Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-05-13
FIRE ON A MALLORY LINER
Mysterious ConfIagration In
the Leona's Storage.
LIVES OF 1S PASSENGERS LOST
Corpses In an Unrecognizable
Condition.
Refusal of the Crew to Handle tho Bodies--
Capt. Wilder Arrested and Witnesses De-
tained-Ine Disaster to be Investigated by
the Coroner of New York City.

New York, May 10.-It was grue-
steamer Leona early to-day. Thirteen
dead bodies, blackened by fire and
smoke, were lying in the steamers
steerage, and mon and women were on
the deck. looking as if they had passed
through an awful ordeal. Nobody was
allowed TO either leave OF board the
vessel until after the coroner had
ARRIVED to view the bodies and give
permission for their removal.
Coroner Hoeber arrived about 2. 20
O'Clock, and found Charles Mallory, one
of the owners of the vessel, in CONVEX
sation with Capt Wilder in the latter's
cabin. Accompanied by MIR. Mallory
anu the captain, Coroner lloeber went
to the steerage and viewed the charred
bodies. Then be gave permission for
their removal. The coroner told Capt.
Wilder that as a matter of form no
would be compelled to have him placed
under arrest. The captain was i'm
mediately paroled in the custody of Mr..
Mallory, who was instructed TO produce
him when the inquest is held.
Coroner Hoeber found ons man who
had been one OF the steerage passengers,
whom he ordered detained until after
bAo inQutb1 lbld man Is udtQ6 10
Thomas Doyle. He is CT years of age,
and lives at Paterson, N. J. lie was
on his way to little place about SO
miles from San Francisco, called
Vallejo, to visit his uncle and aunt
Doyle is a veteran Of the late war. He
will be detained until the inquest is
held. Doyle said that he was among the
steerage passengers who occupied hunks
on the starhoard side of the vessel. He
said that among the passengers who
could speak English were two men whose
names he did not know and Young
Irish girl named Lizzie Sullivan. He
said he made the acquaintanoesof the
Sullivan girl, and had talk with her
ON Saturday night She was on her
way to Los Angeles, Gal. She was
about IL years of age and pretty. Doyle
said that he had not made the acquaint-
ance of any of the other passengers.
He stated that he was lying asleep
in his bunk early on Sunday
morning, when he was awakened
by a suffiooating feeling. He said
his first thought was that some one
was smoking bad cEeroot, but when
he opened his eyes and saw the apart
ment filed with smoke he jumped from
his bunk and made for the companion
was only a short distance from where
he slept. At tho ectgsnce Of the COM
panionway he met The steward, who
was shouting . fire. - He started up
tho companionway and found that two
men had preceded him. When he
started up he fol! back. and when he
started up again he was assisted by
some one behind him, who pushed
him. He does not know who this was.
On reaching the deck his first thought
was for tho safety of Lizzie Sullivan,
and he startsd down into the women's
side OF the storage to rescue her, but
he was pulled back by members of the
crew. The. crew worked like beavers to
put out the flames.
At $50 o'clock this morning two
dead wagons containing II pine boxes.
in which the bodies of the victims
were to no removed, arrived at the pier.
The members of the crew refused TO
touch the bodies, and the work had to
be performed by the wagon attendants.
The IL bodies vera placed in nine of
the pine boxes Some of the bodies
were those of children and others were
charred and burned to about half their
natural size The bodies were taken
to the morgue, where they will remain
to await Identification. Those who
cannot be identified will be buried in
the potters field.
New York, May 11.--No report of the
fatal fire on board tie Mallory line
steamship Leona, which occurred early
Sunday morning, has been received by
the United States local inspectors of
steam vessels, but inspector petree
says that an Investigation of the
casualty will BIO commenced on Thurs
day morning next.
The nodes of the IS victims OF the
fire remain unidentified at the morgue.
The bodies supposed to be those of
Mrs. Maria Modro and her two chill
dren await more positive Identification.
a fter tho inquest tho unclaimed no.
mains OF the uncertainties will be dis
posed Of in the usual manner.