The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-05-07
Disastrous Early Morning Fire in
East River.
Nine Months Old Child
Drowned.
Several Barges Near Pier We're
Destroyed.

New York, May "a fire that started
ct ths river end Of the Mallory line
steamship rier, ut the foot Of Maiden
Lane and the East river. early this morn
ing, completely destroyed the pier and its
less at 81. 001, 000.
Several bargss that were moored near
the pier were also destroyed and many
Fssoues OF their captains and Of the mem
beers OF the families on board were made.
Only ore life was loss. Ths nine month g.
old daughter OF Capt. Charles Lochs, Of
the barge Sher WOOD, was drowned. The
Mallory pisr was 900 feet long and 80 feet
wide. The pisr shed was filled with
valuable freight Of miscellaneous char
actsr. but mostly ootton. On the north
side of the pier were moored q number Of
coal and svtton barges, while on the
south aide Was the steamer San Marcos,
and number Of barges. No sooner had
the work Of fighting the flames begun
than the tiremen and oitizsns turned
tteir attention. to the work of saving the
lives Of thdss on the barges which were
lying within the lima Of danger. Near
est to the pier was the barge Stephen b.
Elkins. Her captain, Frank For and
bis wife, his three months old daughter,
we're on board sleeping. A skid was quick.
~ run from the pier to the coal barge.
the OCCUPANTS on board were awakened
and we're hurried from the hunks to u
place of safety before the flames had
reached them. On hoard the barge Sher-
-oo1 .wa.a Eha ia nha ha ptogu a,
years old; his wife, Lena, 80 years old.
and their daughter. Rosie. nine months
old. The Loohs family wer. awakened BY
the flamse. 1heir barge was already on
tre at the time they were aroused from
sleep. The father took the baby in his
arms and with his wife jumped into the
water. Capt. Timothy Boylan, formerly
In command of the barge New Bruins
wick, 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
1t became q question as to which he
should save. his wife or baby. He there
fore lat the baby 60, In the hope that she
would be picked up By some one else, and
went to the assistance Of his wife. He
managed to hold her hssd above water
until Hoylan reached them. AL three
were then landed BY life lines. The half
drowned captain and his wife were re-
moved to the Hudson street hospital,
where later they recovered. On the
coal barge s. h. Hand, which lay along
side the other burning bsrges. were
the captain, Joseph Plumb, his wife and
two children. All were rescued by the
Ioiice, but Patrolman jeremiah Cronin
was badly burned while taking one of
the children ashore. All hands on board
the lighter Charno, get ashore safely.
Michasl Sheldon of that boat Was COM
peIled to jump into the water from which
h. WIS rsseued. Three large vessels were
lying so nsar the blazing pier that their
esfety wss endangered. the sssamsr
san. Marc1s, and steamer Nusoes. which
wers towsd cut into midstreaIp. and the
bark st Jsmes, the rigging OF which
was burned tefore she could tie towed
out OF harms way. The scene on the
water was q mcst exclt pg one, for the
river was rilsd with craft, nearly all OF
which were Engaged IN towing the vart-
ous vessels and barges to safety. -Four
out ton hsrges, Others laden with corn
meal, aud some loaded with GOAL, caught
fire and we're destroyed, some OF them
also sunk TO prevent the fun Their spread
of the dames A plumber OF buildings
ON South street, were soorohsd and sew
sral were emptisd of thsir tenants who
feared that the buildings would he
rui ned.