Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-05-10
FATAL FIRE AT SEA
Sixteen Persons Perish in the
Hold OF a Ship.
THIRTEEN OF THEM PASSENGERS,

the Flames with Feasibility of saw
ing Them-Terrible struggle with the
Blaze Before II Wa. Subdued-Fran.ic
but Futile Efforts at Rescue.
New York, May 10.-The Mallory line
steamer Leona, which left her pier on
Saturday bound for Galveston, took
fire at sea, put back. and arrived in
port last night with sixteen corpses on
board. The dead were thirteen steer
age passengers and three members of
the crew who succumbed to a terrible
fire which occurred off the Delaware
capes at an early hour yesterday morn
ing. The horror of the story can hardly
be told. Those who are dead were
penned below decks, and although fran
tic efforts were made by the officers of
the vessel TO save them, the fire had
gained such terrific Roadway before the
danger was discovered that all escape
was cut off The steamer carried in her
cargo many bales Of cotton. 1t is not
certain how the fire originated, but
when it was discovered it burst forth
with such fury that it was impossible
to reach the Storage.
Names of the Victims of the Fire.
Even then the storage passengers APP
parently were unmindful of the danger,
else the smoke and flames had not
reached them. The saloon passengers
were first aroused. and in such a man.
nor as to occasion little alarm. When
it became apparent that the fire had cut
off the Storage the captain and his men
poured great quantities of water down
the vertilatOrs and the most frantic eff
forts were made for the escape of those
penned up. In this way eight of the
steerage passengers made their escape.
The dead are: Storage PASSENGERS
Bridget Sullivan, r. Catine, Mrs. c.
GuzZa, Miss GuZZa, Miss Hannah Solo
manson, Mrs. Nalcirks, Miss Valcirks,
Sophie Schwartz, Maria Wades. two I'M
known children and two unidentified.
Crew-Alfred Hardy, waiter. New York;
Alfred Lang, waiter. New York; H.
Hartmann. butcher, New York.
Discovery of the Fire.
A passenger tells the following story
OF the discovery of the fire: First Mate
Wallace was pacing the bridge about .
g. m. when he thought he smelled
smoke coming from the forecastle. He
went down forward to the companion
way and opened the door to the steer
age. The moment he did this there was
burst CT flame which burned his face.
wallace turned and ran on deck and
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. The steward did this in a
quiet manner, going to each state room
and waking the occupants. Captain
Wider rushed on deck at the first alarm,
clad only in an undershirt and trousers.
He assumed command and at once Or
dered the crew to rescue the steerage
passengers On the same deck with the
Storage, on the port side of the ship,
large quantity of cotton bagging was
stored, separated from the steerage pas
sengers by board partition.
But One Exit from the Steerare.
THE main deck was almost COM
pletely filled with freight, cutting off all
exit from the steerage to the after part
of the ship. The only way out from the
steerage was UP the forward companion
way. The crew rushed for the COM
panionway and attempted to descend.
They were driven back by dense vol
umes of smoke, and flames quickly fol-
lowed The smoke and flames also came
up through the ventilators, and it was
apparent to all who were on deck that
below deck was roaring furnace Then
II dawned on the officers and crew that
the unfortunates in the steerage We're
probably burning to DEATH Captain
Wilder saw his crew driven back from
the companionway and the realization
of the horror below made him desperate.