The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-02-07
SHIP BURNED BYLIME
Steamer Wilmington Destroyed
on the Columbia River.
VESSEL AND CARGO TOTAL LOSS
The City OF Picking Reaches San Fran.
cisco Under Sail-Her Delay Due
to . Broken Shaft.

PORTLAND. Feb. 6.-The steamer Viii.
mington was destroyed by fire last night
at Linnton. about ten miles below this
city. She was loaded with lime, and this
gas the source of the fire. The vessel is a
total loss, all the woodwork having been
consumed and the iron frame so warped
as to be useless.
The Wilmington arrived at Linnton at 4
O'Clock yesterday afternoon, and dis
charged her cargo of lime rock. At 8
o'clock one Of the men discovered smoke
issuing from the after hold. An investi-
CATION proved that the lime on board was
on fire. The mate with a couple of men
went down in the hold and made an at
tempt to smother the flames, but the
smoke was too dense and sitting. and it
drove them back. Capt. Badger, who was
in command, became seriously alarmed,
but saw that little could be done to stay
the progress of the flames. The vessel
was moored alongside the dock, and men
were put to work removing what little
freight there was besides the lime. A
small amount of furniture, bedding, the
ships nautical instruments and the rec
ords were saved. The stewards stores
were situated aft of the fire, and could not
be reached on account Of the flames, and
eventually were totally destroyed.
As soon as it was discovered that the
fire was beyond control, the ship was
scuttled to save, if possible, the wood
work. This was affected by opening the
sea cock anu the vessel filled with water.
The displacement. however, was not
sufficient to sink the vessel to the bottom
of the river. though her hull was filled
with lime and water. Still the fire was
confined below decks. Unable to do any
thing, the men sat around in the cabin
and waited for morning to come. AS the
day broke this morning, the heat drove
them from the cabin and they went
ashore. Then the fire broke out through
the decks and commenced its work of
destruction, which was completed in q
few hours. Capt Badger and crew arrived
here this afternoon.
The Wilmington's cargo consisted of
1000 barrels of lime, the loss of which is
nominal. The vessel was valued at
$4,000, and she was insured for two-thirds
Of that amount.
fThe steamship Wilmington was built at
Philadelphia In 1870. Her gross tonnage was
Go7o, and her net tonnage 75207. Her dimen.
sions follows: Length. 90 feet; breadth,
&6; depth, l7.5 The steamer was owned by
the Merchants steamship Company. OF Portland.
She piled between Portland, British Columbia
and Puget sound points. The Wilmington
came near being wrecked in a severe storm on
her trip from the Straits Of Fuca to the Coum-
ba river, and she arrived there In u battered
condition, having escaped going down at sea to
be burned at her dock. She lett Victoria on
Monday, January 80, and the following night
lay TO in the Straits. On the morning of the
Slst che steamed out to sea- and as soon as she
rounded Cape Flattery ran into a terrible storm.
She was buffeted about, her boats and RATS were
smashed and carried away, and part OF the YES
sells stern was crushed in. She was driven back
toward Cape FIattery, but again made for the
Columbia river. and reached Astoria on the
night of February 5, being four days overdue.
On the trip the water had got into her cargo of
lime. and when it began burning part OF it was
dumped at sea, but the vessel had shipped
enough water TO start the lime to burning again,
with the result given above.