The evening world., 1894-07-05
FIRE IN Her HID.
Unfortunate Plight Of the Red
"D' Line Steamship Caracas.
Passengers Landed by the Tug Ex-
celsior at Pier I North River.
Met in the Lower Bay by the Fire
boat New Yorker.

The Red "D'' line steamship Caracas,
which sailed from here for Venezuelan
ports last Monday, returned to this port
on fire, at o'clock this morning.
AS she passed Sandy Hook she
sigma lleo to the operator stationed there
OF her prcdcanent.
He promptly notified her agents. Boil
ton. Bliss & Dallett of 1876 Front street,
who Immediately communicated with
the fircboat New Yorker. lying at her
wharf at the Battery.
The New Yorker hustled down the bay
at a lively pace and met the Caracas off
Robbins Reef
AS soon as the New Yorker went
alongside the burning steamship she
began pumping water into her hold
through several lines of hose.
Meanwhile the tug Excelsior had been
took off the passengers on board the
Caracas, landing at pier l. n. r.
Her passengers thus safely cared for.
the Caracas was then towed over to the
north side of Liberty Island, where she
is likely to sink from the great amount
OF water being pumped into her.
The Caracas carried but small num-
her of passengers and general cargo
bound for Curacao and Venezuelan
ports.
The passenger list is as follows:
S. w. SLEEPER.
Dr. II. BEG EZRA and family.
TOMASO LEVARES;
ANTONIO VALI.ENILLA.
Mr.. and Mrs. RuDEcANDo SOTO.
THOMAS ALENDA.
AT the office of Bolton. Bliss & Dali
lett little could be learned beyond the
fact that the fire was reported to have
broken out in the after hold Of the vessel.
to an "Evening World reporter his
entire inability to account for it. as that
portion OF the vessel was laden entirely
with -four.
The Vessel was loaded while lying at
her regular berth. Pierrepont Stores.
usual stevedore. The cargo in the fore
hold and amdships was of a generally
mixed charaSter containing nearly
to the tropics. The agents We're posi-
tive, however, that the hold where the
flames first appeared contained nothing
No information could be obtained from
the agents regarding the value of the
CARCASS cargo or of the vessel herself.
nor could the amount OF insurance car
The nre-boat New Yorker succeeded
In filling the Caracas full of water
where she lay In the mud north, OF
aboard of her. Tugs from the Baxter
Wrecling Company were then engaged
Capt ,woodrick, of the Caracas, gave
the following account OF the fire to
Capt. Ryan, of the tire-boat:
at least three hundred miles from this
port, in the Gulf Stream. when the
flames were discovered in the after
hold, in the cargo of flour, In bags, at
1 o'clock yesterday morning.
1T seemed then as II the whole ship
would be speedily enveloped in flames;
OUT, and provisions and Everything was
q readiness to leave the vessel at a mo-
ment's notice. The matches were bat
into the hold where the fire was raging,
and then put about and headed back for
This port.
Fortunately the steam succeeded in
We got here without having to take to
the small boats. Wa took on IL pilot
rhou' I o'c! ck last mig I. and reached
Robbins Reef about o'clock this morn
Ing: Then We continued to blow whistles
and exhibited other signals Of distress
untn We fell In with the tugboat Mar
garet Lenox, which ran up to the city
for assistance.
The captain could not tell how the
ilrc had started, nor what the probable
damage would be, There We're fifty bags
OF mail on board, and the passengers
baggage and the entire cargo was more
or less damaged by fire and water. The
Caracas had a crew of about seventy
men,
Capt. Ryan. of the, New Yorker. said
1T seems almost miracle that the
ship should hav" been able 10 make her
way back as well as she did. The first
intimation that We lad of the fire was
about 6 o'clock this morning. when the
tug l.enox came up with the steward Of
the Caracas, who told US how the vessel
was filed with fire.
The wheel and rudder and rudder of
the fire-boat were damaged recently by
picking up the police buoy in the basin
on the Battery and we could not MAKE
fast time going down. When We got
there the decks were hot. We opened
hold, We fought the IRE, there until
three of our men, John Driscoll. Henry
Gosler and John Nolan, were overcome
by, the smoke and impure arr IN the
hope OF saving the vessel was to run
her ashore and MI her up with water
The tug Excelsior passing, she towed
berth in the mud of Liberty, Island,
where we illled her with water"
How long did 1t take to do that" he
"One hour and twenty minutes ex-
actly." replied the captaip.
The men who were overcome. by the
were able TO resume work at the expiru-
ton OF half an hour.
| capt. Joseph J. Roden, of the N. A.
| LcnoN. who was one OF the first to re
spond to the signals OF distress made by
| the Caracas, said:
II pulled out of the Atlantic Dock, in
| brooklyn. about . O'Clock this morning
| and headed down the bay, when heard
| the steamers whistle blowing for aid.
| II found the captain and officers APP
parently very much excited, but the pas
| sengers, fully dressed, were all on deck
| and seemed to take matters very coolly
| l offered to take them on then and there
| when learned the condition OF affairs,
but they politely declined.
| Later they decided TO leave the ship