The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-07-02
200 LIVES LOST.
Property Valued at $1O,OOO,-
900 Destroyed.
Fire Breaks Out on North Ger
man Lloyd Pier.
HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY
Three Ocean Steamers Lost
With Their CargOes.
Number of Persons Injured Es-
timated by the Hundreds.
WILHELM DER CROSSE
Was Damaged and Narrowly
Escaped Destruction.
Fire Started in a Bale of Cotton
on the Docks.
Three Ocean Steamers Lost
With Their CargOes.
Number of Persons Injured Es'
timated by the Hundreds.
WILHELM DER CROSSE
Was Damaged and Narrowly
Escaped Destruction.
Fire Started in a Bale of Cotton
on the Docks.

New York, July Fearful havoc to
life and property was caused by a. fire
which broke out at the docks of the
North German Lloyd company in Ho-
boken Saturday night. Conservative
people who have had experience along
the docks are of the opinion that two
hundred lives were lost.
In less than fifteen minutes the flames
covered an area a quarter of a mile
long. extending outward from the act
ual shore line to the. bulkheads. from
500 to 1000 feet away and had caught
four great ocean liners and dozen or
more smaller harbor craft in its grasp.
The hospitals in New York, Hoboken
and Jersey City are crowded with the
wounded
The spectacle was witnessed by thou
sands from both shores. and by other
thousands who crowded upon every
ferryboat, every excursion boat, upon
every river craft that could be secured
for the purpose. The steamship Saale
had been towed down the river until
she was just off Fort Liberty, where she
had gathered about her a ring of fire
boats and tugs. all fighting to save at
least the hull of the doomed steamer
Flames still were leaping from her port
holes and rushing out of her cabins. At
varying distances about the burning
ship lay coal and cotton barges, all
ablaze. each with one or more tugs
playing streams of water upon it. Some
of these barges and lighters were loaded
with very infiammable stuff, and the
flames leaped high in the air, while the
heat was so terrific that it was not
possible to use effectively the small
hose of the tug.
For hours the river was crowded with
small boats fastening to the scene of
the fire or already taking part in the
rescue of the hundreds who had leaped
into the river when seized by the terror
of the flames These boats were padded
here and there, but soon their oecu-
pants had nothing to do but to watch
the mad sweep of the flames. Those
who had plunged into the water had
either been rescued or gone to the bot
tom.
There were hundreds of men on each
of the destroyed steamships and few
women Crowds of dock labOrerS and
also employees Of the companies were on
all the piers Men, women and chill
dren 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 position. The peo-
pie on the piers jumped into the water
to save themselves and scores of men
huddled under the piers, clinging to the
supports only to be suffocated by the
flames or to drop back into the water
Men working in the holds of the four
steamships were shut in by walls of
flames 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 but few if any remains of the hui
man body.
The flames started among a large pile
of cotton bales on Pier ?, of the North
German-Lloyd Steamship company.
They spread with such remarkable
rapidity that in fifteen minutes the en-
tire property of the company, taking in
over a third of a mile of water front
and consisting of three great piers, was
completely envelOped in a huge blaze
that sent great clouds of smoke high
into the air.
The flames started so suddenly and
gained such Roadway that the people
ontthe piers and on the numerous YES
sells locked were unable to reach the
street There were great gangs of work.
men on the piers and these, together
with a number of people who were at
the docks on business and visiting the
ships, scattered in all directions As all
means of exit were cut off by the flames.
they were forced to jump overheard and
1t is believed great number of people
were drowned.
At the docks of the North German
Lloyd We're the Saale, q single screw
passenger and freight Hteamship of
1855 gross tons; the Bremen a twin
screw passenger and freight steamer
of 10, 526 tons, and the Main a twin
screw freight and passenger steamship
of $500 gross tons. They all caught
fire and were burned to the waters
edge.
The Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse, which
had just 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.
The fire was first discovered ~ a
watchman on the pier at 4 o'clock. He
saw a small streak of flame shoot from
q bale of cotton on pier No. ?, at which
was docked 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.
One of the officials of the steamship
Bremen said today that there We're fully
200 visitors on board that vessel when
the fire touched there, the majority be-
ing women A boat was lowered from
the Bremen shortly after the alarm had
been given. but the craft capsized as
1t touched the water, and all hands were
preciDitated into the water and none
of them was saved by those remaining
on the vessel This in itself would in
dictate that the list of dead may be
larger than it was at first thought to
be.
The property loss can simply be ap-
proxfmated at this time None of the
officials around the docks could give
anything like a precise estimate of their
losses, and none were prepared to make
atfve estimate, made by a prominent
fire underwater, places the entire dam
age at $100G0,00e.
The three docks of the North German
Lloyd line are total losses, with all their