The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-10-25
FOUGHT FIRE AT SEA.

Entire Crew OF the ill-tateu Nlty VI S''
Augustine Saved-Captain Gaskilrs Story
Took to Boats Mt Last and Were Picked
Up by a Coaster,
Boston, oct. 24,--The entire crew OF
the steamship City of st, Augustine,
which was passed at sea abandoned and
on fire from stem to stern, having been
picked up by the New England and
savannah line steamship City of Macon.
The City of Macon, Captain Lewis,from
Savannah, arrived here this morning
with the captain, and crew of the i'll
fated ship.
Captain John II, Gasllill, the COM
mander of the City of ST. Augustine,
makes the following report:
THE City of st. Augustine sailed on
her regular trip from New York for
Florida at midnight on Saturday last.
Nothing unusual transpired until 11;2O
o'clock on Monday night, when, the
men at work in the fire room discovered
a dense smoke emanating from the coal
| bunkers, fire room and engine room,
Upon Investigation it was found that
the cargo i'm the main hold was on fire.
The cargo in this part of the vessel
consisted of cases of merchandise, which
We're slowed nearly to the vessels deck,
making 1t impossible to get at the fire.
To remove the matches meant the quick
er destruction OF the ship, and the hand
eXtinguishers, hose and steam from the
boilers We're turned into the hold through
| the coal bunkers and the engine room,
and the fight to save the ship began.
For three-quarters of an hour the flames
were held at bay, but suddenly the
steam in the boilers gave out and the
| fire began to make rapid Roadway, See
| ing that it was impossible to save the
steamship arrangements were at once
made to abandon her. There were 200
| barrels of oil slowed just back of where
the fire originated, and as the flames
were gradually working in that direc-
ton the preparations to leave the ship
We're speedily made. The port and star
boats were got ready. and the crew,
after assisting the captains wife to a
place in the stern of one of the boats,
left the burning ship and dropped
astern, where they caught the log line,
and by this means remained in apostion
about eighty fathoms from the burning
steamship.
| Cape Hatteras at this time bore north
| by west eighteen miles distant. The
sea was smooth save for few white
caps, which caused the boats to roll
some About fifteen minutes after the
crew had abandoned the steamship the
pilot house, midship house and decks
were a mass of flames. The oil had not
at that time ignited. After remaining
about three-quarters of an hour in the
| boats the City of Macon, attracted by
the burning vessel, hove to nearby and
we then cut loose from the log line
and rowed to her and We're taken on
board" AS the time was spent onsboard
| the City of ST. Augustine in fighting the
flames, h captain and crew saved moth
| ing but the clothes they had on. Cap
tain Gaskill lost $3.50 worthof valuables
his wife lost all her wardrobe and the
crew lost their entire effects
| Besides Captain Gaskill, the officers
of the steamship City of st. Augustine
were Chief Mate C. H. Crowell, Second
Mate L. Refine Chief Engineer Peter A.
Murphy, Assistant Engineer William
Manning, and Steward John Nicols. She
carried a crew of seventeen men all told
Save for colds contracted by the chief
officer and some of the crew at the
time of the disaster, the shipwrecked
seamen are In good health. Captain
Gaskill lives in Hoboken, N. j. He is
awaiting instructions from the owners
of the lost ship, who will probably or
der him to take his crew to New York
The City of ST. Augustine was about
two-thirds loaded when she caught fire
Captain Gaskill states that when he last
saw his steamship the masts had gone
bv the board and she was entirely en-
veloped in flames