The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-28
CITY OF ROME HERE AFIRE.
GREW BATTLED WITH THE FLAMES
FOR TWENTY-FOUR HOURS.

ship Game In with Nobody uurt-SOO Pas
senEcrs A~board-Fire In the Forehoid aud
Fought Through Holes Cut In the Deck.
with her hull smoking hot, her exhausted
stokers and sailors hanging on tho rails Of the
spar deck. and her officers az grim-'ookinE as
her ,isurchead of Julius Caesar. the Anchor line
steamer City Of Rome steamed into this port
yesterday afternoon. For moro than twenty-four
hours officers and crew had been fighting hro |
In the hold, and never before had they 90 warmly
welcomed the cry when land was sighted yes
terday morning, with all well on board.
The City Of Rome is the biggest Of the Anchor
line feet, and was the biggest transatlantic
passenger boat going whom she was built for the
old Inman line. She signalled to the observer at
Fire Island when she was sighted at 2:10 that
she was aire in the hold, and the word was tele-
graphcd up to the city. She reached tho bar at
BIAS, and Health Officer Doty and . wrecking tug
awaited her whom she reached Quarantine at
A.So o'clock. She was quickly cleared by tho
Health Oficer and his star. and steamed up
the bay and river to her pier at the foot OF West
Twenty-fourth street. where an anxious crowd
awaited her. Tho Hreboat Now Yorker was on
hand also, but, although the cargo was still
anre. her services wero not needed.
The steamer left Glasgow and Neville on June
10. with SO saloon passengers, 90 in the second
cabin, and $50 in the Storage. She carried Q cargo
OF jute and general merchandise. Tho voyage
was pleasant enough and without incident until
Thursday morning, when at $50 o'clock o pro-
cession of iccbergs hove In sight.
All day the icebergs hoated by. They were
out of the teamer's course. but still near
enough to lend frigidity TO the atmosphere.
Twenty Of these icebergs were counted. the big
Eest being q regular island Of loo which passed
within two miles OF the steamer. The icebergs
disappeared Just before SHUTDOWN.
Friday was uneventful, and everything went
we'll until 2 80 o'clock on Saturday afternoon.
when the steamer was in latitude AL go, longi-
tude 63s go. about a days run from this port.
The passengers were promenading the deck
and there were several in the main saloon, when
one OF the7stewards who was attending to their
wants detected smoke.
He reported at once to the officer of the deck,
who made q hurried examination of the forward
part of the saloon and found that the smoke was
coming through the floor and forward partition
in lis room, and as soon as the ofiesr Of the
deck was satisfied that there was q nre In the
hold he sent for the Captain. The fre alarm was
The DIRE was located in No. 4 hold on the star
board side forward. This compartment runs
under the main saloon. and the forward parti-
i hSR ssSa psrti.i ia q aA the MAIN eh' saieon ri tipped up
the carpets and started IN on the aoSring OF ths
6scs : ,o nn,S Ess % n tS IN f stsei piat s%e snd i sha
men had to chisel through the steel,
The p pumps psn were tSroI manned me . and line ss ,S o. b nSss
cut in the deck. This passengers hpddled on the
after deck, the officers assuring them that all
that At' he had had no . . ordinary nSSn Sre to S"S Deal With With. and
ssrs saw theso pFepsraaons they bscSme 90
to their stateroSms and grabbed up various use
&c Capt aa.' Young step stepped up in front Of The pas:
sengers and asked the men to come down to the
After he iae'S Women nn and children. < bsrkentine
and a schooner were within hailing distance At
.Gentlemen. there is a fire in the bold" said
he in a calm tone, addressing the men In the
csSse for Immediate late danger. cam transfer you
all to the vessels which are now in sight. am
g g6n Win Sr 1sm ! ian on St In .S yGu s ssss,y into but R issv u
How bad Is the dre. Captain p asked one
ro "i "a dS 4, E, sHlSi ln NOV an! siHiY| N more .s,s sS sSI,, it e. than ~se
the I passenge @o Who sH Wa % Z. ' I. B sg der 81 sP' Raiiba an!a
There was no dissenting voice. and the next
moment the passengers gave three cheers for the
rect the work OF the officers and crew lighting
the fire. The flames had gained considerable
work getting the llfeboats ready, and the main
saloon was now filled with smoke. The crew
tSs GARRETT Sat 1 al s' the 1eFn men is ana 6 5Sit eSop paSE
holes in the deck flooring until there were nc
less st than f Twenty Of these 3 so In ths s1 dset a. b pS%e Mtqd
poured into the holes alternately. and q section
Of men was told OF 70 break through the upper
Into No. 3 hold. which was directly forward Of
No: 4. and the cargo was hoisted out. Then the
were opened and water was got on here.
1t was not without some misgiving that Capt
there had to be- some outlet for the smoke from
No. 4 hold. which had pervaded the stokeholt
stokers had TO work. in relief gangs. each stay
ing ten minutes In the hole.
and had to b carried up on dscf: fhe sea we,
smooth. so that many Of the crew could b,
Watches. relIesins each other frequently. be
tween 8 and. 7 o'clock Saturday evening thu
Are ,b s15aSd tb assc %a: n S1d eh at s19 for 5lP the i p ,oosss
gers other than TO take 70 the boats, but Capt
Y YSTFY1I held ,do a. the ,bs orf SsIs and The Kept sts taS GREY i
provided with perforated pipes to send liv'
steam into the eompar.msaht s but but d the FIR
think it would be of much use to attempt this
end he kept the men at the pumRs. AZ nigh
and a meal was served to the first and secont
cabin passengers in the after saloon.
enabled the Captain TO make room Tor ali tn,
passengers for the night IN the second cabin, but
staterooms. the men walked the deck or sa
around the after saloon. There was little sleel
during the night. the nre breaking out afresh a
intervals, and the hoarse shouts Of the officer
and men at work kept everybody alert.
Toward morning, however, the fire died down
and then 1t became simply a matter OF drowning
out.
breakfast was served earlier than usual yes
terday, partly TO occupy the minds of the pas
t%engcrs. At o O'Clock the passengers held
thanksgiving service In the after saloon. tw'
Siersymen who were on board officiating. Al
d saturday evening. when the. fire wa
hottest, the male passengers had held another
meeting. The following resolution was unan
inously adopted:
Rs.olred. That the passengers OF the steamer Gig
OF Rome on the voyage from Grenock to New York
Jun 1897, 1877, desire to express qualification
AM their high appreciation of the services rem
derei by Capt. Young. his Officers and crew
On the occasion Of the cargo and hold o
me vessel taking IRE, whereby a great disasto
might rave occurred but for the promptitude, cOuI
AZ, and zeal manifested and the hard and coRStan
troll.
Yesterday murnlnp the following was addod IA