The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-10-06
ESCAPED FIERY Death.
Mallory Line Steamer Game In
With Fire in Her Hold.
VALUABLE CARGO A TOTAL LOSS

And the Leona, Sunk at Her Wharf In
New York, Ia Little Better Than
wreck--Firemen Narrowly Escape
with Their Lives.
New York. Oct. 6-The Mallory line
steamer Leona was burned and sunk
at her wharf in East river last night.
The cargo, consisting of tobacco and
5000 bales of cotton, and valued at
$3.50 900 to $500, 900, is total loss, and
the boat is little better than a wreck.
It is believed that the Leona, which
sailed from Galveston on Sept. n,
caught fire at sea several days ago,
since which time she has proceeded at
full speed, with battened hatches, for
this port At $3.50 yesterday afternoon
the Leona came racing up East river
to her pier, where haste was made to
debark the passengers and open the
matches. An hour later an army of
men was vainly fighting a fire in the
steamers hold. Finally the ship was
scuttled.
AS soon as the Leona made fast to
her pier, about o'clock. the officers
Of the vessel, commanded by Captain
WILDER, ordered the members of the
crew to try to put out the fire in the
hold without calling the fire depart
ment. This was soon found to be i'm
possible. and an alarm of fire was sent
in. BY $50 o'clock ten streams were
playing from fire engines and six
streams from fire boats. The firemen
had hard time to get at the flames,
as the boat came into her dock stern
foremost. leaving the burning portion
out in the water.
The fire was at first confined to the
forward hatchway, directly forward of
the foremast. The matches being lift
ed, a tremendous volume Of smoke
came out, making 1t utterly impos-
sible for the firemen to see. Soon
tons of water were pouring into the
doomed vessel, and the ship began to
list to starboard. settling a little as
she did so. About 6. o'clock about 70
| flremen, with the chief and deputy
chief, we're on the boat working to
keep the fire from spreading toward
! the stern. 1t was found to be beyond
| the efforts of the firemen, snd an order
was given to open the fore and aft
| port holes in order to allow the water
to enter and make her settle. The
water already pouring into the boat
was managing to run along the bilge
keels until it had reached aft, and the
ship showed evidence of listing tC
| sIarboard.
Most of the firemen finally left the
ship by sliding down hose which was
fastened to the wheel. About half {
dozen men who were on the starboarC
side of the boat we're unable to get t
the pier and kept right on working
as if nothing was happening to en-
danger their lives. They kept on unit
the ship commenced to sink slowly
but surely, until with a final list sht
went down. The men were thrown
into the water Chief Duane and Fire
man Thomas Mcfarland of engine No
70, had to battle for life, and wer,
rescued with difficulty. Duane wa
dragged out more dead than alive
Several of the fire boats engaged il
the work of rescuing the fremel
were nearly carried down by the sink
ing of the Leona.
The cause of the fire is a mystery
The boat left Galveston on Wednes
day, Sept. 81, and made her eight days
run without special incident. 1t wa
said by one of the passengers tina
three days ago the matches were bat
! tened down, and upon questions bein
put to Captain WILDER he said tn
cause was Lne high seas. From tina
time the ship had gone at full spec
toward New York. The passenger sal
that on several occasions he had dc
tected smoke, but had not thought pai
~ticularly about it, as the captain sal
all was well.
Captain WILDER denies that the shi
was on tlre at sea, and says that tn
first he knew of the fire was when th
matches were lifted after arrival.
A somewhat similar experience b,
fel the ship in 1898. On May st
left New York for her trip south, an
on the next morning fire was diI
] covered coming up her hatchway frol
the hold. The fire rapidly grew large
! and the City of Augusta, which We
l passing, was signaled for assistanc
! She took the passengers and rendere
all the assistance possible.
] Upon reaching this port on May ]
II was found that 13 steerage passeI
gers had been burned to death The
were found in a blackened heap
the steerage. At that time Captai
WILDER was suspended for six month
for supposed failure to properly tai
care of the fire.