Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-05-11


shocking black. until the captain gave
orders 10 change her course completely.
so that the smoke would be blown over
the lbow. The speed of the ship was nrst
slackened. then the order was given 10
keep up bare steerage way
ri stood in the lee of the pilot mouse
watchinp the officers and crew making
futile efforts to reach the steerage Inc
horror of the situation was at first para
lvzing. 1t seemed as though the men ana
women whom ] had seen go into the
steerage the day before We're being Gre
mated beneath my feet.
1.-The deck was getting blisterlng not
The flames began creeping higher and
higher through every outlet from be-
meath the deck. The pouring of water
down the companionway and through
the ventilators had no effect save to
send up the smoke in great puffs and
cause angry spurts of fire to dart men,
inely into the face of the crew.
when the news of the fire reached
the lower departments of the sh p
where the stokers were feeding the
boilers, they deserted their posts and
rushed to the deck. IS of them in all
They ciambered into the second boat
on the port side and began cutting It
away officer Wallace and Chief El-
gineer Taylor were after them in a
moment.
" Get out of that boat, Numbered WI
lace.
The stokers refused to obey and wet
on cutting away the lashinss of the boat'
boat
leone out of that boat. echoed Tay--
lor Then he added. reaching his hard
for his revolver. ri shoot the man who
cuts away the boat.
''The Spaniards looked at the chief en-
gineer and then sullenly obeyed.
During the excitement of the first h"ii
hour we did not known that any one haa i
gotten out of the steerage alive. bat
later we found that eight of them had
managed to get out. Their hunks nd
been nearest to the companionway ara
they had been awakened by the part OF
the crew rushing out of the foreeastle
Being so near the stairs. they h3d
climbed out before the first officer d
rushed down on the first smell of smoke
an old man. his wife, and two sons,
young Englishman ard two other young
men bound for Los, Angeles;
: I'm the extreme bow of the ship VS.
the forecastle, where the two watches or
about 20 or 30 men were sleeping. Thgs Sc
men being light sleepers, We're aroused
at the first alarm of fire and waited Tor
nothing. They ran through the narr1w
passageways TO the stairs already filled
with smoke and gained the deck in time
Most of them had scarcely any clothing
on ana none had saved a mess kit.
1.-TWO walters and a cook, who were
slow to rush out. lost their lives. When
they tried to follow their companions.
the passageway was filled with fire and
it was too late.
"Between the stairs and the forecastle
was the steerage; on the port side the
rolls of cotton bagging stored in the I'M
occupied hunks. In this bagging the hre
started from spontaneous combustion, so
the captain thought | burned so quick
ly and so fiercely it was like the flash of
a finder box. The steerage pass
stood English. did not comprehend
the cry of fire and so lost the opportunity
of escaping at the same time with the
crew.
"For the first half an hour. the cap
tain. first and second officers and the
crew devoted their entire attention to
subduing the flames. hoping family that
perhaps they might he able to get down
to the imprisoned people below.
I'VE were well out to sea by this time.
No lights were visible from the shore.
for we were well off Delaware break
water The flames gained steadily. They
began to work aft through the cargo on
the main deck. Then there was fresh
burst of flame and the sailors were
driven back from where they We're hold
ing lines of hose The fire crept up
through the cracks about the pilot house
and then into the house itself. The quar-
termaster stuck TO the wheel until the
flames almost enveloped him.
Captain Wilder ordered signal lights
of distress burned. Along the rail on the
port side men were stationed to burn The
signal lights. II was near 3 O'Clock in
the morning The men touched off ne
lights and there flashed out in sputtering
flames the alternate red and green that
could be seen far across the sea and
would tell any ship within range that
help was wanted.
THE flames forward had broken
through the deck and shot upward in the
air making a greater lighter than the
colored signals, but they did not tell the
same story of distress.
I'm a very few minutes there flashed
in the darkness far to the north an en-
swering signal. In a little while We could
see her sidelights and then the day be
gan to break and when the sun was just
rising this welcome savior hove TO by Us
ard we saw that she was the City of
Augusta of the Savannah line.
Just as soon as the signals of distress
had been answered all the crew were
sent back to their posts to fight the fire
that was gaining steadily all the time and
working its way further and further aft.
The deck all forward of the pilot
house was burned away leaving the
iron cross beams bare and red hot. The
heavy anchors dropped down below,
their fastenings twisted and broken.
The iron platings of the ships side
glowed red hot.
AT the Mallory line pier, Sunday
night. but little information was given
out in regard to the disaster Finally
at very late hour, Mr.. Mallory made
a brief statement in which he said Is
people were dead. The bodies were all
aboard the steamship and watchmen
had been placed there to guard them.
At a still later hour a coroner had
gone to the scene to make an investiga
ton"
SCHOONER A. E. RUDOLPH LOST.