The Savannah morning news., 1900-07-04
AFTER THE BIG FIRE.


fire in Hoboken, in which the piers and
three ships of the North German Lloyd
Line were burned and probably two hun
dred lives were lost. is a loud complaint
respecting the actions of number of tug
boat captains. AS class, the captains of
tug boats are known TO be men of brav-
cry, daring and kindly feeling. The ma
jority of them are ever ready to make
sacrifices and take risks in order to render
aid to those in distress The deeds of
heroism performed by tug boat captains
are literally legion. But, if one-half of
the stories that are told about some of
the New York tug captains in connection
with the Hoboken fire are true, they show
that even in steamboating there are ox-
ceptions to the general rule and in this
case the exceptions are among the most
despica BILE men alive.
IL Is charged, and in several instances
information has been lodged with the le-
gal authorities, that scores of deaths are
directly due TO the refusal of tug captains
to render assistance to those in danger
until they had direct assurances of
money reward. Where assurance of a
reward which was considered adequate
was not forthcoming the poor unfortu-
mates would be left to burn or drown. Ac-
cordfng to the story of Chief Engineer
Bahrends of the Kaiser Friedrich, forty
persons were suffocated and burned in the
hold of the Saale because the captain of
tug took away his hose and refused to
permit it to be used. DR.. Grain, surgeon
of the Phoenicia, says he requested the
captain OF tug to go to the aid of
number of people struggling in the water
in the dock. What is there in it for me?"
asked the tug man. The surgeon told him
he would be paid a good price, but by all
means to hurry. Not unless l get my
price" returned the tug man, and leaving
the people in the water to sink or swim
he took his boat into the stream and went
to chasing bales of cotton that were float
ing about. The bales of cotton worth
about $40. were more valuable in the opin-
ion of this tug man that human lives.
Fireman Meyer of the Main with five COM
panions jumped into the water, after
they had been badly burned. a tug came
near them and they begged to be taken
aboard. Have you got any money!" ask
ed the captain. They replied that they had
not, and the tug steamed away. OF the
six, Meyer alone was saved by another
tug.
1t is also charged that the tugs neglect
ed the smaller vessels of the company so
that they might get hawsers upon the
great Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse, and
thus be able to claim larger salvage. Sec
ond Officer lander of the Saale SAYS he
with several men, was stationed at the
stern of that vessel with two lines ready
to be passed to tugs, when there was am
pie time for the Saale to be drawn out OF
the slip and saved. He appealed to and
begged tugs to take his hawsers, but they
paid no attention TO him. Finally Zander
and his men were forced to jump over
board. and one or more of them sank
Officer Wedig of the Bremen says that
ship also was ready TO be moved before
the Kaiser but that the tugs would not
touch her hawsers. There was terrible
loss of live in both the Saale and the
Bremen. This loss, 1t is claimed. might
have been averted IL the tug men had not
been in such a hard-hearted chase after
dollars. 1t is pleasant to know, by the
way, that all of the tug men did, not be-
long TO this class. There were many
deeds of heroism performed aud many
Aves saved by men of the tug fleet 1t Is
probable that the salvage claimed from
the company will amount in total to sew
feral hundred thousand dollars
SO far, how the fire originated, further
than that 1t started in a bale of cotton has
not been developed but 1t has been
shown In the most striking and shocking
manner that the fire apparatus on the
dock was not adequate u the suppression
of an incipient fire started among the
great mass of infammable material such
as usually makes UP Transatlantic