Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1900-07-05
Passengers and Sailors Caught IN
aware are Burned to Death
Or Drowned.

OCEAN llAeiS ana dozen or more smaller
harbor craft in it's grasp.
| The flames started among large pile
of cotton bales on pier No. Of the North
German Lloyd Steamship Company, and
| spread with such remarkable rapidity
| that in Is minutes the entire property OF
| the company, taking in over a third Of
mile of water front, and consisting of
| three great piers, was completely envel-
| oped in a huge blaze that sent great
clouds of smoke high UP into the air.
! The flames started suddenly and
gained such Roadway that the people on
| the piers and on the numerous vessels
| locked were unable to reach the street..
The gangs of workmen on the piers and
| these, together with number of people
who We're at the dock on business and
visiting ships, scattered in all directions.
| AS all means of exit were cut off by the
! flames they were forced to jump over.
| board, and it is believed a great number
of people were drowned. -.
| At the docks of the North German
Lloyd We're the Saale, a single screw pas
| senger steamship of 1866 gross tons; the
| Bremen, q twin screw passenger and
| freight of 1886 tons, and the Main, a
twin screw freight and passenger steam
snip OF lU,ZUU gross tons. ..-,. ..rss... +. 8
They all caught fire and were burned
] to the waters edge. The Kaiser Wilhelm
| der Crosse, which had come in, was the
only one of the four big vessels at the
! dock that escaped.
! The loss of the crews of these vessels
| is said to reach 100. r ,-rs -H..-. IL ..
The fire was first discovered by a
Waterman on the pier at o'clock. He
! saw a small streak of flame shoot from
a bale of cotton on pier No.<2, at which
was locked the steamer Saale He i'm
mediately sent in an alarm.
In a few minutes the flames had ex-
| tended to the steamship and were COM
| municated to the adjoining pier on the
| north @5.-. '.
| Here were locked the Kaiser Wilhelm
der Crosse and the Main. Tugs were i'm
Emediately made fast to the big Kaiser
| Wilhelm der Crosse and she was gotten
out into mid-stream with safety, although
badly scorched at the bows.
The steamship Main, however was
|idoomed. as the flames had become so
fierce on the north side of the pier that
mo tug could approach the vessel
!. Crowds of deck laborer and also en-
ployes of the companies were on all the
piers. Men. women and children were on
the canal boats and men on the barges
and lighters and when the fire made its
quick descent upon them escape was cut
off before they realized their awful posi-
| ton. .-... -.U
The people on the piers jumped into the
water to save themselves, and scores of
men huddled under the piers clnging to
the supports, only to be suffocated by
the flames or to drop back into the water
from exhaustion.
| Men working in the holds of the four
| steamships were shut in by walls of
| flame. and it was impossible to reach
| them.
1t probably never will be known how
| many men persisted in the ships, as the
| flames were so fierce they would leave
few if any remnants of the human body.
| The greatest loss of life appears to
| have been on the Saale.
| She carried $50 people and was to have
sailed for Boston this evening.
When the police boat captain went
aboard of her with his rescue party, he
saw bodies lying all about the deck
The steamship Bremen carried crew
| Of 300 men, the Main $50. and if as many
lives were lost on the Bremen and Main
| as on the Saale the number of lives lost
will be very great. Then. Also many
persisted on the piers. the canal boats
and lighters.
The burning or smouldering remains of
canal boats, lighters AMI barges are scat
tered all the way down the river and bay
to Staten island and Governors island.
| Each of these craft will add something
to the list of dead. a,s.ss,. .r g.s,.a..9
This spectacle was witnessed by thous-
ands and thousands. both by those ashore
and by other thousands who crowded
upon every ferry boat. every excursion
boat. upon every variety of river craft
| that could be secured for the purpose.
| The crowd upon the banks Of the river
was almost as great as that which
4 formed to witness the triumphal return
Of Admiral Dewey.
Looking up the river at the burning
ships and piers the scene was won
derful and tragic one Of grandeur
The steamship .Saale had been towed
down the river until it was just off Fort
Liberty. where she had gathered around
her ring Of freboats and tugs. all fight
/ ing to save at least the hull Of the
! doomed steamer.
Flames were still leaping from her port
holes and rushing out of her cabins and
! holes. ~
At varying distances about the burning
! ship lay coal and cotton barges. all
ablaze. each with one Or more tugs play
/ ing streams of water upon it.% H Ii a,
Some of these barges and lighters were
Headed with very nfiammable stuff and
i the flames leaped high in the air. while
| the heat was so terrific that Ii was not