Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-05-13

with sixteen corpses on Board. The dead
were thirteen steeraGe passengers and
three members of ethe crew, who sue
cumbed to a terrible fire which occurred
off the Delaware capes at an early hour
Sunday morning.
The horror of the story can hardly be
told. Those who are dead were penned
up below decks. and although frantic
efforts were made by the officers of the
vessel TO save them, the fire had gained
such terrible Roadway before the danger
was discovered that all escape was cut
off. The steamer carried in her cargo
many bales of cotton. When the fire was
discovered it burst forth with such fury
that it was impossible to reach the steer
age. The saloon passengers were first
aroused and in such a manner as to oc-
casion little alarm. When it became ap-
parent that the fire had cut off the steer
age the captain and his men poured great
quantities of water down the ventilator,
and the most frantic efforts were made
for the escape of those penned up In
this way nine of the steerage passengers
made their escape.
). V. Winslow, of Rutherford, y. j.,
survivor, told the following graphic
story of the fire:
First Mate Wallace was pacing the
bridge about a. m, when he thought
that he smeled smoke. He went down
the forward to the companion way and
opened the door. There was a burst of
flame, which burned his face.
wallace cried the alarm of fire to the
forward watch, telling him to wake the
steward and have all the passengers
aroused as quickly as possible, without
creating any excitement.
Warns the Passengers
THE steward said in calm tones that
there was slight fire in the forward part
of the ship, and it might be advisable for
the passengers TO get their things to-
gether. 1t might be possible. he added,
that the ship would eventually have to be
abandoned.
There was no excitement among the
saloon passengers. The steward made
frequent trips forward, and came back
with reports of the progress of the flames.
He said that the fire was confined below
decks. and, as the flames did not rise very
high, the passengers did not fully realize
the extent of the peril.
Capt. Wilder at once ordered the crew
to rescue the steerage passengers. On
the same deck with the steerage. on the
port side of the ship. a large quantity of
cotton bagging was stored, separated from
the steerage passengers by board parti-
ton.
''The main deck was almost completely
filed with freight. cutting off all exit
from the steerage to the afterpart of the
ship. The only way out from the steer
age was up the forward companionway.
Try to Save Those in the Steerage.
The crew attempted to descend They
were driven back by dense volumes of
smoke and flames. The smoke and flames
also came up through the ventilators. and
it was apparent To al who were on deck
that below decks was a roaring furnace.
Then it dawned on the officers and
crew that the unfortunates in the steer
age were probably burning to death.
Capt. Wilder saw his crew driven back
from the companionway and the re!iza-
ton of the horror below made him des-
perate.
lie rushed to the stairs and boldly
attempted to go below. He did not get
down more than half dozen steps when
the increasing clouds of smoke and the
fiames shooting up around him drove him
back on deck.
''Ile stepped back to the shelter of the
pilot house. His face was scorched His
eyebrows were burned away He stood
there dazed and overcome for a moment.
Then he exclaimed: NO man can 20
through that and come out alive
When the steward aroused me |
jumped up hastily and dressed. | 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.
when looked down into that horrible
hoe the thought came over me like il had
over the captain and the crew that there
were helpless people down below who
were probably burning to death.
Il 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 q scream, not Il shrek, no
signs of life below.
only a slight wind was blowing from
the southwark, that carried the volume
of smoke aft over the full length of the
ship and enveloped her in a shroud of
choking black. until the captain gave or
ders to change the course completely. so
that the smoke would be blown over the
bow. The speed of the ship was first
slackened, then the order was given 10
keep mp bare steerageway
when the news of the fire reached the
lower depths of the ship, where the stok-
ers were feeding the boilers, they desert
ed their posts and rushed to the deck,
eighteen of them in all. They Chamber
ed into thef second boat on the port side
and began cutting it away. First Officer
Wallace and Chief Engineer Taylor were
after them in a moment.
=" Get out of that boat, Numbered Wal
lace.
THE stokers refused to obey and went
on cutting away the lashngs of the boat.
Come out of that boat re-echoed
Taylor. Then he reached for his revolt
yer. Il will shoot the man who cuts away
the boat
The Spaniards looked at the chief en-
gineer and then sullenly obeyed.
Nine Make Their Escape.
During the excitement of the first
hour we did not know that anyone had
gotten out of the steerage alive. but later,
we found in the cabin that nine of them
had managed to get out. Their hunks had
been nearest to the companonway, and
they had been awakened by the part of
the crew rushing out of the forecastle.
The fire crept up through cracks about
the pilot-house and then into the house
itself. The quartermaster stuck 10 the
wheel until the flames almost enveloped
him.