Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1900-08-02

1t is long since this country has had
to face the shock Of a disaster so ap-
palling III the loss of life and 80 de-
structive Of property as the great fire
at the HOboken docks OF the North
German Lloyd Steamship Company.
Hundreds of lives lost by fire or water.
the hospitals crowded with other hun
dreds Of injured, great docks and three
big Atlantic steamers burned to the
waters edge and many millions Of dol
lars worth OF property destroyed by
the flames make catalogue of horror
grievous to record. In its grewsomely
spectacular quality the disaster Is
without a parallel. On the west bank
Of the North river, just opposite the
most crowded part of lower New York.
the great fire burned the lives out OF
helpless men and women by the score
In full view of thousands of spectators
who were powerless to aid them. Al
the destruction of ship and the loss of
life Of its crew and passengers by fire.
The first thought il that the very prox-
unity Of limitless supply Of water
ought to act In some way as II saving
element, and yet even here, where ev
cry means Of protection was at hand.
with all the tirebOuts Of New York at
prompt command and the supposedly
perfect appliances for fighting lire on
the docks and the steamers themselves,
where fire drills are practiccd with reg
ularity, the flames had their own way
virtually unchecked. With scores Of
ferries, tugbOnts and other harbOr
craft lowering about the burning docks.
little could be done to save life. Three
steamers Main. the Saale and the
Bremen were burned The splendid
new Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse, sec.
ond of all steamers Oh the Atlantic.
narrowly escaped destruction. suffer
ing considerable damage Great docks
and warehouses. valuable cargues and
freight in storage or ready for ship
ment. went up in flames. Lighters and
barges by the dozen We're destroyed
and are hardly enumerated. so hidden
Is that smaller loss in the greater. The
North German Lloyd Steamship Com
Imny has endured n blow which might
disa BILE a weaker corpora ton. Yet all
these things are OvershadOWcd by the
tales of suffering and death. The Main.
burning at the pier and slmotherng I'M
prisoned men who We're helpless even
to fight for life. seventeen Of them
saved after hours OF torture In the low
est coal bunker. where they baked as in
"A furnace; the Snale. drifting down
with the current to be henched Oh
aud poured through the lower port
hole, drowning the helpless men and
women who had their faces turned to-
ward the sky and liberty, so close to
the men whD sought to rescue them
that they could be- given water to
steel plates that formed the side of the
ship: the Bremen. lowed up the river
and left q hulk SO hot that u" one
could examine 1t to soc how many
bodies 1t would yield. and the host Of
men and women driven from the YES
sells by the flames who found refuge
aud death In the stream these are but
a part Of the Il orrors. There is one
bright spot In the painful story. We
are told OF instances OF courage among
the dying and Of persistent effort to
save life. Always brave men appear
in such dreadful scenes to call atten-
tion more emphatically to the sad
waste OF valuable lives IN hopeless sit
uatiOn.