The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-11-07

:
B. F. Finney to be analysed in order to
discover what substance it was which was
being used to ignite the cotton.
Chemical tests, Mr. Finney said, and
this was also stated by Mr.. Clark, who
assisted him. showed beyond a doubt
that the bagging had been charred by
the use Of phosphorus. There was evil
dences Of phosphorus in the bagging, and
several Of the charred places were still
smouldering when the tests were made.
The conclusion was reached that the phos-
phorus had been dropped on the cotton
BY some one who used the piece of cot
ton cloth to protect his hand.
Mr. Finney said, however, that there was
no sulphur in the bagging, as stated. If
there had been any sulphur used, he said,
there would have been no such thing as
preventing disastrous fire in the cotton.
But the phosphorus, of itself does not
tend to create a flame, as it throws off a
solid substance, which rather tends to
check blaze than to originate it. In
such an inlammable substance as cot
ton, however, phosphorus could easily
ignite, or rather create a smouldering,
smoking fire as was the case in most of
the ships where fire was discovered. The
use of sulphur, the chemist said, would
have made the work of destruction a far
more complete one, and it was fortunate
that this was not thought of.
In the Whitfield, in which the fire
was discovered in the early morning, a
several bales Of cotton, which were
rubbed in the dark. The conclusion that
phosphorus was used seems, from the
facts, to be an undoubted one.
Chief Puder was looking bright and
fresh during the morning after his hard
nights lighting with the fires but he was
a little Worried over the liberties taken
with lot of his hose.
The damage was discovered about
O'clock when the nremen began to gather
up the hose that was used in putting out
the IRE on the steamship Stag, at the
lower press. Five or six lengths of hose
had been used to carry stream from a
plug at the Baltimore wharf to the ship,
a distance of some $50 to 800 feet
When this hose was gathered up it
was found that it had been hacked to
pieces. one of the firemen turned on the
water Just before disconnecting the hose,
and streams poured from il in every direc-
ton. 1t was found, on investigation. that
five lengths Of it, or about go feet had
been almost entirely destroyed by cut
ting. II was so badly damaged as to be
Of no use, as there were too many cuts
in all of the lengths to permit of piecine
it. The hose destroyed in this way was
valued at $500, and the city included in
its offers of reward, offers of $500 for the
arrest of each and every one of the par
ties implicated in destroying this hose
The destruction of the hose is considered
another fact in evidence that the fires
We're OF the worst kind of incendiary
origin.
Col. r. f. Harmon who is doing the
steVedoring on all the ships that were
fired, received an anonymous communi-
cation yesterday morning which was quite
amusing. He was seen reading il among
several Of his friends on the Bay when
1t was handed to him, but when asked
about it would sa.' verv little
rIe was 7 OF at all { lal med by II r.
receipt of the letter, though its contents
were Of very threatening nature Sl:ll
he did not care to give much publicity to
the matter.
The letter stated that it was from one Of
the sufferers from the longshoremen's
difficulty, and that he had suffered long
enough. 1t stated that the wife and
children of the writer Were starving, and
that he intended con hitting 1ic:Ie at
once so that his wife and children might
get what little insurance money he would
ave comb 2 10 his people Al Il his eatn
He then went on to give Col Harmon
warning that he would not live after
Wednesday, probably meaning that he in
tended putting an end to Col Harmon
and then to himself. The letter, however
was not given any serious thought and by
night had been forgotten. Perhaps the
writer too, had forgotten that he sent it.
Col Harmon had very little to say about
the fires except that they were an out
rage. lie would give no opinion IS to
their origin. and would not discuss the
matter for publication.
About O'Clock yesterday there was
another fire in which phosphorus was evil
IDENTIFY used. Three bales of cotton on the
lon HHs1,n =F !
fire. A hose was turned on and the blaze
extinguished before any material damage
was done. Some portions of the cotton
upon which the phosphorus had not igni-
ted, were taken by Il gentleman who hap
pened to be present. 1t had the same
smell and the same appearance as the
piece of cloth taken from the hold of the
County Down. Capt. Il. G. Strachan sta
ted TO Morning News reporter that in
examining the matches of the Whitfield he
found plentiful traces of the phosphorus
on top, which led him to believe that the
hatch had been raised and the phosphorus
thrown into the hold in this manner The
phosphorecent glow was noted and com
mented upon by those who were present at
the fire in the hold of the Stag the night
before. An opinion prevails among ship
ping men that most of the fires were set
by throwing phosphorus down through the
venulators Of the ships into the holds.
About o'clock yesterday morning the
chief officer OF the Petunia lifted No. 4
hatch and saw a luminous substance in
the hold. He went down and brought il
up He found it to be lump or cube of
some soft substance, having a smell like
sulphur. He turned it over to a police
man, who took it aboard the Kansas City
to Agent Trezevant of the Ocean Steam
snip company who had camped there for
the night. While the stuff was being ex-
amined II exploded with a slight concus-
sion and set fire to the carpet in the
saloon. a couple of buckets of water ex-
unSuished the blaze. After the first fire
on board the Petunia the vessel was care
fully Inspected every half hour. Evidently
the explosive was dropped down the ven
ulator in the interval between the inspec-
tons, showing conclusivey that the in
cendiaries were about the ships and per
sisting in their infamous work while the
hremen were endeavoring to protect the
ships.
The steamer Massasoit, one of the cot
ton ships set on fire, doubtless owed its
immunity to the fact that the ventilators
We're taken down before leaving New
York and the holes well capped, so that
there was no chance to get anything
through them. This is probably all that
saved the Massasoit, as she had a full
cargo aboard and was doubtless among
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