The Portland daily press., 1897-05-10
ON BOARD MALLORY STEAM
ER LEONA.
Three Of Grew Also Sueeumb
in Terrible Struggle.
FIRE OCCURRED OFF DELAWARE
CAPES SUNDAY MORNING.

CAPES SUNDAY MORNING.
Steamer Left 1ew York Saturday MORNING.
Fire Broke Out in Bales of Cotton
and Spread With Lightning Rapidity-
Graphic Description by Passenger of
Details of Terrible Catastrophe.
New York, May 9.-The Mallory line
steamer Leona, which left her pier on
Saturday, bound for Galveston, put back
and arrived in port today with sixteen
corpses on board. The dead were thirteen
steerage passengers and three of the crew
on the steamer, which succumbed in a
terrible struggle during 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 deck
and although frantic efforts were made
by the officers of the vessel to save them.
the fire had such terrible headway before
| the danger was discovered that all escape
was cut Off
Ihe steamer carried amongst her cargo
many bales of cotton The fire started in
some jute bagging in the forward hold.
and when it was discovered the flames
burst forward with such fury that it was
impossible to reach the steerage. Even
then the steerage passengers, apparently
We're unmindful of the danger, or else the
smoke ana flames had not reached them.
The saloon passengers were first aroused.
and in such q manner as to occasion little
alarm. When it became apparent that
the fire had cut off the steerage passengers
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 passengers
made their escape. The dead are:
Steerage passengers:
BRIDGET SULLIVAN.
R. CATICAN.
| MRS. G. G.. GUZZA.
| MISS GUZZA.
MRS. SAMUEL SOLOMONSON.
MRS. VALCICKS.
| MISS VALCICKS.
/ SOPHIE SCHWARTZ.
| MARIA WADES.
| TWO UNKNOWN CHILDREN.
TWO UNIDENTIFIED.
| The crew:
! ALFRED HARDY, waiter, New York.
ALFRED LONG, waiter, 10 years old,
New York.
H. Fl. HARTMANN, butcher, q years
old, New York.
The Mallory line steamer Leona left
Galveston, with eleven saloon passengers
She carried general cargo of merchan-
disc. Captain Kilder was in command
with First Mate Walker and Second Mate
Sweeney assisting. The chief engineer
was Taylor with three assistants and a
crew of about seventy-five men, including
fremen an d deck hands. Among the
passengers were S. V. Winslow of Ruther-
ford, N j. On his return to this CITY
late tonight, Mr.. Wins1ow told the follow
| ing graphic story of the fire to the New
York World:
! "We left the pier at three O'Clock yester-
day afternoon, with clear skies and beau
tiful weather. We passed through,
making excellent time, the chief engineer
congratulating himself that all was we'll.
and even making the remark to one of
his assistants that he could not believe
this good luck could continue, for the
| trip had started under such fayorab lie
auspices.
"Sandy Hook was passed and the lights
of the Jersey shore were still visible when
we went to bed. By the time we passed
Barnegat light at ten o'clock all the pas
sengers were in bed. The passengers in
the steerage had also retired to their
hunks. The watch going off at 10 O'Clock
reported everything we'll and no suspicion
of any other trouble. The sea was very
smooth and there was no wind. The moon
was shining brightly.
| "First Mate Wallace was pacing the
bridge about 2 a. m. when he Thought
that he smelled smoke coming from the
forecastle. He went down the forward
companionway and opened the door to
the steerage. The moment he did this
there was burst of flames which burned
his face.
wallace turned and ran ON deck and
cried the alarm of fire to the forward
watch, telling him to awaken the steward
and have all the passengers aroused as
nlicklv as nnsSihle without; creatinor ar,,r