The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-05-26
VICTIMS OF FIRE At SEA.
Steamer leona Returns to Port With
Cargo Of Charred Bodies.
BATTLED HOURS WITH FLAMES.
Flames Started In the Forward Hold of the
Mallory Liner Soon After She Sailed
From New York City for Galveston,
Texas Men, Women and Children
Were Suffocated in their Bunks.

From New York City for Galvestoni
Texas - Men, Women and Children
Were Suffocated in their Bunks.
NEW YORK CRY (SpeciaD 1.-THE Mallory
this port at 8 o'clock on Saturday after
noon, put back Sunday with her sides still
hot and blistered from fierce fire that had
ragged In her forward hold, and 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 q
general cargo. The vessel was commanded
by Captain Wilder, mariner we'll known In
this port.
The fire which involved 80 great loss Of
life started at one o'clock Sunday morning.
The vessel was then south of Barnegat, N.
j., and steaming quietly along over seas
that were smooth. The watchman whose
duty 1t IS to make the rounds Of the steer
age quarters finished his tour at O 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 muf1ed ex-
plosion coming from underfoot. Then a
cloud Of smoke came boiling up from the
forward hatch, and moment later the bell
was sounding its alarm Of fire.
.al
they found that the whole forward part Of
the ship was In flames. They attacked it
with buckets and hose, and desperate ef-
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
aft. The fire was by this time bursting up
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 sail OF flame.
The vessel carries an extra steering wheel
aft, and this was manned. Holes were cut
in the deck, and down these apertures
whole Niagaras were poured. A bucket
brigade was formed, and the buckets were
passed from hand to hand by the men who
were 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
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
80 fortunate were the ilI-fated 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 origi-
mated In that part Of the cargo which was
stored beneath the steerage deck, was
finally got under control. But it took seven
long hours Of hard and desperate fighting
to subdue 1t. Then 1t was found by mus
tering the crew and passengers that thit-
teen had been lost in the blaze.
Ihe steerage passengers were berthed in
Two rooms, small square room for the
women on the starboard side, and directly
across the ship q similar room for the men.
Those OF the ships company who lost their
lives berthed aft OF the women. Between
the compartments there was 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
steerage. There was 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 few minutes the City Of Augusta,
which was following the Leona south, was
signalled. She came alongside and took off
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 it was the biggest fire
IN ship that was ever put out on this coast.
1t took seven hours to put it out. It
burned up all the cargo on the tween decks
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 dead were identified
by counting the survivors. In the morn
Ing the bodies Of the women were found in
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.. Mallorys custody.
The Leona Is q screw steamer of 1881 tons
burden. She is of iron and was built by the
Reaches at Chester, Penn, in 1889. She is
314 feet long, 1852 feet wide, and 203 deep.
She is schooner rugged, and her triple ex-
pans!on engines, cylinders with twenty
eight, forty-four, and seventy inches in
diameter and forty-eight inch stroke, make
her thirteen or fourteen knot boat.