The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-05-10
SIXTEEN SUFFOCATED.
Terrible Fire on the Mallory Line
ia Steamship Leona.
sTEERAGE PASSENGERS HELPLESS

~
Was Impossible to Reach the En-
tombed Passengers, and All But
Eight Met Death.
New York, May 10.-The World pub
fishes the following: The Mallory line
steamer Leona, which left her pier on
Saturday, bound for Galveston, took
fire at sea, put back, and arrived in
port last night with 16 corpses on
board. The dead were 13 steerage pas
sengers and three members of the
crew, who succumbed to a terrible fire
which occurred off the Delaware capes
at an early hour yesterday morning.
Those who are dead were penned up
below decks, and although frantic eff
forts were made by the officers of the
vessel to save them the fire had gained
such terrific headway before the dan
ger was discovered that all escape was
cut off.
Captain Wilder was in command,
with First Mate Wallace and Second
Mate Sweeney assisting. The chief en-
gineer was Taylor, with three assist
ants, and crew of rs men, including
fremen and deckhands.
The steamer carried In her cargo
many bales of cotton. 1t is not certain
how the fire originated, but when it
was discovered 1t burst forth with
such fury that 1t was impossible to
reach the steerage. Even then the
6teerage passengers apparently We're
unmindful of the danger, else the
smoke and flames had not reached
them.
The saloon passengers were first
aroused, and in such 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 ventiator, and the
most frantic efforts were made for the
escape of those penned up. In this way
eight steerage passengers made their
escape.
Among the passengers were s. V.
Winslow, of Rutherford, N. j. On his
return to this city late last night Mr..
Winslow told the following graphic
story Of the fire:
First Mate Wallace was pacing the
bridge about 2 a. m., when he thought
That lie smelled smoke coming from the
forecastle. He went down the forward
to the companion way and opened the
door to the steerage. The moment he
did this there was burst Of flame,
which burned his face.
"Wallace turned and ran on deck
and cried the alarm of fire to the for
ward watch, telling him to wake the
steward and have all the passengers
aroused as quickly as possible without
creating any excitement. The steward
Mid this in q uiat manner going to
each stateroom and yaking the oc-
rupants
~rbere was no eycitement an,one tho
saloon nassappers Most Of them mack
cd their h,gpage and c,rried n from
tbeir staterooms info tho main saloon
.Thev patherer in the saloon and re-
,mained there and after tho of,icere had
pssurad thew that tbnra wac M i'm.
D.diote d.rper tbav too,t n,ottars
-,,iatI,, rrha staror5 ,,,oaa fraaun,,.
trios forward and cara hacl win
v.norta nf tha ,,ooros. ~ tho e,,,os
..Cantain wi,der rnshed IN decl at
th. erst oIarn, cIod onIv in On nnder-
4 ,s,hi,t ara ff7,,sars ua assun,ood cow
.n.pa ard al nnca ordarad +ho oro,,
20 rascua tho staeraga nassape.rs IN
the came decl with the storasa m the
mt side of tbe shin n large nuan,itv
of cotton bappjnp was stnyed sonar.
eted from the stearape nassepgers hv
. boord nortition
"1,ba main dacl, woo ,,n,ost oor
,,,otoIv Quad WITH froirb+ o,,t+i,,r ,re
ali axit from, the stearare IN tho oftar
,,.r, oP tho sbin rbo onI,, mo-, o,,t
srom tho eteera 20 wes nm the fnryord
romnanionwav
Trha cro,, nv, tho oorto,,,, orsor.
rusbed for tho comnopioru,.y ond o.
ter,nte5 to desca,a Tbo,, r,t,ra dr;,,an
h,clr bv densa vo1nme. or sn,n,e opd
h.mes ouicLIv followod Tha sn,o1,a
and Hame also came IN throueh tho
yentiiators and If was annarent IN al
who were on decls that below decks
was a roaring furnace
mThen If dawned on the officers end
crew that the unfortunotns in the
steerare were probablv burning to
death. Cantain Wilder saw his crew
arjvan hack from the comnanioruav
ond tho roaIiz.tion NJ tho hnrror haI,,,,
made him desnerote,
"Ha rrshnd to tho stoirs and bo,s,v
attemnted to 90 below ua did not get
down more than half n dozen sters
when the incrca sing clouds of SNAKE
nnd tho aarnas shootinp IN around
hin, drove him hack on dact
"uo sternad hoc,r to tho ebo,tar -,
kha nIlotbousn His face was scorcbed
sIis avabrows wara b,rnad awov Hn
stood there d,yed and overcoms for a
nonant Tban ba oxcIaimaa. AN
Cod, No NAV can. On throngh that onJ
con,o out alive.
.pa.waon tl,a ,,,irs a tho forooo.,,.
,u,, tho stoeroaa ond IN tho nor, sids
roIIs ~ oattan h,s,r;nr ,vara itnrod ~
a. ,,nooo,,,,,aa h,,n1,s IT, thi, hao,.,an
sho aro sta,taa r,,nr,, snan.a,,,o',a =, ,S
s,'..,a. so ~ na,tat, .ta,l.t :,
r,',nnoa sa n;nI,,n pna 90 49,, ~
80 III. a',n,, - ,,,'1ol, nv
s.asno nno ao,naa.o wv ~ ean' 10y, -, ,," Tn", lne
derStOOd English, did not comprehend
the cry of fire, and so lost the oppor-