Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-05-10

The main deck was almost COM
pletely filled with freight, cutting off all
exit from the steerage to the after part
of the ship. The only way out from the
steerage was up the forward companion
way.
The crew, on the Captains orders,
rushed for the companion-way and at
I tempted TO descend. They were driven
back by dense volumes of smoke, and
flames quickly followed. The smoke
and flame also came through the ven-
tilators and it was apparent to all who
were on deck that between decks was
\ ROARING FURNACE.
"Th5n It dawned on the officers and crew
that the unfortunates in the steerage were
probably burning to death. Captain Will
der saw his crew driven back from the
| companion-way and the realizing horror
below made him desperate.
"He rushed to the stairs and boldly at
tempted to 90 below. He did not get down
more than half dozen steps when the
Interesting clouds of smoke and the flames
shooting up around him drove him back
on deck.
He stepped back to the shelter OF the
! pilot house. His face was scorched. His
eyebrows were burned away. lie stood
there
DAZED AND OVERCOME
| for a moment. Then he exclaimed:
My God! No man can so through
| that and &c, out alive
when the steward aroused me I jump
cd up hastily and dressed. / ran forward
to see how extensive the fire was. The
captain was just coming out Of the COM
panion-way after his frui;less effort to go
below l stood by ant tried to look down
the hole, but the heat and smoke were so
great that l was driven back
when I looked down into that terrible
hole the thought came over me like 1t
had over the captain and crew that there
were helpless people down there who were
probably
BURNING TO DEATH
81 tried to peer through the smoke to see
If the steerage passengers were running
around below. and / hoped that we would
be able to reach them in some way.
81 listened for some seconds but could
hear nothing save the roar of the flames
as they grew steadily in volume and rolled
There was no sign Of life below.
"On deck there were the hoarse shouts
OF the captain and the hurry and hustle Of
the crew as they rushed about laying lines
of hose and pouring streams Of water down
| the companion-way and through the open
ventilators.
only slight wind was blowing from
the southwark that carried the volumes of
smoke aft over the full length of the ship,
| and enveloped her in
A SHROUD OF CHOKING BLACK.
until the captain gave orders to change
the course completely, so that the smoke
would be blown over the bow. The speed
Of the ship was first slackened then the
! order given TO keep mp bare steerage way.
II stood on the lee of the pilot house
watching the officers and crew making
futile efforts 10 reach the steeragc.
THE horror Of the situation was at first
paralyzing 1t seemed rs though the men
and women whom l had seen 90 into the
steerage the day before were being ere
mated beneath my feet.
"Thc deck was getting blistering hot.
The flames began creeping higher and
higher. through every outlet from be-
Meath the deck. The pouring Of water
down the campanion-way and through
the ventilators had no effect save to send
UP the smoke in great puffs and cause
ANGRY SPURTS OF FIRE
to dart into the faces of the crew.
when the news of the fire reached tho
lower depths of the ship. where the sto-
kers were feeding the boilers. they de-
serted their posts and rushed to the deck.
eighteen Of them in.all.
"They clamberod into the second boat
on the port side and began cutting it away.
First Officer Wallace and Chief Engineer
Taylor were after them in a moment
Get out of that boat Numbered Wal
lace.
THE stolors refused to obey and went
on cutting the lashings Of the boat
"'Come out of that boat repeated Tay-
10y. Then he added. reaching for his re-
volver. III shoot the man who cuts away
the boat
"The Spauiards looked at the chief en-
gineer and then sullenly obeyed.
During the excitement of the first hour
We did not know that any one had gotten
out of the steamer alive but later We
found i'm the cabin that eight of them
had managed to get out. Their hunks had
been nearest to the companion-way and
they had been awakened by the steward.
The fire crept through cracks about
the pilot house and then into the house
itself The quartermaster stuck to the
wheel until the flames almost enveloped
him. Captain Wilder ordered
SIGNAL LIGHTS or DISTRESS
burned and in a few minutes there flashed
up in the darkness to the north answering
signals. 1t came from the City Of Au-
gusta. of the Savannah line. which came
alongside at daybreak. In the meanwhile
the pilot house was burned away. loav-
ing the cross beams bare and red hot. The
iron platlngs of the ships side glowed red
hot"
The passengers were all transferred 20
the City Of Augusta i'm safety and the
work of fighting the fire was continued
About o'clock in the morning the flames
were under control and the steamer out
Of danger. The passengers were sent
back TO the Leona and the city of Angus
IA continued on her way to Savannah.
The Loane put about and returned 10
port under her own steam.
The Leona is a schooner rugged. steel
screw seteamer Of 1929 tons gross and 1891
tons net register She was built in 1859
AT Chester. Pa. Her dimensions are:
Length. 3i4 feet: breadth. 46.2 feet and
depth of hold. 20.3 feet She has three
decks and six buikheads. She was last
surveyed in September, 1906.
THE FULL SUM MADE Up.
PARIS. May Am anonymous donor
has sent the sum of 1880 pounds TO the