The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-07-01
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beyond recognition. The bodies were trans
Captain Smith said he thought there
were a number OF bodies below in the Saale.
When l got TO the Saale on the first trip
with the tug, - he said, II saw several men
with their heads at the portfolios. They
were stuck fast and could get neithvc in
nor out. The ship was gradually sinking
1t was a terrible sight. Some Of the men
called to US in their own tongue TO help
them for Gods sake Their struggles were
something frantic. We could 90 nothing
for them. The upper part OF the vessel was
a living furnace. We tried 70 get the pris-
oners through the portfolios. But the holes
were even smaller than usual. We gave
q line TO one man and tried TO pull him
even now hear the poor fellow shrieking in
his despair as he saw us drawing away
from him. We heard the cries OF others
back OF the portfolios. They seemed 10 be
the holes gave those already there. 1t was
terrible. We saw one woman at a port
hole. The flames were rapidly approach
ins de asri ha sse ON %a the sa tHs to sa6 De q S heT q smsii
hose and she played II about her stateroom
for a few moments. They were precious
for her life. She might as well have poured
a teacup full of water into a living vol
cano. for all the good II did. She had no
possible chance. AS she fought the fire the
cDlP Cdlh clCdQl1y dlQ ntI lIubSlCS Wtlc
stopped by al thrush of water as the port
holes sank below the surface"
The steamship was to have sailed for
Boston during the afternoon to take pas
charter she had no right TO carry coastwise
passengers. 1t is known that three stew
ardesses should have been on board.
The harbor police said the officials of the
steamship company feared the, loss OF the
Bremen's chief engineer and six OF his as
sistants. who were in their quarters for
ward at the time the fire broke out. They
thought the loss of life had been the
greatest on the Saale. They placed the num-
Der at from thirty to fifty, and said the
majority of the victims were employed as
iremen and coal passers.
The fire boat New Yorker devoted her
attention TO the Bremen and took of more
than thirty members OF her crew. The NeV
Yorker then went 10 extinguish several
smaller fires, such as boats from the Saale
and wreckage, that was blazing along the
Jersey shore. AS she steamed by the Saale
there happened on the doomed ship a ter
rife explosion. Flames shot up forty feet
and IL seemed as If the whole upper part
of the ship had been torn away. The Saale
was know TO have had a large quantity Of
kerosene and other oils aboard and this is
what probably exploded.
MANY IN THE sTEERAGE. =
A member of the fireboat Van wyck
said: THE fire made it impossible to- get
TO the steerage of the Saale. We tried
TO get the people through the portfolios.
There seemed to be forty or fifty OF them.
There were men. women and children. One
woman in particular attracted our atten-
ton. She kept calling TO the others not
TO give up hope. that we would save them
Her face was torn and bruised where she
had been trying 10 get out OF the small
portfolio. - :
Finding 1T impossible to get the poor
people out We handed cup Of water TO
cnrnn Af rhano ~ha orfAA" g.. a. A-f-l -
Gods sake. Just before the ship went
down a tug drew alongside with a Roman
Catholic priest on board. He called to the
people. who seemed to be mostly OF his
faith. and with uplifted hands impaired
absolution to them just as the ship sank
and the water. rushing in at the portfolios.
drowned them like rats. The cries OF the
people as the water poured in was some
During all the time the steamship Main
lay at the burning docks with the fierce
flames licking her sides and warping her
plates and the flames in her cargo eating
away her interior, sixteen men lived on
board of her. When she was hauled out
from between the burning docks at IL
o'clock last night these men were still
alive. They made themselves known a half
hour later when the wreck OF the ship was
beached at Shady Side. One of them is
blinded by the heat. but the rest are alive
and as well as can be expected. These six
teen were all coal passers. When the fire
bunkers
Gustav Schwab, agent for the North Ger
nan Lloyd line. reached his Office in the
Bowling Green building tonight. He came
direct from the Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse.
anchored off about Fiftieth street I'm the
North river. The Kaiser Wilhelm der
Crosse" he said. lis practically uninjured.
She has been scorched on the starboard
side. The glass IN the port holes is broken.
but the interior OF the vessel has not been
touched"
The Kaiser will be locked there Sunday
and she will sail on her regular schedule
Tuesday at 10 a. m. Everything is IN a
confused state tonight" Mr.. Schwab said.
land we will have 10 wait TO see Just
what damage is done before we can esti-
mate the loss We are going 10. make ar
engagements 10 look after them all. The
men all come from the other side. They
are shipped by the home office and the
estimating ] should say that there were
Guiding officers and men. about $50 persons,
on the Bremen, 800: on the Main. go, and on
the Seale $50. AS 10 the dead. / fear there
are quite a number. We have no more In
formation at present than you have. The
marine insurance, / believe. is carried by
the companies on the other side. That IS an
done by the home Office at Bremen"
The Bremen is OF steel. win screw. thir-
teen compartments. built at Dantzic by
Schichu in 1897. OF 6,71 tons net.
The Main is OF steel with twin screws.
built at Hamburg by Blohn & voss IN 1899.
The Saale is OF steel. single screw, nine
compartments. built at Glasgow by the
Fairfield company in 1856.