The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-06-30
THE PAWNEE BURNED


kA mn E
Narrow Escape of the Crew-The
steamer George w. Clyde Picks Them
I'm and Brings Them TO Wilmington.
origin of the Fire UnknOwn-The
Damages Probably 100000.
The Clyde steamship Pawnee, Cap
tain A. D. Ingram, was burned at sea
shortly after midnight on Sunday night
about 80 miles from Currituck and IS
miles off Hatteras.
The Clyde steamer George w. Clyde
arrived in Wilmington yesterday at IL
a. M, bringing Captain Ingram and his
crew, consisting Of 20 men, who were
taken from their boats at the scene
Ct the disaster.
The Pawnee sailed from Brunswick,
Ca, last Friday with a valuable cargo
OF lumber, crossties and watermelons.
Captain Ingram reports that when 80
miles off Currituck, n. c., fire broke
out amidships and in afew minutes the
flames burst out the forward hole
through the top of the house. The YES
sci was we'll equipped with fire ap-
paratus and the pumps were set a go
ing but the engineers and men in the
fireroom were compelled to desert their
posts and seek safety on deck. The
boats were launched and most of the
crew got off in them. Some of the men,
however, could not reach the part of
the ship from which the boats were
lowered and they had to jump over
board and be picked up by b boats.
Captain Ingram, acted with his custo-
mary heroism, and was the last man
to leave his ship. He tried to get OH
on the port side but the smoke drove
him back and he had great difficulty
in getting off on the starboard side.
He had to pull off his shoes and jump
into the sea and swim to the boats.
The entire crew was saved and no one
was injured. The officers Of the ship
are Captain A. D. - gram, First Mate
B. McBeth, Second Mate l.. F. Packer,
Chief Engineer C. Plat, First Assis-
tant Engineer John Fad, Second Assis-
tant Engineer G.. w. Robb and Stew
ard C. r. Pike.
There were no passengers aboard
except Mrs. Plat, wife of the chief en-
gineer. All hands escaped without Sc
rious injury, although n of the sail
ors in lowering a boat got n of his
arms badly burned, and Steward Pike
in lowering a boat got his right hand
lacerated by a ropes slipping through
it. One of the crew states that he never
saw a man act with more GOODNESS,
pluck and bravery than Captain In
gram who stuck to his ship much long
er than was safe for him to do. In III
teen minutes after the fire was discov-
cred the crew had to take to the boats,
and when the ship had been burning
a half hour the steamer Geo. w. Clyde,
bound from New York for Wilmington,
hove in sight and bore down on the
burning ship. She picked up the crew
and their boats
When the fire broke out Captain In
gram and half the crew were asleep.
The only person ON deck was the
watch, while the mate was in the pilot
house. The men in the fire o dis
covered the flames and reported them
to the watch. Captain Ingram and all
hands were awakened and they took
vigorous steps to save the ship but all
in vain. The flames were soon leaplng
all around the smoke stack and short
ly afterward burst out the forward hold
and through the house.
The PaWnee cleared from Bruins
wick, Ca, last Friday with a cargo OF
lumber. crossties and watermelons.
The value of the cargo is not known,
but the ship is valued at $1OO,OOO. Sne
was insured. The cargo was proDaDly
worth 500, 900. The Pawnee left
Charleston Saturday for Boston. Inc
vessel has been engaged for some time
as a freight ship between BRUNSWICK
and Boston. She was a wooden vessel
and was built i'm 1890 at Philadelphia.
She was 2O3 feet long, SO feet beam,
1915 feet draft, and registered 1874 tons.
After the Geo. w. Clyde took UP the
crew Of the Pawnee she stood by the
burning vessel a while but nothing
could be done to save her. She was a
mass of flames and doomed when the
Clyde resumed her voyage.
Captain Ingram is a resident or WILL
mington and his family resides at 5|5
South Fifth street. His family, now
ever. is spending the summer at caro-
lima Beach and he went down on the
steamer Wilmington at 5 O'CLOCK yes
terday afternoon to join them.
CAPTAIN Ingram was in command OF
the steamship Delaware which was
burned off the Jersey coast last sum
mer. The Pawnee, with the delaware
and the Croatan, make three steamers
of the Clyde Line destroyed by nre
during the past twelve months. 1T VIII
he remembered that when the Della
ware was burned how heroic and gal
lantly he acted.