The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-06
LEONA AFlRE AND SUNK.
NILLoRY LINER IBLhzE JUST AFTER
REACHING HER PIER.

Grow Couldn't subduc the Flames and
Called on the City-Fireboats Soon Filled
the Ship and She Went Down TurniaR On
Her beam Fnds-Fireboat Nearly Caught
Tho Mallory Line steamer Leona. Capt.
Wilder. eight days from Galveston, with twenty
cabin passengers. officers and crew to the
number OF sixty. and a cargo Of cotton. jute
aud rags, arrived at her pier at Burllng Slip.
East River. Just before 4 O'Clock yesterday af-
ternoon. Half an hour after she tied up 1t
was discovered that her cargo was a6re Just
forward Of the pilothouse. The first anybody
on the pier knew about 1t was when the for
ward hatch was taken of ana big cloud on
smoke arose from the hold. The ships fire
apparatus was rugged and the crew. under the
direction OF Capt. Wilder. fought the fire for
about half an hour Then an alarm was
turned in. Battalion Chlet Kruger, who was
in charge OF the iremen who responded. when
he found out what the fire was. turned in
second and then third alarm. The new calls
brought Chief Croker to tine scene and also
the froboats New Yorker and Van Wyck. The
Van WycE made fast to the river end OF the
pier. and the New Yorker ran into the slip
under the Leona's starboard side. Ten lines
OF hose were run down the pier shed into the
forward hatchway and almost as many moro
from other points.
The vessel came in with a slight list to star
board and the water which was poured into
her. at tho rate OF several thousand gallons q
minute. followed the list and increased it.
Slowly and gradually the vessel sank by the
stern until she touched bottom. Then she
continued to list until the four inch
hawsers which moored her to the
pier on the port side were taut.
In this position the frsmen fought tho fire for
about two hours. but Notwithstanding the
great quantity OF water that was being poured
into the ship. the volume OF smoke which
came from the hold did not seem materially to
decrease All the ports were open and draft
was created which made the fire burn more
A few minutes before 7 O'Clock. when the
ship hsd Listed to an Shae Il a9 S 4nI5 ae
rifles were heard ON the pier. and then some-
The hawsers have snapped There she
The two four-ineh hawsers had parted and
ends. Everybody knew that tho New Yorker
was on the side o, the ship toward which she
ID. that hi mads
pened to the fTsboat She had backed away
pole; which caught in tho STAYS q Il: Leona.
the irsmen and the officers and crew Of the
Leona were making Wild seram Die from her
t dee for the pier vas TOO far to Jump and
hsq been stsaDnsd t. tn: s6jOr PSTs
we're ,",i; used BY ,e1erybody who ATTEMPTED
to to leave the Leona by the Port side
some nremen down between decks, and some
OF tho enRne-room force OF the sh p in the
after cabin; Chief Croker called up his fire
N en-. and then warned those in the after cabin
OF. When everybody had got on safely no
coolly unstraprsd all but one OF the ten lines
pull them ashore and then slid down the one
just before he left the vessel and the cheers OF
the crowd on the pier AZ he landed idn inter
est him half as much az the Whereabouts oil his
Nine mon from Engine II and Deputy Chief
Duane slipped into the water in trying to Jump
and were fished out by the men on the tlreboat.
No ono was injured. At X o'clock the fire was
under control, and the vessel was lying prac,;;
being entirely under water
A passenger who came IN on the Le2na and
whose stateroom was near the forward hatch.
said last evening that he smelled smoke three
days ago. and mentioned it to some Of the
short time atterward the forward and aft
matches were battsned down.
came in said that as soon as the passengers
had disem barked the forward hatch was taken
off and the ships fire apparatus was ready and
Immediately put In operation. Capt wilder
insists that no did not know that there was
fire aboard his ship until after no had reached
the pier.
Chief Croker said last night that the cargo
would be total loss and that the ships plates
had been badly sprung by the fire. The police
estimated the Leona's value at $3OO,OOO. The
Merritt Chapman Wreck ng Company was en-
ployed to get to work on her az quickly as pos
sible to remove the cargo and to right her:
Till that is done the Mallory Limo boats will
use a Brooklyn slip.
A lrs occurred on the I.eona shortly after
midnight on May o. 1897 when the vessel was
off the Delaware eapes on her way to Calves
ton. She had aboard number of steerage
passengers. German emigrants bound for
Texas and thirteen were smothered or burned
to death in their hunks.
The IRE was put out by filling the forward
part Of the ship with steam. and she put back
to New York so reticent were the officers OF
the line about the accident that the police had
enough Information to notify the Coroner