The evening world., 1894-07-18
Oil-Laden Bark Emma 7. Crowell
Destroyed Near Sandy Hook
The Captain, His Wife and Crew
Escaped in a Lifeboat.
Tho Ship Left This Port Yesterday
Bound for Shanghai.

Capt. Pendleton, took fire when ABOUT
twelve miles off Fire Island. and was
burned to the waters edge. So quickly
did the flames spread that there was
no time. to save anything and the per
sonal effects of the crew of fourteen
and the captain and his wife were de-
stroyed with the cargo.
Although the fire started about & 20
O'Clock last night. nothing was known
Of the disaster until this morning. when
the Dutch oil tank steamer Ocean. un-
der the command of Capt. Cassens. ar
rived at Quarantine with the crew OF
the Inflated bark.
The Emma 4. Crowell, which IL owned
by Eugene Carver, of Boston, had II
cargo when she started out yesterday
OF 80, 332 cases of kerosene oil. After he
ing towed to sea and putting the pilot
aboard the station boat. the sails were
stretched, and the bark fairly started on
her voyage.
Everything went well until $50 O'Clock,
when smoke was seen issuing from the
fire-hatch. A hasty examination was at
once made, and then IL was discovered
that the fire, was. raging. below decks
near where the oil was stored.
Capt. Pendleton knew from the inham-
mable nature of the ca. cargo that any ny, At It.
useless. Instead he at once gave orders
for the lowering of the boats.
There was not much OF sea running
at the time. but, In spite of that fact
the starboard lifeboat was stove in while
lowering It and rendered useless. The
port boat however. was safely launched
on board, was the first to be put into It..
The crew followed. Capt Pendleton be-
ing the last one to leave
Even then, however. their safety was
mt c0mnlete. 4 there was danger of the
oil exploding at any moment. In order
to get out of harms way the crew
stopped to watch the bark burn up
Just about that time a heavy fog de-
scended and through this the red mass
could be seen for half an hour or more
Then II was lost to sight. 49,. 49,.
Capt. Pendleton had about made up his
mind to try and row back to Fire Island.
when the Runic.. one of the White Star
line freights, which was outward bound.
hove In sight. Her commander, Capt.
Haddock. stopped and picked up the
crew, then turning his vessel around he
rs rs I,,s ,t to the n Sandy Hook Lshtshp
sighted and signalled by the lightship
w ane a ns en board De and a
to Quarantine. At II O'Clock, they
were brought up 10 this city by tina tug
Capt. Pendleton said this morning
that he could advance no theory what
ever a. to the cause Of the fire, except
that It had hesp caused BY spontaneous
lighted aboard. he said. while loading
up here with OIL, and the bark started
immediately after her cargo was
The Emma +; crowell was built in
was very little insurance. Pemberton
Capt. A. 8. Pendleton. Of the crowell
his wife. Mrs; Mary Pendleton. and First
Pendleton. Carver & Nichols. at rs South
the tug in New York. "
old. and Is a cousin Of z. p. Carver. OF
Boston, the largest of the nineteen
owners In the Crowel. Mrs. Pendletou
is about forty-eight, and Is a niece OF
The burning of the crowel, entails a
particularly severe loss on Capt. Pendie
ton and his wife. For fourteen years h
has commanded the Crowe,l and he in
vested all his earnings In the vessel until
he owned nine-sixty- fourths interest II
her. He and his wife also lost ever,
clothes they had on. The captain los
all. even to his last shirt; he only wor,
light undershirt when the fire brok
out. His wife saved shawl. littl
carved wooden box and the clothes sh
"-ore.
Capt. Pendleton gave the following &C
o We Hss p ss said to
AT 20 minutes past last night, Will
twelve miles south Of Fire Island, on
Of the crew told mo that II heavy smok
was pouring out OF the fore hatch.
rilled all the crew on deck. The smok
was coming out of the hatch and boy
In huge volumes. and l realized that tn
u was on fire
~ ordered all the matches hattene
down with etarpaanlins to try an
t. -.
first alarm fire broke out from tn
'T realized that the vessel was los
and ordered the port boat lowered.
capsized as 1t struck the water, and W
lowered the starboard boat. Into IT a
hands, sixteen in number, including m
wife. got as quickly as possible. w
water, and placed them into the boat, an
also hoisted the flag upside down on II
1--WE pushed off, and in a few minute
the flames were up 10 the lower yar
Of the bark. We sighted the Red cro'
steamer F, Ru mic, which bore down an
at was Just o'clock when We got Q
board Of her. As we pulled towards Il
kTniS we e, beard explosions from II
Capt. Pendleton said he had all h
cargo in at o'clock on the afternoc
OF the day before he sailed. Yesterda
afternoon he had the forward hate
scuttle lifted to replace some plankir
and no smell of smoke or FIRE was n
ticed.
The oil Is valued at 81 on The Emn
T. Crowell was valued at $1,000. an on
Of that price having been refused fe
days before she sailed Mr.. Nichols sa
she was partially insured. but he d
clined to give the exact amour
Whether the oil, which is said to belor
to the STANDARD Oil Company. was /
siired or not was not ascertained
Mrs. Mary Pendleton, pleasant face
matronly lady, said The loss of Il
Crowley is a particularly hard one
my husband and myself All our sd
ings for many years were lost In h,
/ have made many voyages with r
husband, but this is the first time
have ever been In serious danger
81 was OF course very much brighten
at first, but when l knew We were or
twelve miles from Fire Island | 9
calmer. I knew we could make /
land in the boat. The fire spread
quickly that we could save nothing /
our lives"
The ships papers and two chronon
tiers were all of the vessels belongir
saved. The crew, who behaved v,
well. also lost everything
The list OF the Emma L, Grove
crew Is as follows; Captain, A. S. TIE
pleten; First Mate, Is. q. Trefry: Sec
Mate. J. Nelson; W. c. Crater, o. il
nings, II. Torgesen. George Russell, j,
Jacobson, T. l. Ekman. Theodore ri,
q. b. Peterson, John Peterson, r. l.
sen. j.. Sounsen, John Snedrickson {
T. Gieper.