The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-05-13
FIRE BREAKS OUT ON TWO VESSELS
AN OCEAN HORROR.
In III. steersge l6 Roast in a Fiery Fur
mace.

The Mallory lines ste amer, Leonn, which
~ her pier a; New York Saturday bound
for Galveston, took fire at sea. put back and
arrived in port Sunday night with sixteen
corpses on board. The dead were thirteen
s,eeEage passengers and thrc. members OF
.he crew, who succumbed to a terrible fire
which occurred OF the Delaware capes at an
early hour Sunday morning. The horror Of
the story can hardly Ice told Those who
were dead were penned up below decks, and
although frantic efforts were made by the
officers Of the vessel 10 save them, the fire
had gained such terrific headway before the
danger was discovered that all escape was
"ut of.
The steamer carried in her cargo many
bales of cotton. Ii was not certain how the
IRE originated. hu; when 1t was discovered
1t burst forth With such fury that it was i'm
possible 10 reach the st-eruge. Even then
the steeraee passengers apparently were un-
mindful OF the danger, else the smoke aud
uBmes had not reached them.
The saloon passengers were first aroused
and IN such manner as 10 occasion little
alarm When 1t became apparent that the
hrs had cut OF the steerage the captain and
his men poured preat quantities of water
down tho ventiiator and the most frantic
efforts were made for the escape Of those
penn.d ny. In this way eight OF the steer.
age passengers made their escape.
In answer to the leOIas lights and dis
tress whistle, the Steamship city OF Angus
la, cf the Savannah line, was soon within
haiiinS distance and hove TO within few
hundred feet OF the burning Leona The
hfeboats were lowered from both steamshirs
nnd soon all the surviving passengers of the
LeOna were transferred to the City OF Au-
gusta, while the crew remained behind to
continue their lighting.
For seven long hours Capt. Wilder and his
men fought the liames. and while the Leo
ma : passengers wcreu break fast on the CITY
ot Augusta word came that the fire was out.
They were fe-transicrred to the Leonu, while
thos' OF the stccrage passengers who sur
vlved wcro placed In the spare staterooms.
The Leona then returned to New York
This was the list Of the dead furnished the
coroner by Capt Wilder:
Stcerag. passcnpors-R. Cotrane, Mrs e.
Hu2za. Miss Gu2zn, Marie Madro Sophia
SchmalZ. Miss Hannah Solonons, Bridget
sullivan, Miss l.. Nlacikek two children, un-
identified.
Ships compnny-H. Hartman, aged 81,
New York, butcher; Alfred Howey. aged 40.
steward; Alfred Lang, aged ~, New York,
steward.
Mr.. Schillchvaut said the general impress
sion was that the fire was caused by light
ed match dropped by one OF the crew into
the cargo. He declared that he saw Il num-
ber OF the crew smoking and that they were
very careless in throwing away their
matches. The officers, he said. made no at
tempt to stop the smoking among the crew,
which is very strange. considering the in
hammable nature OF the cargo u the forward
mold. Along shore Monday II was thought
strange That the frc was not discovered car
As4 nmust have been smouldering sever
a. days, aud yet neither the captain nor any
OF the officers knew anything about 1t until
the vessel was filled with smoke.