Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-07-05
AN APPALLING LIST
DEAD IN HOBOkEN FIRE MAY
NUMBER go.
PROPERTY LOSS MILLIONS
Includes Four Great Atlantic Liners
and Immense Piers and Large
Quantities Of Stores-Victims Pris-
oned in Blazing Holds Burned to
Death or Drowned Like Rats.

New York, July 3.-The full loss of
life in Saturday nights fire Will prob
I,ably never be known but it is feared it
may be go. Some so bodies have al
ready been recovered from the sea.
The fire was one Of the fiercest ever
known here. The Hoboken depart
ment of less than dozen companies
was utterly powerless to cope with the
| fire. The Hamburg-American line
piers had a narrow escape They ad-
join those Of the North German Lloyd
| on the south. The steamship Phoeni-
cia was locked here, and as a matter
OF precautiOn, she was pulled out of
harms way into midstream. Two or
three barges which were lying close
alongside her caught fire and burned,
but they were lowed out into the
stream and attention was paiu only to
saving those nearest the burning North
German Lloyd piers. When it was
seen that their nearest pier to the fire
was in grave danger 200 men and a
mass Of dynamite were called into SER
vice. The pier was blown up in
dozen places and the men jumped in
with pickaXes and completed the work
Of destruction. In this way the Ham
burg-American company saved the
bulk Of its property from destruction
at the expense of single pier, valued
at $4,000.
The property loss can simply be ap-
proximated at this time. A conserva-
tive estimate, made a prominent fire
underwater, places the entire damage
at over $7,000,000.
The three docks of the North Ger
Tndn-LlOyd line are total losses, with
all their contents, and they are still
smouldering, with many streams from
fire hose playing continually on the
debris. The pier of the ThingvalIa
line is totally wiped away, and an ex-
tension which had just been built on
the Hamburg American lines expanse
of piers was burned down to the Spite
tops
The loss on the steamship properties
and to other companies was estimated
The steamship Main of the North
German Lloyd line cast 81, 100000 out
side of the cargo, fitting and stores. !
The loss is placed at 81 900 for the
vessel and about 100000 for the fitting
and stores and cargo that was aboard |
of her. The steamship Bremen Of the |
North German Lloyd line cost $780, |
nd
ued at 100000. The cargo and stores |
were entirely consumed and the loss TO |
the vessel proper will amount to at
least 100000. 1t is beached off Wee |
hawken and still smoldering, appar-
entity destroyed save her machinery.
The Saale, the steamship which will |
have the most horrible story of death |
her, cost the North German Lloyd COM
pany $1,250,000 and the fittings and |
cargo were valued at 100000. The |
Saale is beached at ellis Island and |
still burning. The damage to the YES
sci proper is placed at about $500, 900.
The damage done to the Kaiser Will |
helm der Crosse is estimated at $25,
000
The three docks of the North Ger
man Lloyd line which were burned to
the waters edge, are estimated to have
cost 100000. The docks were we'll
filed with merchandise just received
from abroad and valued at S350,000.
The Thingvalla pier, which was en-
tirely consumed, was valued at $4,000 |
counting the stores which were on it.
The Hamburg line dock,
which had just been completed as an
extension to their great pier and which
was destroyed in order to prevent the
spread of the flames, was damaged to
the extent of SIS 900. This was the
only loss they sustained, as the steam
er Phoenicia, contrary to reports, was
not even scorched.