The herald., 1897-05-10

steerage passengers by a board parti-
tion. The main deck was almost COM
pletely filled with freight, cutting off all
exit from the steerage to the after part
of the ship. The only way from the
steerage was out the forward COM
panionway.
1.-THE crew, on the captains orders.
| rushed to the companionway and at
tempted to descend. They were driven
back by dense volumes Of smoke and
flames quickly followed. The smoke and
flames also came up through the ventila-
tors and it was apparent to all on deck
that below deck was a roaring furnace.
Then it dawned on the officers and
crew that the unfortunates in the steer
age were probably burning to death.
Captain Wilder and his crew were driven
back from the companionway and the
realization of the horror below made
him desperate
He rushed to the stairs and boldly
attempted to 20 below. He did not get
down more than a half dozen steps when
the flames drove him on deck He
stepped back to the shelter of the pilot
house. His face was scorched. His eye
brows burned off. He stood there dazed
exclaimed: My God! No man can go
through that and come out alive,
when the steward reused me I
jumped up hastily and dressed 1 ran
forward to see how extensive the fire
was
"The captain was just coming out Of
the companionway after his fruitless at
tempt to go below. stood by and tried
to look down, but the heat and smoke
drove me back.
when 1 looked down into the hor-
rible hole the thought came over me as
it had over the captain and crew, that
there were helpless people down below
who were probably burning to death. I
tried to peer through the smoke to see il
the steerage passengers were running
around below and l hoped that we would
be able to reach them in some way. 1
listened but could hear nothing save the
roar Of the flames below. There was
not scream, not Shrek, no signs of
life below"
"On deck there were only the hoarse
shouts of the captain and the hurry and
hustle of the crew as they rushed about
laying hose and pouring streams of wa
ter down the companionway and through
the open ventilators.
During the excitement of the first
hour we did not know that any one had
got out of the steerage alive, but later
we found in the cabin that eight had
gotten out. Their hunks had been near
est to the companionway, and they had
been awakened by the crew rushing out
of the forecastle. The fire crept up
through cracks about the pilot house and
then into the house itself. The quarter
master stuck to the wheel until the
flames almost enveloped him. Captain
Wilder ordered signal lights of distress
burned, and in a veryfew minutes there
flashed upon the darkness to the north
an answering signal. 1t came from the
City of Augusta of the Savannah line,
which came alongside about daybreak.
"The passengers We're all transferred
to the City of Augusta in safety and the
work of fighting the fire was continued.
About o'clock in the morning the flames
were under control and the steamer out
of danger. The passengers were sent
back to the Leona and the City of Au-
susta continued on her way to Savannah.
The Leona put about and returned to
port under her own steam"
The Leona is a schooner rugged steel
screw steamer of 1929 tons gross and
2331 tons net register She was built in
1889 at Chester, Pa. Her dimensions are:
Length. 314 feet; breadth, 46.2 feet; depth
of hold, 2O.3 feet. She has three decks
and six bulkheads. She was last sur
veyed in September, 1896.
BEACHED AND BURNED
BEACH HAVEN, N. j., May 9.-The
ship Francis of New Bedford Mass, un-
der command of Captain A. F. Smith,
and with a crew of twenty-five men,
left San Francisco on the 18th of jan
uary last with a general cargo bound for
New York. She took fire at sea yester-
day, and in order to save the lives of
those on board and the ships cargo if
possible, she was beached on the south
end of Lonk Branch, six miles below
here, at o'clock last night.
The captain and crew reached shore
safely and were taken care of by the
Little Egg harbor life saving crew. The
vessel was burned to the waters edge
and the cargo will prove total loss.
The fire was first discovered about
o'clock in the afternoon, and was burn
ing fiercely in the hold. All hands were
ordered on deck and the pumps manned
to extinguish the flames, but they had
gained too much headway, and it was as
much as the men could do to prevent the
fire from spreading so rapidly as to
necessitate their taking to the boats on
the open sea. The captain cav that his
only hope lay in reaching shore, where
he could possibly have a chance of saw
ing the ship and part of the cargo. With
this end in view he headed the Francis
to the beach, while the crew kept pour
ing water in the hold. 1t was we'll after
dark, and the position of the men on
board was perilous in the extreme. With
her bow pointed we'll on shore the ship
struck hard and fast. Meanwhile the
fire was raging even more furiously than
before, and all hands were forced to
leave with nothing but the clothes on
their backs. They were assisted in
reaching shore by the life guards and
were supplied with needed clothing and
Today the tugs I. J. Mer-
ritt and North America arrived and en-
deavored to put out the fire. They were
unable to accomplish any thing, and
finally gave up. The captain and mate
left on one Of the tugs for New York and
the crew will go on Tuesday. Captain
Smiths wife died at sea on the outward
trip. He had the body embalmed and
sent home by train. 1t awaits his arrival
~, Eoctov