The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-02-07
WILMINGTON BURNED
The Steamers Cargo of Lime
Catches Fire.
An Attempt Made to Save the Vessel
by Scuttiing Her-The Effort
a Failure.
Special to THE MORNING CALL.

PORTLAND. Feb. 6.-1he steamer VIII
mington was destroyed by fire last night at
! Linnton. about ten miles below this city.
| The Wilmington arrived at Linnton at 4
| o'clock yesterday afternoon and began dis
| charging her cargo of limerick. AT clock
| one Of the men discovered smoke issuing
from the after hold. Investigation proved
that the lime was on fire. The mate, with a
couple Of men. went down in the hold and
made an attempt to smother the flames. but
the smoke was too dense ana sitting and
drove them back.
Captain Badger. who was in command
was now seriously alarmed, but saw that
very 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 and bedding and the ships nauti-
cal instruments and records were saved.
The stewards stores were situated aft of
the fire and could not be reached on ac-
count of the flames and eventually were
destroyed.
AS soon as 1t was discovered that the fire
was beyond control the ship was scuttled to
save il possible the woodwork. This was
tlltC tSu Nv NpCbIHe INC sea IUCh duu
the vessel filled with water. The displace-
ment, 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 dc anything the men sat around
IN he cabin and awaited the morning. As
day BROKE the heat drove them from the
cabin and they went ashore. Theh the fire
hr,I ha
menced its work Of destruction, which was
completed in few hours.
Captain Badger and tie crew arrived here
this afternoon.
The Wilmington's cargo consisted of 1000
barrels of lime, the loss of which is NOM
inal. The vessel was valued at $4,000.
She was insured for two-thirds Of that
amount.
The steamer was owned by the Mer-
chants Steamship Company of this city.
She piled between this city, Vancouver and
Puget Sound points.
The Wilmington was built in 1870 and ran
on the Clyde line between New York.
Mobile and Galveston in the cotton trade
for several years. When William p. Clyde
got control OF the Pacific Mail Company he
forced on its acceptance a number OF his
vessels, among others the Clyde, Georgin
and Wilmington, all of an inferior class.
In 1878 the Georgin started for this coast
and went ashore In the Straits Of Magellan.
The owners in New York being bottled, the
Wilmington was fitted out with wrecking
party and sent down to the straits.
| The Georgin was gotten off but was
ultimately wrecked off the coast of Central
America. The Wilmington conveyed her
up here. Clyde turned the Wilmington over
| to the Mail Company, who refused to
accept her. She lay in Richardson's Bay at
Sausallto for several years and was then
fitted out. She made one or two trips down
the coast. Then Frank Barnard bought
her and used her as a collier He gave her
| up and she was practically condemned.
Latterly she had been making trips between
| Portland and Puget Sound.