New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-05-11
THE LEONA FIRE A MYSTERY
THEORIES AS TO THE CAUSE OF THE
OUTBREAK OF FLAMES.
OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION OF THE DISASTER BE
GuN-FRANTIc PUSH FOR LIFE on THE

Win the beginning or an or1lCal lnNestlSauo"
yesterday. the policy OF keeping from the public IN
formation about the fatal fire on the steamship
Leona practically abandoned. The Leona lay
all day at the Mallory Line pier az Burling SIP anu
the East River. and many persons were permitted W
look through the hole in her spar deck down INTO inc
blackened pit where thirteen persons haa oee"
burned to death when the ship of the Delaware
Breakwater early on Sunday morning. Ire charrcn
bodies OF the thirteen victims of the fire at sea were
taken TO the Morgue early yesterday morning Later
the work OF removing the cargo from the snip was
pushed rapidly. Charles Mallory said there was no
for keeping back the truth about the hre ana
officers OF the ship talked freely on the subject
Coroner Hoeber gathered some information IN the
way Of preparation for an inquest, whlch ne VIII
hold in few days. lie placed the captain OF the
ship technically under arrest but allowed MIN 10
remain at liberty on the promise OF MI Mallory that
all the officers OF the ship would appear at the IN
quest Most of the passengers who escaped from the
fire on the Leona were booked 10 sail tomorrow on
the Lampasas. another snip OF the line some or
them talked about the fire before they lett the
Leona yesterday. Their statements INDICATED tnat
the loss OF life on the ship might have been pre-
vented II there had been more watchfulness be-
fore the fire. or II there had been more promptness
by members of the ships crew in saving Storage
passengers after the fire was discovered.
THROUGH THE SMOKE TO THE DECK.
All accounts agree that Immediately after the
alarm OF fire given on the ship the smoke be-
came suffocating in the rooms where the Storage
passengers were and in the crews quarters in the
foreCastle. More than half of the Storage passeh-
gers managed 10 make their way through the thick
smoke TO the deck. but one man. eight women ana
two children were overcome by the smoke IN 'he
steerage and three men OF the ships crew were
overcome in the passage-way near the room IN WHICH
the women among the steeragc passengers slept
The list OF the dead is given below as II was oo
tanned yesterday at the offices OF the hhe'
THE DEAD.
coTRANE r. Italian Storage passenser He POORLY s
lost his lie while attempting TO save his sister, "''
Guzza, and her daughter. 49, .. u
Cotrane
GuZZA. Miss daughter of Mrs ouzza.
hAH Swenty seven ven : Ts't old ''1
HARVEY. H. waiter on the ship and member Oh 'n'
LANG Alfred. also waiter on the ship nineteen years
MA o5dre MR. S Soy four years I'D yea
scHMA1z. Sophie. steerase passenger.
age ss @ The ana Snip sn
SULLIVAN. Bridget. a stesrass passenger who was
vLAcIKEK Antoine. fourteen sieerase passe d
who going with her fahsr mother ana Two 6 nl
for her brothers. and was lost
The cabin passengers on the ship were William
c. OBrien a. Grandy. r. II. Compton, J. W. can
ford. wife and four children; s. v Winslow MIS-
S T.. Winslow, Mrs. a. 4. Fehr ana L. d. "oou-
ruff None of them suffered harm
The steerage passengers who escaped were n. A.
Everest J. Vlacikek wife and two sons; Samuei
schincrant Samuel Train. Charles W. Pugh Au-
gust Krenze. Louis Rosenberg Thomas Doyle A
Arespi. A. Wohlt, Richard Maney. Patrick Comm
and Joseph +. Solomonson
OFFICERS OF THE SHIP.
The officers of the ship James A Wilder cap
tain; F. NJ. Wallace, first mate. and l.. e. sweeney
In a
second mate. There were hfty-four men III .ne
crew Captain Wilder has been in command OF the
Ieona several years. He said yesterday that II
was not possible 10 save the lives OF anybody IN
the steerage when he reached the deck aiter 'he
alarm Of fire was given. He declared that his men
had performed heroic work in saving the snip iIoin
destruction by the flames.
perhaps the origin of the fire may never De
known Charles Mallory said yesterday that he
could not get Information TO JUSTIFY any concur
sion as 10 the cause OF the outbreak. captain
Wilder believed the fire might have been caused
either by spontaneous combustion among some Ju'e
bagging or by the accidental! ignition OF Matches
of which there were five cases in the cargo. MI
Wallace the first mate. who discovered the hre
said he first the flames In room separated u!
a partition from the one In which the matches were
stored Coroner Hoeber. after questioning num-
her Of persons expressed the opinion that the
matches might have started the fire. the matches
u.Are Skinned in FIVE cases and were stored with
some jute bagging and sewing machines IN the lot
ward compartment Of the main deck, close 10 the
wooden bulkhead which rose from the main deck
20 the spar deck Just aft of the steerage compan-
ion-way.
LITTLE LIGHT ON THE CAUSE
The story of the fire. as CLEANED yesterday from
the accounts Of officers and passengers, does not
,brov much light on the origin Of the flames. When
the Ieona was making rer way to the South on
Saturday night there was no thought OF danger
, Most of the passengers were asleep before MD
night Half an hour after midnight captain Wider
received reports from the watchmen that every
ching was all right and he also turned In. Mr..
wallace who was then in charge of the ship, be-
gan 10 make his rounds. When he went down 10
the steerage he smelled smoke just ait Oh the
room for women steerage passengers was long
room, which had been used formerly for Storage
passengers. but the berths lad been taken Out anu
eonne cargo had been stored there. Mr.. wallace
added later that he opened the sliding door OF that
room and saw a blaze inside. NO matches were
stored there he said. Mr.. Mallory and captain
Wilder said yesterday shat Mr.. Wallace proDapi'
meant that he opened a sliding door on the OPP
posite side Of the passage, and looked through inc
bukhead into the compartm where the matches
and other parts OF the cargo had been stored. Inc
smoke rushed out and almost suhocated the hrst
mate He ran through the passage TO the Storage
rooms and shouted Fire Then he went up on
deck and gave the alarm 'he'e' iie '""N O"P'
Wilder Immediately.
The alarm Of fire spread quickly In the steerage'
hut the smoke filed the place so rapidly that there
ms no, ,,,ne for all TO escape. Most Of the men
MANAGED to save themselves Inc women anu
children mostly persisted. Nearer the bow OF the
him and on the same deck. was the forecaste, IN
yhich a number Of the sailors were asleep wheh
the alarm was given. The sailors got out awe,
using the same companionway up "hIch soihe vi
the storage passengers went. one of the sailors
took a lamp from the passageway between the
steerage-rooms some of the passengers said later
and used IL to direct his fight to the ladder leav-
ng those behind him in darkness.
TALE OF a PASSENGER
In According tho frantic rush for life yesterday