The Penn's Grove record., 1897-05-14
VICTIMS OF Fire At SEA.
Steamer Leona Returns to Port With
a Cargo Of Charred Bodies,
BATTLED HOURS WITT FLAMES.

FLAMES Started in the Forward Hold of the
Mallory Liner Soon After She Sailed
From New York City for Galveston,
Texns Men, Women and Children
Were sunEocated in their Bunks.
NEW YoRK Cry (SpeciaD.-The Mallory
line steamship Leona, which sailed from
this port at 0 o'clock on Saturday after.
noon, put back Sunday with her sides still
hot and blistered from a fierce fire that had
ragged in her forward hold, I'M thirteen
charred corpses where the blaze had been.
Eleven passengers and two stewards these
were.
The Leona is one OF the regular passenger
and freight carriers Of the Mallory feet.
She was bound for Galveston, and had
twenty-five steerage passengers In her
tween deck quarters, and was laden with a
general cargo. The vessel was commanded
by Captain Wilder,a mariner well known in
this port.
The fire which involved so great o loss OF
life started ut m o'clock Sunday morning.
The vessel was then south Of Barnegat, N.
T., and steaming quietly along over seas
that were smooth. The Waterman whose
duty 1t Is to maket he rounds OF the steer
age quarters finished his tour at a half hour
past midnight. There was no fire then nor
any sign Of any.
Two bells rang out, noting the first hour
OF the midwatch, and hardly had the clang
ceased before the ~lookouts, who were peer
ing into the gloom from over the trestle,
heard what would seem like n mufled ex-
plosion coming from underfoot. Then a
cloud of smoke came boiling up from the
forward hatch, and a moment later the bell
was sounding its alarm of fire.
The crew hurried to their stations, and
they found that the whole forward part Of
b ship was In flames. They attacked II
with buckets and hose, and desperate eff
forts were made to rescue the twenty-five
passengers who were known to be i'm
prisoned below.
The wind was blowing off shore, and Cap
tain Wilder, as soon as he reached the deck,
gave orders to head the vessel to the east
ward to prevent the spread of the flames
the ~hatchways and licking along the pilot
house. The quartermaster and lookouts
were driven from their stations, as the
steamship drove to the eastward under her
flowing soil Of flame.
The vessel carries an extra steering wheel
aft, and this was manned. Holes were cut
In the deck, and down these apertures
WhoAo wv lOhL1Ns a buShSb
brigade was formed, and the buckets were
passed from hand to hand blythe men who
we're not elsewhere engaged In handling
hose or other duties.
The boats were swung out and made
ready for lowering, In case the crew was
driven to the last extremity Of abandoning
the ship. Each boat was provisioned, and
officers were detailed to see that the proper
supply Of water was put In each.
Meanwhile nine of the twenty-five I'M
prisoned passengers had fought their way
through the FIRE to places OF safety. Scared
and scorched some OF them.were, but they
emerged from their fiery pen to life. Not
SO fortunate were the Inflated thirteen
whose retreat had been cut of. 1t was
known that they were there and in peril.
The strongest efforts were made to rescue
them, but without avail.
The fire, which appeared to have origt-
mated In that part of the cargo which was
stored beneath the steerage deck, was
finally got under control. But 1t took seven
long hours OF hard IND desperate fighting
to subdue 1t. Then 1t was found by mus
tering the crew and passengers that thir-
teen had been lost In the blaze.
The steerage passengers were berthed in
two rooms, a small square room for the
women on the starboard side, and directly
across the ship a similar room for the men.
Those OF the ships company who lost their
v AtlIV L " thc MOulCn ptlWCth
the compartments there was q companion
way leading to the main deck.
1t is supposed that the fire started In cot
ton bagging stored on the port side Of the
Storage. There was q tremendous burst
OF heavy black smoke and everybody for
ward rushed to get out. Most of the men
did get out. Captain Wilder says that
within three minutes there were two
streams Of water on.
Within a few minutes the CITY OF Augusta.
which was following the Leona south, was
signailed. She came alongside and took OF
all the passengers who could be mustered.
She stood by the Leona, and Captain Will
der had his crew of fifty men do nothing
but fight fire. He says 1t was the biggest fire
I'm a ship that was ever put out on this coast.
1t tool seven hours to put 1t out. 1t
burned up all the cargo on the tween decks
forward, and burned up into the wheel
house. The main deck forward was burned
through: The upper deck is sheathed with
iron, and the fire did not get through.
The remains Of the @ were identified
by counting the survivors. In the morn
ing the bodies of the women were found in
a heap where the door OF their compart-
ment had been. After the fire was subdued
the Leona took back her passengers from
the City of Augusta. Coroner Hoeber put
Captain Wilder under arrest and paroled
him in Mr.. Mallory's custody.
The Leona Is o screw steamer Of 1881 tons
burden. She is OF iron and was built by the
Reaches at Chester. Penn, In 1889. She is
sI4 feet long. 49, feet vide, and 900 deep,
She is schooner rugged, and her triple ex-
pans.on engines, cylinders with twenty
eight, forty-four, and seventy inches In
diameter nj forty-eight Inch stroke, make
her o thirteen or fourteen knot boat.