Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-05-11
SIXTEEN LIVES LOST.
MALLORY LINE STEAMER HAS A
FATAL FIRE AT SEA.
STEERAGE PASSENGERS VICTIMS.
FLAMES Thought To Have Started
Through CarcIcssness on the Part
OF the Crcw-Captnin Placed Under
Arrest.

Arrest.
NEW YORK. May lo.-rhe Mallory Line
steamer Leona limpei back TO her dock
late last night with the charred remains
Of thirteen OF her steerage passengers
and three OF her crew. who had lost
their lives in fire which broke out in
her forward hold early yesterday mora
ing. while the ship was OF the south
coas, Of New Jersey. Her cargo IS al
most a total loss.
Following Is q revised list OF those who
lost their lives on board the Leona;
Passengers - Bridget Sullivan, b.
Cotrane. Maria Hardo and her two chill
dren. Mrs c. Guzza and daughter Joseph
solomonson's sister. one daughter Of J.
Vlacikek. and Sophie schmalz
Crew-Alfred Lang, waiter; c. Hart
man. butcher. and II. Harvey. waiter.
The l,eona left her pier Saturday at
T. NJ. bound for Galveston, with eleven
saloon passengers and about twenty
s,eeraro passengers. She carried gene
raj cargo OF merchandise. Captain
wilder was in command.
The cargo In the forward hold of the
T.cona may have caught fire before she
left her pier I'm the East river. If So the
FIRE smouldercd for twelve hours under
tho closed matches. but at o'clock yes
teriav morning the fire burst forth sd
suddenly that the whole steamer seemed
doomed.
she was then Off the South New Jersey
coast. within thirty miles of Cape
renlopcn. The fire was directly under
The second cabin. where twenty-one pas
seneers were asleep. This cabin was in
the forward part OF the ship below the
main dock. lasssSd
SEVEN HOURS TO SUBDUE FLAMES
I, took seven hours TO finally subdue
The flames in the ships hold so she could
proceed back 10 her wharf.
Coroner Hoeher arrived about ~
o'clock this morning az the pier, ana
found Charles II. Mallory, one Of the
owners of the vessel, in conservation
win Captain Wilder in the latter's CABIN.
Aceompanied by Mr.. Mallory and the
caDtain Coroner Hoeber went to the
steerage and viewed the charred bodies.
Then he gave permission Tor ther re-
rnoval. The Coroner told captain
Wilder that as a matter of form he would
be compelled to have him placed under
arrest.
He was Immediately paroled in the Gus
to5v OF Mr. Mallory who was IN
sir,icted 10 produce the captain when the
irouest Is held. The witnesses We're told
10 be al the Coroner's Office at noon To-
day.
A watchman guarded the vessel ana
refused 10 allow any person aboard Win
out he consent Of the captain or owner
o. the vessel.
At SEQ o'clock this morning two dead
wagons drove on the pier and passed
aboard the steamer twelve pine boxes
in which the bodies Of the victims were
N be removed. The members OF me
crew refused TO touch the bodies. ana
the work had 10 be performed Dy @ .le
,..eon attendants The thirteen bodies
were placed in nine OF the pine boxes
some OF the bodies being those OF chh-
dren and others charred and burned 10
about hall Their natural size. The bodies
were taken 10 the moTgle, where they
viii remain to await Identification.
These that cannot he identified will be
buried in the pot:er's field.
CHARGES AGAINST THE CREW.
Samuel schlllchraut was one of the pas
CFuUoTE IN lLt rft-i l-N va Ai'"
VS. on his way to Columbus. Tex. lie
rad $40 with him, with which he was
ooing TO start in q small business in Co
lrnhus He lost everything he had-both
money and clothing. He does not speak
T-nriish but. through an interpreter he
told the story. -
.~rbe fire occurred between and 8
o,ctocx this morning. The first sensation
7 had was one of choking. and scrambled
OUT oC bed and made rush Tor the upper
deck. There were ten other passengers
in the compartment with me- one OF
whom was smothcred; the others got out
IN safety. ,...
There was the widest excitement
among the passengers. and the steerage
was cornulctely filed with smoke.
r-ronsd nv way to the ladder leading 10
the deck and found that there was a
number OF people ahead OF me- scrambllng
,,r tba ladder. The screams OF the wo-
,r,r and children were fTightful 10 hear
rrbc crew made no effort 10 help the pas
eencers. and none Of us were awakened
~, tbem. They simply took care Of
themselves and left us 10 our fate.
great many cf the lives might nave been
ea,od if the crew had done anything
~ belp the smothering passengers. When
we gathered on deck we found some life
,.,oeorvors which nearly all Of us put on.
Tben the crew assured US that there was
no danger. and the excitement was some-
what allayed."
Mr.. sohilichraut said that the general
fronreseion was that the fire was caused
nv n lighted match dropped by one OF
the crew into the cargo. He declared
that he saw a number OF the crew smok-
inc and that they were very careless in
throwing away their matches.
The officers. he said, made no attempt
10 stop the smoking among the crew.
which he thought was very strange. con-
siderlnr the infammable nature OF the
cargo in the forward hold.