River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1897-05-13
FIRE AT SEA.
Thirteen Passengers or hoard the
steams ship Leona Perish.

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Steamship Leona Perish.
New York, May 10.-The Mallory line
steamer Leona, which left her pier on
Saturday, bound for Galveston, took
fire at sea- put back and arrived in
port Sunday night with 10 corpses ON
board. The dead were steerage pas
sengers who succumbed TO a terrible
fire which occurred off the Delaware
capes at an early hour Sunday morn
ing.
The horror Of the story can hardly be
told. Those who are 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 terrible Roadway before the dan
ger was discovered that all escape was
cut off.
The steamer carried in her cargo
many bales of cotton. 1t is not certain
how the fire originated, but when it
was discovered il burst forth with such
fury that il was impossible to reach
the Storage. Even then the steerage
passengers apparently were unmind-
full of the danger. else the smoke and
flames would not have reached them.
The saloon passengers were first
aroused, and in such a manner as to
occasion little alarm. When il became
apparent that the fire had cut off the
steerage the captain and his men poured
great quantities of water down the
yeutilator, and the most frantic efforts
were made for the escape of those
penned up. In this way eight of the
steerage passengers made their escape.
New York, May lit was a grew
some sight on board the Mallory steam
en- Leona on Monday morning. Thir-
teen dead bodies, blackened by fire and
smoke, were lying in the steamers
steeragc and men and women were on
the deck looking as though they had
passed through an awful ordeal. No
body was allowed TO either leave or
board the vessel until after the coroner
had arrived to view the bodies and give
permission for their removal.
Coroner Hoeber arrived about 2:20 in
the morning at the pier, and found
Charles II. Mallory. one of the owners
of the vessel, in conversation with Capt.
Wilder, in the latter's cabin. Accom-
panied by Mr.. Mallory and the captain
Coroner Hoeber went to the steerage
and viewed the charred bodies. Then
he gave permission for their removal
The coroner told Capt. Wilder that as
matter of form he would be com
PEELED to have him placed under arrest
He was Immediately paroled in the
custody of Mr.. Mallory, who was in
structed to produce the captain when
the inquest is held.
One of the Storage passengers said
the general impression was that the
fire was caused by lighted match
dropped by one of the crew into the
cargo. He declared that he saw mum
Der of the crew smoking, and that they
were very careless in throwing away
their matches. The officers, he said
made no attempt TO stop the smoking
among the crew, which is very strange,
considering the inflammable nature oil
the cargo in the forward hold. Along
shore il was thought strange that the
fire was not discovered earlier. IL must
have been smoldering several days, and
yet neither the captain nor any of the
officers knew anything about it until
the vessel was filed with smoke.