The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1900-07-06
LARGE VESSELS BURN.
Lives Lost and $40, 900, 900 Worth
Of Property Destroyed.
The Lives of RI Lenst Fifteen Hum
drcd People Were Imperiied by
the FInmes-The Fire Origi-
mated ia "A bale of Cotton.

New York. July 2.--Almost 10000
900 worth of property was destroyed.
many lives were lost, many persons
were injured and at least 1900 lives
were imperiied by a fire that started
among cotton bales under Pier 3 of
the North German Lloyd Steamship
Co. In HobDken, n. j., at o'clock
Saturday afternoon. In less than Is
minutes the iaIoes covered an area a
quarter of a mile long, extending out
ward from the actual shore line to
the bulkheads from 600 10 1000 feet
away and had caught four great
ocean liners and dozen or more
smaller harbor craft in its grasp.
Stories in regard TO the loss of life
are conflicting. the number being va
riously estimated at from 90 to 200.
From what can be learned. the
flames started among large pile of
cotton bales on Pier . of the North
German lloyd Steamship Co.. and
spread with such remarkable rapidity
that in ~ minutes the entire proper
~ OF the company, talgng in over
third OF a mile of water front, and
consisting of three great piers. was
completely enyeloped in huge blaze
that sent great clouds of smoke high
up into the air.
The flames started so suddenly and
gained such Roadway that the people
on the piers and on the numerous
vessels docked were unable to reach
the street.
At the docks OF the North German
Lloyd were the Saale, single-screw
passenger steamship Of 4.9s5 gross
tons; the Bremen, n twin-screw pas
senger and freight of lO.526 tons. and
the Main. a twin-screw freight aud
passenger steamship OF 10000 gross
tons. They all caught fire and were
burned 10 the waters edge The
Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse. which had
just come in. was the only one of the
four big vessels at the dock that Is.
capped.
The loss OF the crews OF these YES
sells is said 10 reach 100
Eighteen bodies have been recov-
cred. Eleven of these were placed in
"a row M the morgue in this city and
hhAAAfhAhM w. AHtN hANAAk AiAf hHAN ilfAllH
the authorities have of maintaining
any sort of identity over the corpses,
as they are so badly chnrred and dis
membered that Identification will be
made only by trinkets or pieces of
clothing that were found about the
bodies.
The only way the steamship Off
cials haze OF approximating the loss
OF life is by comparing the list of
those reported safe with the list OF
employees on the steamships. GUS
tave Sehwab, general agent of the
North German Lloyd line. gave on.
list showing what men on each vessel
are missing. On the Saale 255 men
were employed. and 1877 Of these have
only been accounted for. leaving i2s
men actually employed as officers,
sailors, stewards. engineers. coal
passers. oilers and trimmers TO be &C.
counted for.
The Bremen had 204 men on board,
hut only 1877 - these have been found.
The Main had i35 employed on her ut
the time. and Of these only &c have
been reported safe.
Eight barges and II canal boats
were either burned or sunk with their
cargocs. Total valuation. Sl25.0Ol.
The Hobokcn Shore railroad had q
number of cars burned and other
property damaged. Loss. $1,000.
Minor losses on floating property.
burned at the fire proper or set on
fire 10y buraing driftwood, viii |
amount 10 about $4,000.
The personal losses sustained nv
those aboard the steamships can sim.
ply be surmised, rs there is no way of
aseertaining this az the present time. |