New-York tribune., 1900-07-01
TALKS WITH OFFICERS.
THEIR ACCOUNTS OF The TERRIBLE
CATASTROPHE.

the stream Tribune reporter went on board the
Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse, 1t then seen
that the extent of the damage to the vessel was
limited to a small part of the starboard side
Eight ifeboat$ which hung along this side were
badly blstered Sy the heat, and the yellow,
haring mouthed ventilators which are ranged
behind the line of lifeboats We're also warped
by the heat Captain H. Engelbart was on
the bridge of the ship. and with him were sew
eral officers from the others ships who had
taken refuge there. Among them were Second
Officer Block and Third officer Scheduling, of
the Bremen, and First officer H. Schaffer and
Second Officer E. zander of the Saale
THE KAISER RESCUED.
Captain Engelbart, of the Kaiser Wilhelm. in
telling his experience with the fire. said
The fire came down upon with such sud
denness that at first escape appeared impossi-
BILE. / ordered that signals be made for the
help of tugs. and soon possible several
made fast to us and hauled us out. The tugs
which were on hand first were the Sarah r.
Easton, the John Fuller. the President and the
Reggie Foster. The crew behaved braVely, and
none forsOoh their stations AS were drawn
away the fire from the pier swept our deck Ike
winters sea. l wonder that the ship Jared
well as she did.
Second Officer Block. of the Bremen, burned
his hands severely in escaping from the vessel.
IN telling of how he leaped from the ship into
the stream he said
When the fire swept down upon us I was in
the aft part of the vessel. looked out to see
II there was any escape by the pier, and dis
covered that it all aflame 1 then ran up
on the passenger deck and that the for
ward part was ablaze. At the order of Captain
Nierick. l cut away the ropes and closed the
bulkheads. We then called to the tugboats
floating around in midstream to throw US line
but lhey oid not appear to see us Inc cap
tain ordered the lifeboat manned. but it broke
from the davits and fell to the river below. In
II were several women, who were visiting the
which
woman was rendered unconscious and was
picked up by lighter. Another woman climbed
down rope. AS for myself stripped and
jumped in. I had been swimming some time
when the tugboat Dalzen came by and picked
me UP. I noticed that all the energy Of the
company was being spent in saving the Kaiser
Wilhelm: 1t alone was towed out
/ heard that Chief officer Aubary was seen on
a lighter severely wounded. When l saw him
last he cutting loose the ropes.
Judging from the number Of people whom
saw jump into the water, l would say that as
many as thirty-fve 0r forty were drowned from
ship
Third Officer Scheduling said:
I leaped upon a steam launch, and later was
taken off by the Dalzell and brought with Herr
Block to the Wilhelm der Crosse. l was nearly
suffocated with the smoke as l was in a lower
compartment Of the vessel when the fire swept
down upon US.
The two officers said that the of the
Bremen, including officers, numbered 206 men.
Il down in the steerage of the Saale"
cry of Fire" I rushed up the steerage gang
way to the lower deck, and saw that I was
virtually surrounded by flames. To the south
the Italian dock burning fiercely, and
cotton barge which lay in the slip between the
italian wharf and our own was wrapped about
with flames Fire also stretched along the
shore. ran UP to the promenade deck and dis
covered that not only the pier to which
fast was aflame, but also the whole upper part
The ship had been heavily freighted with cot
ton, and fore and aft were twelve barrels Of
oil Already the smell of oil began to pervade
the ship.
GROANs OF THE IMPRISONED.
Efforts were being made to get the help Of
tugboats but none responded. 1 could hear
stihed groans from several compartments, and
knew that some poor fellows entrapped
by the fire.
AT last I jumped into the river and SWAN
for the pier Of the Hamburg-American Line.
The current strong that I could not
avoid being carried toward the large cotton
barge, which swinging out into the
stream. When I had approached so near to it
that the heat burned my eyebrows and hair, I
dived under the water and swan as long below
the surface 1 could hold my breath. I do not
believe I swan such long distance under
water before in my life. When came to the
surface l on the other side of the burning
barge, so that must have swan under 1t. 1
was on the windward side of 1t now, so that the
heat did nos affect
MY strength almost gone. however and
II was all could do to hold onto the Hamburg
pier after had reached it. Having been hauled
ashore. I rested a few minutes changed my
clothes and, on the tugboat Stevens. came out
to the Wilhelm der Crosse"
Second officer Zander, of the Saale, said that
he taken by surprise that he had jumped
into the water with all his clothes on. He
went
AS soon as came to the surface Of the water
/ thought animal dragging me down.
Then l thought ii must be my clothes The
weight great that was about to give up,
when q burning fagot came along. l splashed
some water one end of it, and then took
hold. 1t burned my hands but that better
than drowning. l kept splashing water the
timber until I had put out the fire, and of a
sudden I felt it go down. Another swimmer had
taken refuge with me. We two drifted along
until he said:
Whats the of hanging on? All the ships
are burned up. My clothes and everything I've
got except a wife and baby over the water are
gone. l going to let go. I don't feel like
trying TO hold on any longer"
Hold on" / said "If you've still got wife
and baby for Gods sake hold onp' and he did
to the Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse
THE DESTROYED ,S7'EA ]MERS.