The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1897-05-12
CREMATED AT SEA.
Fire Causes Heavy Loss OF Life
on Steamship Leona.
Vessel Puts Back tn Port barely Able
to Float-sixteen Persons Perish
The Victims Were Mostly
Steernge Passengers.

New York, May 10.-The Mallory line
ste2mer Leona, which left her pier on
Saturday, bound for Galveston, took fire
at sea, put back and arrived in port Sun
day night with IS corpses on board. The
dead were - steerage passengers and
three members of the crew, who sue
cumbed TO terrible fire which occurred
off the Delaware capes at an early hour
Sunday morning.
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 to save them, the fire had gained
such terrible Roadway before the danger
was discovered that all escape was cut
off,
Tha|stcamer carried in her cargo
many bales of cotton. 1t is not certain
how The fire originated, but when it was
discovered it burst forth with such fury
that it was impossible to reach the
steerage. Even then the steerage pas
sengers apparently were unmindful of
the danger, else the smoke and flames
would not have reached them. The
and in such manner as to occasion
little alarm. When it became apparent
that the fire had cut off the steerage
the captain and his men poured great
quantities of water down the ventilator,
and the most frantic efforts were made
for the escape of those penned up. In
this way eight of the steerage passen-
gers made their escape.
Among the passengers were S. V.
Winslow, of rutherford, n. J. On his
return to this city Mr.. Winslow told the
following story of the fire:
Capt Wilder rushed on deck at the
first alarm, clad only in an undershirt and
trousers. He assumed command and at
once ordered the crew to rescue the steer
age passengers. On the same deck with
the steerage, on the port side Of the ship.
a large quantity Of cotton bagging was
stored, separated from the steerage pas
sengers by board partition. The main
deck was almost completely filled with
freight, cutting off all exit from the steer
age TO the afterpart Of the ship. The only
way out from the steerage was up the for
ward companionway. The crew, on the
captain S order, rushed for the companion
way and attempted to descend. They were
driven back by dense volumes of smoke,
and flames quickly followed. The smoke
and flames also came up through the ven
tilators, and it was apparent TO all who
were on deck that below deck was a
roaring furnace.
Then it dawned on the officers and crew
that the unfortunates in the steerage were
probably burning TO death. Capt. Wilder
saw his crew driven back from the COM
panionway and the realization Of the hor-
ror below made him desperate. He rushed
TO the stairs and boldly attempted to go
below. He did not get down more than
half dozen steps when the increasing
clouds of smoke and the flames shooting
mp around him drove him back on deck
He stepped back to the shelter Of the pilot
house. His face was scorched. His eye
brows were burned away. He stood there
dazed and overcome for a moment. Then
he exclaimed: No man can go through
that and come out alive
when the steward aroused me jumped
up hastily and dressed. l ran forward
TO see how extensive the fire was. The
captain was just coming out of the COM
panionway after his fruitless efforts TO
GO below. l stood by and tried TO look
down the hole, but the heat and smoke
were great that 1 was driven back.
When l looked down into that horrible hole
the thought came over me like IL had over
the captain and crew that there were help
less people. down below who were probably
burning to death. / tried to peer through
the smoke to see If the steerage passengers
were running around below, and / hoped
that we would be able to reach them in
some way.
AZ listened for sounds, but could hear
nothing save the roar Of the flames as
they grew steadily in volume below and
rolled round and round in the narrow quar-
tiers. There was not a scream, not a
shrek, no sign of life below"