The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-10

tlS4e' ana dllef the oHlcerS had assured
them that there was no immediate danger
they took the matter quietly.
The steward made frequent trips for
| ward and came back with reports of the
| progress of the flames. He said that the
tre was confined below decks, and, as the
flames did not rise very high, the pas
| sengers did not fully realize the extent
of their peril
Capt. Wilder rushed on deck at the
hrst alarm, clad only in an undershirt
and trousers. He assumed command at
once, and ordered the crew to rescue the
| steerage passengers. On the same deck
with the steerage, on the port side of the
| snip, large quantity of cotton bagging
was stored, separated from the steerage
| passengers by a board partition.
The main deck was almost completely
nlled with freight, cutting off all exit
from the steerage to the after part of the
snip. The only way out of the steerage
was up the forward companionway
The crew, on the captains orders, rush
| ed for the companionway and attempted
| to descend. They were driven back by
dense volumes of smoke, and flames quick
| ly followed.
The smoke and flames also came up
through the ventilators and it was appar-
ent TO all who were on deck that below
decks was roaring furnace.
Ihen 1t 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
pamonway, and the realization of the hor-
| ror below made him desperate.
He had rushed to the stairs and boldly
attempted to go below. He did not get
down more than half a dozen steps when
the increasing clouds of smoke and the
names shooting up around him drove him
back on deck. He stepped back to the
| shelter of the pilot house. His face was
| !
away. He stood there dazed and over
come for a moment Then he exclaimed:
'MyGod! no man can go through that and
come out alive.
when the steward aroused me- jump
ed up and hastily dressed. / ran forward
to see how extensive the fire was. The
captain was just coming out Of the com
panionway after his fruitless effort to go
below. l stood by and tried to look down
the hole, but the heat and smoke were so
great that | was driven back. When 1
looked down into that horrible hole the
thought came over me, like it had over
| the captain and crew, that there were
helpless people down below, who were
probably burning to death.
Il tried to peer through the smoke to
see If the steerage passengers were run
ming around below, and 1 hoped that we
would be able to reach them in some
way.
'T listened for sounds, but could hear
nothing save the roar of the flames as
they grew in volume below and rolled
round and round in the narrow quarters.
There was not a scream, not a Shrek, no
| signs of life below"
"Only a slight breeze was blowing from
the southwark, that carried the volumes
of smoke aft over the full length of the
ship and enveloped her in a shroud of
back. until the captain gave orders to
change the course completely, so that the
smoke would be blown over the bow. The
speed of the ship was first slackened, then
the order given to keep up bare steerage
way.
II stood in the lee of the pilot house
watching the officers and crew making
futile efforts to reach the steerage.
THE horror of the situation was at first
paralyzng. 1t seemed as though the men
and women whom / had seen go into the
steerage the day before were being Gre
mated beneath my feet.
THE deck was getting blistering hot,
the flames began creeping higher and
higher through every outlet from beneath
the deck. The pouring of water down the
companionway and through the ventilat-
ors had no effect save to send up the
smoke in great putfs and cause angry
spurts of fire to dart menacingly into the
faces of the crew.
when the news of the fire reached the
lower depths of the ship where the stok-
ers were feeding the boilers, they deserted
their posts and rushed to the deck They
clambered into the second boat on the
port side and began cutting it away
First officer Wallace and Chief Engineer
Taylor were after them i'm moment
" Get out of that boat, thundered First
officer Wallace.
"The stokers refused to obey. and went
on cutting away the lashings of the boat.
4" Come out of that boat ordered Chief
Engineer Taylor.
Then reaching with his hand for his
revolver, he added; I'll shoot the man
who cuts away the boat.
THE Spaniards looked al the chief engi-
neer, and then sullenly obeyed.
During the excitement of the first half
hour we did not know that any one had
gotten out of the steerage alive, but later
we found in the cabin that eight of them
had managed TO get out. Their hunks
had been nearest the companionway and
they had been awakened by the part of
the crew rushing out of the forecastle.
Being so near the stairs, they had
climbed out even before the first officer
had rushed on the first smell of smoke
above decks. Among those saved was an
old man and his wife and two sons,
young Englishman and two other young
men bound for Los Angeles.
I'm the extreme bow Of the ship was the
forecastle, where two watches of about
twenty or lnlfty men were sleeping. luese
men being light sleepers, were aroused at
the first alarm OF fire. and waited for
nothing. They ran through the narrow
passageway to the stairs, already filled
with smoke, and gained the deck just in
time Most of them had scarcely any
clothing on, and none had saved 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 pas
sageway was filled with fire. and 1t was
too late.
Between the stairs and the forecastle
was the steerage; on the port side rolls of
cotton bagging stored I'm unoccupied
hunks In this bagglng the fire started,
from spontaneous combustion, so the cap
tain thought.
1T burned 50 quickly and so hercely II
was like the flash of a tindor box. The
steerage passengers, few Of whom under
stood English. did not comprehend the cry
of fire. and so lost the opportunity of es-
Gaping az the same time with the crew.
''For the first half hour the captain,
aref officer and second officer and crew