The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-05-10
SIXTEEN WRE[CHES
ROASTED ALIVE
Steamship Leona Meets With a
Horrible Disaster.
STEERAGE BECAME
A FIERY FURNACE
ALL AVENUES OF ESCAPE WERE
CUT OFF BY FLAMES.
Thirteen Passengers and Three of
the Crew Were Cremated-A
Scene of Terror and Confusion
Suckers Rushed For the Boats and
Were Threatened With Death
Bravery of the Captain.

New York, May 9.-The Mallory line
steamer Leona, which left her pier on
Saturday, bound for Galveston, took
tonight with 16 corpses on board. The
dead were Is steerage passengers and
three members of the crew who sue
cumbed to a terrible fire which oc-
CURED off the Delaware capes at an
early hour this morning.
The horror of the story can hardly
be told tonight. Those who are dead
were penned up below decks, and al
though frantic efforts We're made by
the officers of the vessel to save them,
the fire had gained such terrific head
way before the danger was discovered
that all escape was cut OF. The
steamer carried in her cargo many
bales of cotton.
1t is not certain how the fire origin
ated, but when it was discovered it
burst forth with such fury that it was
impossible to reach the steerage.
Even then the steerage passengers
apparently were unmindIul of the dan
ger, else the smoke and flames had NOT
reached them. The saloon passengers
were first aroused and in such man
ner as to occasion little alarm.
When il became apparent that the
fire had cut off the steerage, the cap
tain and his men poured great guam
titles OF water down the ventilators.
and the most frantic efforts were made
for the escape of those penned UP. In
this way eight of the steerage pdSsen
gers made their escape.
The dead are:
Storage assengers-Bridget Sulli-
van, r. Catine, Mrs. c. Guzza, Miss
Guzza, Miss Hannah Solomanson, Mrs.
Valcicks, Miss Valcicks, Sophie
children, two unidentified.
The Crew-Alfred Hardy, waiter. Al
years of age, New York; Alfred Lang,
I waiter, 10 years of age. New York; h.
Hartmann, butcher, II years of age,
New York.
STORY OF THE DISASTER.
The Mallory line steamer Leona left
here Saturday at 3 pm. bound for
gers. She carried a general cargo of
merchandise Captain Wilder was in
command, with First Mate Wallace
and Second Mate Sweeney assisting
The chief engineer was TAYLOR. with
three assistants, and a crew of 40 men,
including fremen and deck hands.
Among the passengers were S. Y.
Winslow of Rutherford, n. j. On his
return to this city late tonight MI.
Winslow told the following graphic
story of the fire:
I'VE left the pier at o'clock yester-
day afternoon with clear skies and
beautiful weather. We passed through,
making excellent time, the chief en-
gineer congratulating himself that all
was well and making the remark TO
one of his assistants that he could not
believe this luck could continue, for
the trip had started under such favor
able auspices.
Sandy Hook was passed and the
lights of Jersey shore were still visible
when we went to bed. BY the time we
passed Barnegat light, at 10 o'clock, all
the passengers were in bed. The pas
sengers in the steerage had also re-
tired to their hunks. The watch going
off at y o'clock reported everything
well. There was no suspicion of any
fire or any other trouble. The sea was
very smooth and there was no wind.
The moon was shining brightly.
FLAMES BURST FORTH.
First Mate Wallace was passing
the bridge about , a. m. when he
thought he smelled smoke coming from
the forecastle. He went forward TO
the companionway and opened the
L
did this there was a burst of flame
which burned his face.
Wallace turned and ran on deck and
cried the alarm of fire to the forward
watch. telling him to wake the steward
and have all the passengers aroused
as quickly as possible, without creating
any excitement. The steward did this
in a quiet manner, going TO each state
room and waking the occupants.
o coli in I'm hn
was a slight fire in the forward part
of the ship and it might be advisable
for the passengers to get their things
together. 1t might be possible, he
added, that the ship would eventually
have 10 be abandoned.
There was no excitement among the
saloon passengers. Most of them
packed their luggage and carried it
from their staterooms into the main
saloon. They gathered in the saloon
and remained there, and after the Of
ficers assured them that there was no
immediate danger they took matters
quietly.
THE steward made frequent trips
and came back with the reports of the
progress of the flames. He said that
the fire was confined below decks, and
as the flames did not-rise very high.
the passengers did not fully realize the
extent of their peril.
WORK OF RESCUE.
Captain Wilder rushed on deck at
the first alarm. and only in an under
shirt and trousers. He assumed COM
mand and at once ordered the crew 10
rescue the steerage passengers. On the
same deck as the steerage on the port
side of the ship a large quantity of
cotton bagging was stored. separated
from the steerage passengers by a
board partition.
The main deck was almost COM
pIetely filed 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
companionway-
THE crew, on the captains orders,
rushed to the companionway and at
tempted to descend. They were driven
back by dense volumes of smoke and
flames quickly followed. The smoke
and flames also came up through the
ventilators and it was apparent to all
who were on decks that below decks was
a roaring furnace.
THE CAPTAINS BRAVERY.
Then it dawned on the officers and
crew that the unfortunates in the steer
age were probably burning to DEATH
Captain Wilder saw his crew driven