Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-05-11
Sixteen Lives Lost by Fire
on the Steamer Leona.
Schooner A. E. Rudolph Sunk by Tug
PaoIi--Three Men Drowned.
s ,ip Francis OF New Bedford Burned 10 the
Waters Edge-crew Saved.

lett her pier, lodlufudy, bouiid ipi N
weston, put back and arrived in port
Sunday. with Is corpses on board. Ihe
dead We're Is steerage passengers ahu
three of the crew of the steamer which
succumbed in a terrible struggle aui
ing fire which occurred off the Dst
aware Capes at an early hour, SUNDAY
morning The horror of the story ca
hardly be told. Those who are ueae
were penned up below deck ana al
though frantic efforts were mace pY
the officers of the vessel to save theih'
the fire had such terriilc near
way before the danger was discover 81
that all escape was cut on. ~
steamer carried among her cargo niathy
bales of cotton The fire started IN som ,
into hapging in the forward hold ana
when it was discovered the names puIs
forward with such fury that II was III
possible to reach the steerage
Even then the steerage passengers, d p
parentIy. were unmindful of the danger
or else the smoke and flames had NOT
reached them. The saloon passengers
were first aroused, in such a manner as
to occasion little alarm. When IL De
came apparent that the nre had cut on
the steerage passengers. the captain anu
his men poured great quantities OF water
down the ventlator, and the most frantlc
efforts were made for the escape OF thos
penned up. In this way eight OF the
steerage passengers made their escape
The dead are: Steerage passengers
Bridget Sullivan, r. Catian, Mrs; c. Guz-
"a, Miss Hannah Solomanson, Mrs. Val
clicks. Miss Valcicks, Sophie SchwartH
Maria Wades, two unknown children tw
The crew: Alfred Grady, waiter. Al
years, New York: Alfred Lang: waite,
10 years of age. New York: III. II. Hart
man, butcher. 27 years of age, New York
The Leona is q schooner-rigged, steel
screw steamer of 1929 tons gross ana zS"i
tons net register. Her dimensions are
depth of hold. 20.3 feet She has three
decks and six bulkheads. She was last
surveyed in September 1896
Among the passengers was S. V. Wins
low of Rutherford N. J. On his return
to this city, late Sunday night, Mr.. Wins
low told the following graphic
story of the fire to the New York
World: I'VE left the pier at 3 O'Clock.
Saturday afternoon, with clear skies and
beautiful weather. We passed through,
making excellent time the chief engineer
congratulating himself that all was We'll
and even making the remark to one OF
his assistants that he could not believe
this goou luck could continue, for the
trip had started under such favorable
auspices.
SANDY Hook was passed and the lights
of the Jersey shore were still visible vine
we went to bed. BY the time We passed
Barnegat light at 10 o'clock, at the pas
sengers We're in bed. The passengers ! |
the steerage had also retird to h Fir
hunks TIL watch going off at II o clock
reported everything well and no suspicion
of any fire or any other trouble. The sci
was very smooth and there was no wind,
The moon was shining brightly.
First Mate Wallace was pacing the
bridge about A. NJ. when he thought
that he smeled smoke coming from III 2
forecastle. He went down the forwaid
comparatively and opened the door TO
The steerage. The moment he did this
there was a burst of flame which burLei
his face.
'Wallace turned and ran on deck an !
cried the alarm of fire to the Forward
watch. telling him to awaken the stew
ard and have all the passengers aroused
as quickly as possible. without eating
any excitement. The steward did this in
n careful manner going to each state
room and waking the occupants.
He said IN calm tones that there Wa
q slight fire in the forward part OF The
ship and it might be advisable for tn
Messengers to get their things together.
il might be possible, he added, that tie
ship would have to be abandoned,
"There was no excitement amunS ING
saloon passengers. Most OF them PACKED
their luggage and carried it from their
state rooms into the main saloon. 1heE
gathered in the saloon and remained
there and after the officers had assured
them that there was no immediate dah-
r.
The steward made frequent trips for
ward and came back with reports of the
passing OF the flames He said that the
fire was confined below decks and as the
flames did not rise very high, the passe n
gers did not fully realize the extent of
their peril.
first alarm, clad only in an undershrt
and trousers. He assumed command and
at once ordered the crew to rescue the
steerage passengers On the same deck
with the steeraget Qn the port side OF the
shin. a large quantity of cotton baggng
was stored. separated from the steefage
passengers by board partition.
''The main deck was almost completely
filed with freight, cutting OF all eXit
from the storage to the after part OF the
ship. The only way out from the steer
age was up the forward compaHionway
1.-The crew on the captains orders
rushed for the companionway and at
tempted to descend They We're driven
back by dense volumes of smoke and
flames. The smoke and flames also came
up through the ventilators and ii was
apparent to all who were on deck tfa'
below decks was a roaring furnace.
"Then it dawned on the officers end
crew that the unfortunates in the steer
age were probably burning to death.
Captain Wilder saw his crew driven PACK
from the companionway and the realiza-
ton of the horror below made him des-
perate.
"Ie rushed to the stairs and boldly at
tempted to go below. lie ulu not get
down more than half dozen steps when
the increasing cloud of smoke and the
flames shooting up around him drove him
back on deck. He stepped back to the
shelter of the pilot house. His face was
scorched. His eyebrows were burned
away He stood there dazed and over
come for a moment. Then he exclaimed
My God. no man can go through that
and come out alive.
when the steward aroused me,
f,,rv, Cd host nd Sad ,,
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 hole. but the heat and
smoke were so great that l was driven
back.
When l looked down into that hor-
rible hole the thought came over me
like 1t had over the captain and crew
that there We're helpless people below
who We're probably burning to death.
! tried to peer through the smoke to
see II the steerage passengers were run
ming around below, and l 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