone the way of ali
wealth. The man rowed out to the wreck and
told the fireman to look out for the money! but
they sang back that he had better dive for it.
There is no vestige left that would show that
the bar had ever existed.
Fine handicapped tables were not only
burned, but the slabs were crumbled, so fierce
were the flames. The solid deck, which il
| about twenty feet square, is Uttered with win
dow weights and bed springs. The life boats
! are gone, burned to nothing but crisp frame
work. The metal boats are stripped of their
fittings and warped out Of shape. The smoke
stack still stands held by its guys, and it looks
like monument, clad in many colors, painted
by the flames.
THE BOATS PRESENT CONDITION.
The boat leans toward the east, with the star
board wheel fitting into the water. The wheel
houses are not all burned, but the frames are
left entire in spots, though charred. The only
piece of wood that did not show signs of the
blaze was a part Of the inside CT the piano, that
had been Clipped off by some ones foot.
The engines are twisted and distorted out of
all possibility of further use. The starboard
shaft has dropped two feet at the water's edge
and is bent Both OF the shafts were very hot
at noon. The stream was kept on them for
several hours after the flames had been extin-
guished in order to cool them.
After the fremen had done their hardest
work Of putting out the blaze they found
plenty to occupy them in going from place to
place about the boat with buckets and small
hand pumps putting out sparks that had been
lett unuoticed before. They were Obliged to
step carefully ON the joists Of the deck, other
wise they went through with crash into the
black water below.
The Blackburn made frequent trips from the
shore TO the wreck, ferrying people out who
wished to get to the burned boat on business
Small boys piled around the spot in row boats
and turned pennies in ferrying the passengers
to the steamer from the police boat.
LOSS AND INSURANCE.
The total loss to the Mount Vernon and Mar.
shall Hall Steamboat Company is hard matter
to estimate. The steamer Corcoran can be re-
placed for about ESQ, 600, in better form than
she was before, and the estimate given by
Treasurer Adams this morning was that the
company loses in the neighborhood Of S40, OOO
by the tire. Had the accident occurred before
the arrival of the Macalester the loss would
have been far greater, for the damage is to be
estimated in the loss Of business a. we'll ~ in
the cost Of the steamer.
The boats Of the company are both insured
heavily. The insurance on the Corcoran il
placed with nine companies and amounts to
S35, 900, AZ follows:
Reading Fire Insurance Company, 81, 500.
Liverpool and London Globe Company,
Commercial Union Insurance Company, Lon
don, $4,000.
Fireman's Association, Philadelphia, q, 500.
a, 600.
s.. Paul German Insurance Company, 81.
Paul, $500.