Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1897-05-13
DEATHS AWFULFORM
COMES TOIMPRlsoNED PASSEN-
GERS AT SEA.
Sixteen Die in Flames on the Mallory
Liner Leona-IlI-F ated Boat Reaches
New York Harbor with Her CHASTITY
Cargo.
Cremated ON the Sen.

The Mallory line steamer Leona, which
left her pier at New York on Saturday,
bound for Galveston, took fire at sea, put
back and arrived in port Sunday night
with sixteen corpses on board. The dead
We're thirteen steerage passengers and
three members of the crew, who sue
cumbed to terrible fire which occurred
off the Delaware capes at an early hour
Ssnday morning.
The horror of the story can hardly be
told. Those who are dead We're penned
up below decks, and although frantic
efforts were made by the officers of the
vessel to save them, the Ere 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 APP
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.
s. V. Winslow, of Rutherford, N. j.,
a survivor, told the following graphic
story of the fire:
First Mate Wallace was pacing the
bridge about 2 a. M, when he thought
that he smelled smoke. He went down
the forward to the companion way and
opened the door. There was a burst of
fame which burned hiS fooo
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. It 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, Il large quantity of
cotton bagging was stored, separated from
the steerage passengers by board parti-
ton.
''The main deck was almost completely
filled 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 Storage.
''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 all who were on deck
that below decks was roaring furnace.
when the steward aroused me I
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 frutless effort
to go below.
when looked down into that horrib$4r
hole the thought came over me like it had
over the captain and the crew that there
were helpless people down below who
were probably burning to death.
Suckers Desert Their Posts.
'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 the second boat on the port side
and began cutting it away. First Officer
Wallace and Chief Engineer Taylor were
after them in moment.
Get out of that boat Numbered Wal
lace.
The stokers refused to obey and went
on cutting away the lashings Of the boat.
Come out Of that boat re-echoed
Taylor. Then he reached for his revolt
yer. L 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 companionway, and
they had been awakened by the part of
the crew rushing out of the fofSSs2su II
The fire crept up through cracks abb
the pilot-house and then into the ho#
itself. The quartermaster stuck TO &
wheel until the flames almost enyel@
him. ~
Captain Wilder ordered sigy.s,
of distress burned, and in a Aniea en- q
minutes there flashed up in the darE ST.
far to the north an answering signal. H
came from the City of Augusta of e.
Savannah line, which came alongside
about daybreak."
The passengers were all transferred to
the City of Augusta in safety and the
work of fighting the fire was continued.
About 8 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 Augusta con-
tinued on her way to Savannah. The
Leona put about and returned to port un-
der her own steam"
Sparks from the Wires.