New-York tribune., 1898-11-16
KENIL WORTH AFIRE AT SEA.
CAPTAIN. NATE AND APPRENTICE SUI
FOCATED WHILE ASLEEP
CARGO OF TWENTY-FIVE HUNDRED TONS OF
SUGAR BURNED-ARRIvEs SAFELY AT VAL
PARAIsO AND BEATS THE REC
ORD FROM THAT PORT
TO NEW YORK

The twenty-three men constituting the Of
the four-masted ship keniIworth. which arrived N
mort Yesterday Will doubtless speak OF their ex-
percnces on their long voyage from Japan 10 the
Sandwich Islands. to Valparaiso and from Val
paraiso 10 this port long they live. In the
first part OF the voyage a fire broke out on the
ship. which, without doing any great damage. yet
cost the lives Of the captain. first mate and ap-
prentice The voyage from Valparaiso to New
York vas made I'm sixty-six days which beats the
best record ever made by sailing vessel.
The KenEworth left IIlo, Sandwich Islands. on
May TO- the master being Captain James G. Baker.
who lived at Cape Cod. The first mate was Arthur
y. Piper and there were also on board an appren-
tlce named Henry Hobson. said TO be a relative or
Naval Constructor Hobson. and passenger named
ThrIms These four persons occupied stateTooms
I'm a poop deckhouse on July TO- when twenty-hv"
hundred miles from Valparaiso. srroke was seen
coming in dense volumes from the after hatches
The matches were removed. and an attempt made
TO put the fire. but. the cargo being sugar the
gas generated from the smoke was found 10 be
TOO suffocating for the work TO be gone on Win
The matches were therefore fastened down and. the
ship and decks being OF The best steel. no anN,e'y
was felt for the safety OF the vessel. and nothing
worse than the loss OF some OF the cargo was ex-
pectrd
A. the usual holr the captain. first mate and
apprentice with MIR. Thrums. went to their cabins.
Tn. stateroom OF the last-narrd was the only one
which was supposed to be directly apo'e any
part OF the cargo which might take fire. and he
decided 10 sleep on a sofa I'm the captains sitting
room By doing so he nearly lost his lie. Az
about midnight the second mate. '. ii. Generaux
went TO call the captain. In the passaBe"aE Ieau-
ing 10 the staterooms he encountered dense VOL
urnes Of suffocatng smoke. which drove him back.
He tried TO enter again. and was again unsuccess-
ful At last he succeeded in entering the mate :
cabin He found Piper huddled up in corner OF
tho room a. though he had been able 10 get out OF
his berth. but had been overcome by the smoke be-
fore he could reach the door. Thoroughly alarmed.
Genereaux summoned some members Of the crew,
ard after considerable difficulty they entered the
rooms of the captain Hobson and Thrums All
three were lying app, emily dead in their berths
They with the first mate. carried on deck
and the crew worked for four hours OYER them
! irving 10 revive them. Their efforts were unsuc-
cessfuI except in the case o. Thrums who showed
signs Of vitality after two hours. He was carried
70 bed and slept until o'clock in the afternoon
! when he awoke. the worse from his narro"
escane The bodies OF the captain apprentice and
first mate were buried In the sea the same evening
! Mr. Thrums by the request OF the second mate
| who took charge OF the vessel saying snort
! prayer. .
/ Genercarx took the ship to Valparaiso. where II
was found that twenty-five hundred tors OF the
cargo had been bIrn,d. The owners of the vessel
were communicated with, and they sent captain
James Murphy. captain OF the wsll-known shlp
| Shenan ndoah, who was about TO begin MS |aca'io"
! TO bring the Kenworth 10 this port. -,
| The Kenlworth. commanded BY captain Murphy
! left Valparaiso on September 10. Her voyage 20
| New York made without incident. except ma
| the run was made in the quickes. time on record
! Valparaiso IS O6O miles from this port ana this
| distance was covered In siNty-siX days. lhe pest
days run was October when 2 sst miles r,N "eS e
! rtes and on october Is 245 miles. on October 3
there were heavy gales but Captain Srh MHrphy ,hs
clapped on every Inch OF canvas, ana tnUusn h uo
,ossfl listed heavily there were no casualtie3 me
greatest damage done during the voyage being the :.
Snso Of a rew sails The average speed was nearly
seyen lnots an hour. sometimes ten knots were
| covered and i'm more than one instance tweiTe . =,
on October % the Kenlworth passed the nlteeu
! states battle-ships Oregon and Iowa III iohe'uuc
| 39o 30 latitude % q north.