New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-10-25
"a FED FROM A BURNING SHIP.
THE CREW OF THE STEAMER ST. AUGUs-
TINE IN BOSTON.
THEY ABANDONED THE VESSEL JUST IN TIME
AND WERE SOON PICKED UP BY THE
CITY OF MACON. BOUND NORTH
FROM SAVANNAH

CITY OF MACON. BOUND NORTH
FROM SAVANNAH.
Boston. Oct. A.-The crew of the steamer City
OF st. Augustine. which vessel was passed at sea,
abandoned and ablaze from stem to stern. by the
Ward Line steamer Oriza ba. is safe. having been
picked up by the New-England and Savan-
nah Line steamer City OF Macon. Captain Lewis.
from Savannah. which arrived here this morn
ing Captain John H. Gaskill. the commander OF
the City of st. Auglstin-. makes the following
report
THE City Of ST. Augustine sailed on her regular
trip from NewYork for Florida at midnight last
Saturday. Nothing unusual occurred until ll:2O
o'clock on Monday night when the men at work
In the fireroom discovered dense smoke emanat-
ing from the coal bunkers nreroom and engine
room Upon investigation II was found that the
cargo in the main hold on fire. The cargo in
this part Of the vessel consisted Of of mer-
chandise. which were slowed nearly to the YES
sells deck, making II impossible to get at the fire
ITO remove the matches meant the quicker de-
struction Of the ship. and so the hand extnguish-
and hose and steam from the boilers were
turned into the hold through the coal bunkers
and the engne-room. and the fight to save the
ship began. For three-quarte-s OF an hour the
flames were held at bay. tut suddenly the steam
In the boilers gave out and the fire began to make
rapid headway.
Seeing that II was impossible to save the ship,
steps taken abandon her. There were
about two hundred barrels tf oil slowed back OF
where the fire began and the flames were
gradually working in that direction the prepara-
tions TO leave the ship were FASTENED The port
and starboard hfeboats gct ready and the
crew, after assisting the captains wife to place
In the stern Of one Of the boats left the ship and
dropped astern where they caught the log line
and by this means remained in a position about
eighty fathoms from the burning steamer
cape Hatteras a this time Dor, NJ rth by west
eighteen miles distant. The was smooth, eX-
cept for little wind. which caused the boats 10
roll. About fifteen minutes after the crew had
abandoned the steamer the pilOt-house, mldshlp-
house and decks were 4 mass Of flame. Inc OH
had not at that time become ignited. After we
were about three-quarters of an hour IN the
boats, the City Of Macon. attracted by the burn-
ing vessel hove to nearby, and we then cut loose
from the log line. rowed t0 her and were taken
aboard"
The captain and crew saved nothing but the
clothes they had on. Besides Captain Gaskl the
officers OF the steamer Ciy Of St Augustine
were: Chief mate c. III. Crowell; second mate,
/ Refine; chief engineer, Peter y. Murphy :
assistant engineer William Manning, and stew
ard. John Nichols. She ca Tled "A crew OF seven
teen men Captain Gaski lives In Hoboken,
NJ The City OF ST. Augustine was about two
thirds loaded when the disaster overlook her.
Cartain Gaskill says that when he last saw his
steamer the masts had gone by the board and
she was enveloped in fames