The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-05-10


was scorched. His eyebrows were
burned away. He stood there dazed and
overcome for a moment. Then he ex-
claimed. My God, no man can go
through that and come out alive
when the steward aroused me 1
jumped UP hastily and dressed. I ran
forward to see how extensive the fire
was. The captain was just coming out
of the companionway after his fruitless
effort to go below. / stood by and tried
TO look down the hold, but the heat and
smoke were SO great that / was driven
back.
when looked down into that horrible
hole the thought came over me like II
had over the captain and crew that there
were helpless people below who were
probably burning to death.
IT tried to peer through the smoke to
see II the steerage passengers were run
ming around below, and hoped that we
would be able to reach them in some
way.
II listened for sounds, but could hear
nothing save the roar Of the flames as
they grew steadily in volume below, and
rolled round and round in the narrow
quarters. There was not a scream, not
a shrek. no signs of liSe below.
"On deck there was only the hoarse
shouts of the captain and the hurry and
hustle of the crew as they rushed about
laying lines OF hose and pouring streams
Of water down the companionway and
through the open ventilators.
only slight wind 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
shocking black. until the captain gave
orders to change the course completely,
80 that the smoke would be blown over
the bow. The speed of the ship was first
slackened, then the order was 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 para
Lying. 1t seemed as though the men
and women whom / had seen go into
the steerage the day before were being
cremated beneath my feet.
"The deck was getting blistering hot.
The flames began creeping higher and
higher through every outlet from be-
meath the deck.
Water Had No Effect.
'The pouring Of water down the com.
panionway and through the ventilators
s.acf<lo effect, save TO send up the smoke
in great puffs and cause angry spurts of
fire to dart menacingly into the faces OF
the crew.
When the news of the fire reached the
lower departments of the ship, where the
stokers were feeding the boilers, they
deserted their posts and rushed to the
deck, Is of them in ALL
They clambered into the second boat
on the port side and began cutting il
away. officer Wallace and Chief En-
gineer Taylor were after them i'm a mo-
ment.
Get out of that boat, thundered
Wallace.
"The stokers refused to obey and went
on cutting way the lashings of the boat.
Come out of that boat echoed Tay-
lor. Then he added, reaching his hand
for his revolver. I'll shoot the man who
cuts away the boat
THE Spaniards looked at the chief en-
gineer 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 that eight of them had
managed to get out. Their buhks had
been nearest to 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 before the first officer had
rushed down on the first smell of smoke
above decks. Among those saved was
an old man, 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 20 or 30 men were sleeping. These
men being light sleepers, were aroused
at the first alarnt Of fire and waited for
nothing.
"They ran through the narrow pas
sageways 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 a mess kit
1.-TWO walters and q cook, who were
slow to rush out, lost their lives. When
they tried to follow their companions the
passageway was filled with fire, and il
was too late.
Fire Started In Bagging.
Between the stairs and the forecastle
was the steerage; on the port side the
rolls of cotton bagging were stored In
the unoccupied hunks In this bagging
the fire started from spontaneous COM
bustion, so the captain thought. II
burned so quickly and so fercely It was
like the fash OF a tinder box. The
steerage passengers, few Of whom un-
derstood English, did not comprehend
the cry Of fire. and so lost the oppor-
tunity Of escaping at the same time with
the crew.
For the first half an hour the cap
tain. first and second officers and the
crew devoted their entire attention TO
subduing the flames, hoping family that
perhaps they might be able to get down
to the imprisoned people below.
I'VE were well out to sea by this time.
No lights were visible from the shore,
for we were we'll Off Delaware Break
water. The flames gained steadily
They began to work aft through the
cargo on the main deck Then there was
. fresh burst of flame. and the sailors
were driven back from where they were
holding lines of hose. The fire crept up
through cracks about the pilot house and