The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-14
HAY BE SAVANNAH'S FIREBJG.
THE NEW ORLEANS SHIP BURNER
SAYS HE WAS HERE.


Phosphorus the COmbustibIe Placed
In the Cotton of the Steamer Flo
ridian-The Prisoner Denies That
He belongs 60 Any Labor Organi-
xation-IIe Admits That lie Knows
Something of Loading Cotton on
ships.
New Orleans. Feb. 13.-Peter Cakes. all
as oates who was arrested last evening
on the levee at Southport. and is charged
with having. with the assistance OF two
or more conspirators or confederates. un-
known, cut open the ends Of two bales of
cotton ready TO be stored on the steamer
Flordian. and secreting therein a quan.
u.y Of combustible material for the pur-
pose Of blowing up the vessel ana de-
stroying the same by fire. was arralgned
before Commissioner Wright to-day and
entered plea Of not guilty 10 the charges
preferred. The act for which .Oakes Is
held to answer is violation Of section 1854
Of the Revised Statutes The prisoner was
IN consequence plac d under appearance
bonds in the sum of 5000
When the judge pronounced the size OF
The bond that would be required the ac-
eused stated that It was unnecessary to
make the bond so heavy. as he was
stranger in town and a bond of 500 would
serve as well. Commissioner Wright re
piled that 1t was not his business to
know what amount of bond the person
was able to supply. therefore. the bond
would remain as first hxed.
Oakes has the APPEARANCE or a hard
looking customer. with face that prob-
ably will not prove Of great benefit in
his behalf when he is called to appeal
before a jury, lie evidently is a man be-
yond the merld an Of life, and says he
has not been IN the city more than two
months, and came here from Savannah
Ga he claims not 10 be a member OF
any Of the labor organizations. but al
mits he knows something of loading cot
ton on board ships
The stun was wrappsd IN wet cloth
when found and was at first generally
thought % be dynamite. but Il pro ed tu-
Gay 10 have beea composed oI phos-
phorus and il was therefore probably
the intention Of the perpstra or not 10
blow up the ship or injuTe the worhmen.
but evidently 10 destroy the cotton In
the vessel by hre. The combustible ma
ter.al was carefully iad upon the back
cf ore ~ the large record books in tile
marshals Office last night with a glass
covering it so thai no one would be ONE
endangered 10y interference ". tn It, Thl.
morning u was found that The stun
concealed In the wrap had caught he
and there was nothing lett but charred
remains.
Attempts at ship burning have been a
ITeUuent at
var Gus s'eamship companies at that por
j We cXpe1dcn Etl sc sums in attempt. NJ
to ferret out the guilty part es, bat IL
seems that The con pir4cy was 50 thor
oughly organized that unit now il has
proven lmposs. bic TO even apprehend
any Of the burners. Detectives from Sa
vannah IL is said. have only recently
visited New Orleans on such an errand
but as usual could not locate of effect a
capture.
1t is therefore the general supposit,on
that the man who is now under arrest
here, and who goes by the name Of
Cakes. and says he came from Savannah.
belongs to the conspiracy which so long
made that port risky for vessels loading
cotton.
The fact that there has been number
of fires on shipboard here and that gen
orally vessels after leaving here have
been discovered on fire, taken in cOnnec-
ton will to-day discovery, would seem
to bear out the theory that a ship burn
ing organization is at work.
Peter Oakes is a well-known Savannah
Iongshoreman. and has worked at loading
cotton here for several St asons. He left
Savannah some time ago. and is proba-
bly, the same man who is under arrest in
New Orleans Oakes was witness against
The Harmon men in the first row which
occurred at the beginning of the cotton
s-ason at the lower end of Bay street.