The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-08-13
NATSUTTON
A Well Known TugbOat,
Destroyed by Fire.
She Was at the Dry Dock In
East Providence.
The Boat Was Valued at $4,000
and Insured for One-Half.

The Nat Sutton, one of the biggest and
hest known tugs on the Providence river.
was burnt at the dry dock in East Provi-
dence at an early hour today. Tho loss
over and above insurance is placed at
sl2 600, the tug being valued at $25, 600,
and insured for little more than half
her value.
The scene along the river while the tug
was burning was brilliant one. The
dock, which is valued at $50 coo, was for
a long time in imminent danger Of de-
struction.
The tug was raised on the dry dock
Thursday morning to have tho bottom
scrapcd. There were fires under the
boilers at the me. but they were banked
and as every one thought, they were
extipguished before the men in
charge of the work went home last even =
ing 1t is probable that the fire remained,
ignitod and spread thence all over the
tug.
The outbreak of flames wns discovered
shortly before 2 o'clock this morning by
tho night watchman on the dry dock.
Henry Austin. He was making his
rounds, and on passing out of the Office
Immediately perceived that flames were
rising amidships on the tug, which stood
high on the marine railway.
AS the Watchelnoket fire alarm system
did not work at first the watchman at
the dry dock ran to the Wilkesbarre pier,
short distance south OF the scene OF the
fire, and pulled In n alarm from box 70,
There was good deal of trouble even
after the volunteer department. got to the
dock, for their hose was 1000 feet too
short to make a connection with by
drant and bring water TO tho burning
tug The nearness of the river and the
fact that suction pipes could .have 1been
used was forgotten.
But this was quite the least OF the
troubles of those who were called upon
to core with the emergency. Tho burn
ing tug might havo been at least partially
submerged in tho water OF the river by
operating the mechanism OF the dock.
But there were gates which kept the
watchman and the many willing hands
of citizens who turned out from reaching
the burning towboat. There were III
OF these gates, and each one is opened by
q different key. The watcbman did not
have possession of these keys, they teing
in the custody of the engineer, who WAS
absent
Nearly an hour passed before on at.
tempt was made to force the gates with
axes Meanwhile tho fire spread through
the tugboat, so that at 3o'clock this morn
ing it was practically ruined.
Inc gates are iuOnStfOuS uuhlrs, WHICH
are raised and lowered by power applied
through gearing operated by a wheel on
the top of each. In the effort to unlock
them by cutting away the timbers with
axes the workers were partially success
full They lowered one end. but it was tho
shore end. They could not release the
gates mt the river end of the dock.
This caused the burning boat to pitch so
that one emu went down toward the shoe
section OF the dock. and the other rose
high in the air. The whole boat con-
tinued to burn until there remained only
the shell. All the upper works were
burned off, the interior was burned our,
the smokestack was tire only thing left
standing above the hull.
Nat and Walter Sutton and Agent
Howell of the Tow boat Company arrived
on the scene at about o'clock. They said
that the fires were drawn in the after
noon, and they secuted the idea that. the
nsmes originated from under the boilers.
The timbers of the marine railway on
which tho boat rested began TO shoulder
shortly after 3 o'clock, ana flanes broke
out along the parts of the dock which
were expo sed to the direct heat from the
burning tug.
The lowering OF only the gntes at one
ond, and that the shore end, increa sed
the danger to the dry dock without bav-
ing accomplished what was desired when
tho attempt was made TO submerge tho
burning tug. The men succeeded after
many efforts in cutting away the gates
and the dock was saved.