The Robesonian., 1897-05-19
Suffocatcd to Death.
The New York World of the
10th saws:

| luO INcW YIN w Ollu VI uiS
10th says:
The Mallory line steamship LIE
ona, which left this port at :
O'Clock p. m. Saturday for Gal
weston, took fire off the Delaware
Gapes at / o'clocka- IN. yesterday
Thirteen passengers and three
members of the crew were burned
to death.
The Leona returned to her piel
in tow last night bearing hel
CHASTITY cargo.
The Mallory line steamship LIE.
ona left her. pier Saturday at !:
o'clock>p! M: bound for Galveston
witbiele~en saloon passengers and
about twenty storage passengers
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
crew of about seventy-fve men,
including firemen and deck hands
The cargo in the forward hold
of the Leona may have caught fire
before she left her pier in the East
river. If so the fire smoldered fol
twelve hours under the closed
matches, but at 2 o'clock yesterday
morning the fire burst forth SO
suddenly that the whole steamer
seemed doomed.
She was then off the south New
Jersey coast, within thirty miles
of Cape Henlopen. The fire was
directly under the second cabin,
where twenty-one passengers were
asleep. This cabin was in the
forward part of the ship below the
main deck.
The fire soon burst through the
matches directly into the second
cabin, occupied by the steerage
passengers. They were aroused
from sleep only to find themselves
confused by smoke and threatened
.by flames.
They had net'been long enough
on board to know how to reach
the companion way in the dark
ness.
Thus, caught in a trap, within
twenty feet of light and air and
freedom on deck above and within
a few feet of the water of the sea
below them, eleven passengers died
by suffocation.
Last night the Leona limped tc
this port with her entire forward
deck burned away, her second de-
stroyed, her steering gear ruined
and sixteen dead on board.
Further particulars of the terri.
BILE affair are given by an Asso,
ciated Press dispatch from Savan.
nah, Ca, which says:
The steamship City of Augusta
of the Ocean Steamship Company
which went to the rescue of the
passengers aboard the Leona, OF
the Mallory line, off the Delaware
Capes, arrived in port this after.
noon.
Captain H. G. Daggett gives a
thrilling account of the incident al
sea which resulted in the burning
alive of sixteen persons and came
near proving a total destruction
of the Leona and her passengers
and crew. He says it was about
4 o'clock Sunday morning when
he was awakened by Second Mate
A. A. Daggett, who asked him te
come to the pilot house and take
a look at a ship which he hac
sighted and which was actine
strangely Something is wrong
fsaid the second mate, "but I can.
not make out what is the trouble. ,
Captain Daggett took a view OF
the ship and declared at once that
it was in flames and ordered the
City of Augusta to put about in
order to approach the doomed
vessel. He hailed the captain Of
the Leona and told him he had
come to render any service he
might be commanded to do.
"For Gods sake take my pas.
sengers quick" shouted the cap.
tain of the stricken ship, and q
boat with First Mate Frank Bogart
and Second Mate Daggett was sent
TO bring the passengers from the
Leona to the City Of Augusta.
Captain Daggett says that too
much praise cannot be- given the
officers of the doomed vessel for
their heroic struggle to extinguish
the flames He says the bow of
the ship was. red hot and the paint
was falling in huge flakes from
her sides.
The City of Augusta was DELAYED
PIX hours, remaining at the side
|of the burning vessel until II
O'Clock Sunday. Captain Daggett