The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-07-01
The Bremen, SaaIe and Main Charred Hulks,
and the Phoenicia Badly Damaged.
North German Lloyd Steamship Company the Greatest
Sufferer-Many Persons Cremated on the YES
ses-Hospitals Full of Injured.

streets. The fire department. was called
out at various points along the threatened
section and the spectacle was presented OF
the firemen on shore trying to fight fire at
every minute changing their situation. For
hours the river was crowded with small
boats Fastening to the scene of disaster or
already taking part in the rescue of the
hundreds who had leaped into the river
when seized by the terror OF the flames.
but soon their occupants had nothing to do
but to watch the mad sweep of the flames.
Those who had plunged into the water had
been rescued or had gone to the bottom.
There were hundreds of men on each of
he destroyed steamships. and few wom-
en-. Crowds of dock laborers and also en-
ployes of the companies We're 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 be-
fore they realized their awful position. The
people on the piers jumped into the water
to save themselves and scores of them
huddled under the piers, clinging to the
supports only to be suffocated by the
flames or to drop back into the water from
exhaustion.
BODIES BURNED TO ASHES.
Men working in the holds of the steam
ships were shut in by walls of flame and it
was impossible to reach them. 1t probably
never will be known how many perished in
the ships, as the flames were so fierce they
would leave but few, If any, remnants of
the human body.
The greatest loss of life appears to have
been on the Saale. She carried 450 people
and was TO have sailed for Boston this
afternoon. 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 a crew of
300 men. the Main go. 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 perished on
piers, the canal boats and the lighters.
The burning or smoldering remains of
canal boats. lighters and 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 the dead
The loss to the North German Lloyd
dock alone is placed at s.. 100000. The value
of the great quantities of cotton. oil and
various other merchandise on the docks
has not been estimated at this time. The
total loss to the North German Lloyd
steamship Company will probably come
close to s1.ooo.Ooo. as the Bremen. the Main
and the Saale were almost totally de-
stroyed. The Kaiser Wilhelm was some
what damaged. The five storehouses of
the Campbell Company were greatly dam
aged, the loss on one building alone being
placed at S1.5Oo.000. 1t was first reported
that the Hamburg-American line steamer
Phoenicia had been destroyed but it was
learned later that she escaped. She is.
however, badly damaged
The Thingvalla pier was burned and the
dock of the Hamburg-American line suf-
fered greatly. A number of small buildings
I'm Hoboken were destroyed along the
wharfs. With their contents. but no idea
of the value OF these can be obtained The
amount OF insurance carried cannot be