Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-10-06
MALLORY LINER LEONA HAS A RACE
WITH FLAMES.
THREE DAYS AT FULL SPEED
BURNED AT HER PIER IN NEW YORK
LAST EVENING.
Passengers Debarked in Haste as
soon ns She Arrived-Hntchcs
Opened and u Futile Battle
With the Flames
Was Begun.

NEW YORK, Oct 5.-The Mallory line
steamer Leona was burned and sunk at her
wharf in East river Tonight. The cargo
consisting OF tobacco and SEQ bales of cot
ton, and valued at S250,000 to SS00,u09, i j
total loss, and the boat is little better than
a wreck.
1t is believed that the Leona, which sailed
from Galveston September -, caught fire
al sea several days ago. since which time
she has proceeded at full speed, with bat
tened matches, for this port. AT $50 this
afternoon the LcOna came racing up East
river to her pier. where haste was made 10
debark the Passengers and open the
matches. An hour later an army Of men
were vainly fighting a fire in the steamers
hold. Finally the ship was scuttIed.
AS soon as the Leona made fast to her
pier, about O'Clock. the officers of the YES
sci, commanded by Captain Wilder ordered
the members OF the crew TO try to put out
the fire in the hold without calling the fire
department. This was soon found to he
impossible, and AN alarm was sent in. BY
30 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 for
ward hatchway. directly forward OF the
| foremost. The matches being lifted. a tire
mendOus volume of smoke came out, max
| ing il utterly impossible for the firemen
| to see Soon tons of water were pouring
| into the doomed vessel and the ship be
gan to lift to starboard. settling a little as
| she did so. At 6 O'Clock about seventy
iiremen, with the chief and deputy chief,
were on the boat working to keep the fire
| from spreading toward the stern. II WAS
| found to be beyond the efforts OF the fire
| men and an order was given TO open the
| fore and aft portfolios in order TO allow
| the water to make her settle. The water
already pouring into the boat was manag-
| ing to run along The bilge keels until it
had reached aft and the ship showed evil
! dence of listing To starbuard Most of the
| tiremen finally left the ship by sliding down
4 hose which was fastened to the wheel.
About half a dozen men who were on the
starboard side of the boat were unable to
get to the pier. and kept right on working
| as if nothing was happening to endanGer
| their lives. They kept on and on until the
| ship commenced To- sink slowly but surely,
until, with final list. she went down. The
men were thrown into the waller. Deputy
| Chief Duane and Fireman Thomas Nc
| L %
life and were rescued with difficulty Duane
lost his helmet and was dragged out more
| dead than alive. Several of the fire boats
| engaged in the work OF rescuinS the fire
men were nearly carried down by the sink
ing of the Leona
| At 7:3o O'Clock tonight, a report that
shook the deck plates forward showed the
presence of gas and possibly powder in the
forward hold. Another report came al
| about d fifteen minute interval and a third
in about ten minutes. The explosions were
| not serious enough to cause further in
| How of water. At about S:i5 the flames
| were under control il the main lhtchway
and the entire work was confined to the
forward hatch. The flames We're 50 persist
| ent that they were not under control for Z
long time and the New Yorker was KEPT
at work playing on her all night.
The cause of the fire is a mystery. Th'
boat left Galveston on Wednesday, Sep
tomber q. and made her eight days rul
without special incident. It was said h!
one of the passengers That, three day
ago, the matches were battened down, ant
upon questions being put To Captain VII
her he said the cause was the high seas
From that time the ship has gone at full
speed toward New York, safely reachiH;
here to-day. The passenger said that 81
several occasions he detected smoke. bu
had not thought particularly about it, a
the captain said all was well.
| Captain WILDER denies that the ship Wa
on fire at sea and says that the first h
knew of the fire was when the hatche
were lifted to-day after arrival.
! The insurance on the Leona is not known
Charles Mallory head of the Mallory line
said tonight that he knew ", nothing abon
fire at sea, as reported, and If Captai
Wilher had kept the fire under eontTI
; for two or three days, he deserved credi
=. for even bringing the boat into haTbor.
\ somewhat similar exPerience beIei !. III
: ship in 1925. On May S. she left New fnr
f for her trim SOUTH and. on the next morn
ing. fire was discovered Ton! coming .i up Up, he
1 rev larger and the City of August.
. which was passing. was signaled for as
e sistauce She took the passengers an
/; rendered all the assistance possible. Upo
i reaching this port, May 10. it was foun
e that thirteen steeTaGe passengers had bee
4 burned 10 death They Were found in
: blackened heap in the steerage. At tina
l. time CAPTAIN WILDER was suspended fn
: six months for supposed failure to tax
g prOper care of the fire.
l During the war with Snain, the Leon
was used as a United States transport
d Fire Mt Bevicr. Mo.
IL