Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-02-28
STEAMER BURNED AT SEA.
Remainder of the Crew and Passengers
Rescued After an Awful Ex-
perience.

Boston, Feb. 27.-The British steamer
Legislator Capt. Tenant, bound from
Liverpool for Colon, was burned at sea
February 18th in latitude 31.23 north
and longitude i4.10 west. The fire
broke out on February 18th and burned
fiercely for three days, during which
time fireman Thomas Roberts was
burned to death, Second officer James
Bateman and Seamen William Angel
We're drowned by the capsizing of a
boat. Third officer Martin and Chief
Engineer John Troughend, Second
Steward John Gaffney went adrift in
another boat and Chief Cook Fred l..
Lee, crazed with fearful burns, jumped
overheard. The rest of the crew of
thirty men with two passengers, DR..
Mortimer and wife of London, were res
cued by the fruit steamer Flowergate
and brought on to this port. arriving
here today. Four of the crew, Chief
Engineer John Holden, Fourth Engi-
neer Robert Min and Seaman Charles
Ibblittson, We're SO severely injured that
they We're taken to the Marine hospital
upon arriving Mt this port. Holden Ia
not expected to live.
The suffering of those who survived
| the fearful three days in which they
were tossed about by the waves while
explosion aIteT explosion threatened TO
| send the fire-eaten steamer to the bot
| tom, makes a tale seldom ecSaled in
the annals of the merchant marine.
The Legislator left Liverpool on
February 3rd with n miscellaneous
cargo, including phosphate, cotton
| goods and percuccion caps for Cotton
and Central American ports.
At o'clock on the morning of the
18th, without warning. an explosion
took place from hatchway forward of
midDhips. followed by n tremendous
outbust OF smoke and flames The fire.
men and engineers all came tumbling
| on deck hut one, some Of them more or
less burned. The missing man was
| Thomas Roberts. and II was not until
| two days afterwnrd that his charred
body vas recovered during II lull In
| the fire. The crew were badly handi-
| capped In fighting the fire. as the hose
and pumping engine were disabled or
| consumed.
The fire spread so rapidly that the
| forward part of the boat In which were
seven men, was cut Off. and Capt. Ten
| nant asked for volunteers to rescue the
remainder OF the crew. Second Officer
| Bateman and Seaman Angel at once
offered to row along the side of the
| ship and bring the men aft One of the
| boats was launched with difficulty, as
| there was n heavy sea running. and by
careful work they managed to reach
| tIlc NUllpsN Npulitu men. M were Iflal-
" taken on board and the boat dropped
astern. but before the nine men could
10 pulled on the after deck n tremen-
dous sea capsized the small boat and
every man was thrown into the water
After their heroic work, Bateman and
Angel We're the only ones who wero
not rescued.
In the meantime, through some con-
fusion, another boat had been launched
aud In II was Third Officer Martin and
chief Steward John Gaffney. Another
big sea swept them away. They have
not been seen since. The fighting OF
the flames stili continued. and as the
fire reached the boxes of percussion
caps there We're almost constant ex-
rloslors During one of these Fred r
Lee. the chief cook. was 80 severely
burned thai he jumped overheard and
could not be saved
At o'clock on the morning OF the
10th the steamer Flowergatc, from
palermo. Italy hove In sight. Two
boats were Immediately lowered from
the Flowergate. and after three