The Bowbells tribune., 1900-05-11
ONE MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF
PROPERTY DESTROYED.
The Big Mallory Line Pier Mt New
DESTROYED Several Barges,
MoOred Near the Pier, Also De-
strOyed-Only One Life Was Lost
Heroic Work of Firemen In Res
Vessels Close Call for Several
Steamers.
Stea ME RS

New York, May S.-A fire that start
ed at the river office Of the Mallory
line steamship pier at the foot OF
Maiden Lane and East river early yes
terday morning completely destroyed
the pier and it's valuable contents.
Police place the loss at $1,OOOO0O.
Several barges which We're moored
near the pier were also destroyed and
many rcscues Of their captains and
their families on board We're made.
Only one life was lost. The nine
months. old daughter of Capt Cochs, of
the barge Sherwood, was drowned.
The Mallory line pier was 2Oo feet
long and so feet wide. The pier shed
was filled with valuable freight Of a
miscellaneous character. but mostly
cotton. On the north side of the pier
were moored a number of coal and
cotton barges. while on the south side
was the steamer San Marcos and
number Of barges. No sooner had
the work Of fighting the flames begun
tl.an the firemen and citizens turned
their attention to saving the lives of
those on the barges which were lying
within the line of danger. Nearest to
the pier was the barge Stephen B.
Elkins. Here Capt. Frank Fox and
his wife. his three-year-old daughter
and baby were on board and Sleep
ing. A skid was quickly run from
the pier to the coal barge, the occu-
pants Of the boat were awakened and
were hurried from their hunks to a
place of safety before tie flames had
reached them. On TIE barge Sher-
wood were Capt. Cochs. his wife and
nine-moEths-old daughter The Co.hs
family was awakened by the flames.
Their barge
Was Already on Fire
at the time that they were aroused
from sleep. The father took the child
in his arms. and, with his wife,
jumped into the water. Capt Tim
othy Boyland. formerly in command of
the barge New Brunswick, whose
home is at Rondout, N. V, plunged in
to save the woman. who had become
exhausted. Her husband. who still
held the baby in his arms. saw that
his wife was on the point of going
down. 1t became a question to him
as to which he should save, his wife
or baby. He therefore let the baby
20, in the hope that she would be
picked W by some ono else and went
to the assistance of his wife. He
managed to hold her head above water
until Boylan reached them. All three
were then landed by life lines. The
half-drowned captain and his wife
were removed to the Hudson street
hospital where later they recovered.
On the coal barge S. HI. Hand, which
lay alongside the other burned barges,
were the captain. Joseph Plumb, his
wife and two children. All We're res
cued by the police, but Patrolman
Jeremiah Cronin was badly burned
while taking one Of the children
ashore. All hands on board the lighter
Arno got ashore safely. Michael Shell
don. of that boat was compelled to
jump into the river but was rescued.
Three large vessels were lying near the
blazing pier and their safety endan-
gered. They were the steamers San
Marcos and Nneces which were towed
out into midstream, and the bark
James. the rigging of which was
burned before she could be towed out
of harms way.