Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-07-03
AN AWFUL DISASTER
Fire at the Docks at Hoboken, N. ].
Destroys Three Large At
lantic Steamers.
Passengers and Sailors Caught I'm
aware are Burned to Death
Or Drowned.

German Lloyd Steamship Company, in
Hoboken, N. j., at O'Clock this after.
noon.
In less than Is minutes the flames GOV.
ered an area quarter of mile long, ex-
tendinS outward from the actual shore
line TO the bulkheads, from 600 to 1,000
feet away, and had caught four great
ocean liners and dozen or more smaller
harbor craft in it's grasp
The flames started among q large pile
OF cotton bales on pier No. . of the North
German Lloyd Steamship Company, and
spread with such remarkable rapidity
that IN 10 minutes the entire property Of
the company. taking in over a third of a
mile OF water 'front.' and consisting of
three great piers, was completely envel-
oped IN a huge blaze that sent great
clouds OF smoke high up into the air.
Fhe names started so suddenly and
gained such Roadway that the people on
the piers and on the numerous vessels
locked were unable to reach the street.
Inc gangs of workmen on the piers and
these, together with a number of people
VINO We're at the dock on business and
visiting ships, scattered in all directions.
AS all means of exit were cut off by the
names they were forced to jump over
board, and it is believed great number
of people were drowned.
AT the docks of the North German
Lloyd We're the Saale, single screw pas
senger steamship of 1866 gross tons; the
Bremen, a twin screw passenger and
freight of 1926 tons, and the Main,
twin screw freight and passenger steam
ship of 10000 gross tons
| Ihey all caught fire and We're burned
| to the waters edge. The Kaiser Wilhelm
| der Crosse, which had 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 by a
| Waterman on the pier at 4 o'clock. He
saw a small streak of flame shoot from
bale of cotton on pier No. 2, at which
| was locked 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.
Here We're locked the Kaiser Wilhelm
der Crosse and the Main. Tugs were inn
mediately made fast to the big Kaiser
Wilhelm der Crosse and she was gotten
out into mid-stream with safety, although
badly scorched at the bows.
The steamship Main, however, was
doomed. as the flarnes-had become so
fierce on the north side of the pier that
no tug could approach the vessel
crowds of deck laborer and also en-
ployes of the companies were on all the
piers. Men. women and children 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 posi-
| ton.
| The people 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
| from exhaustion.
| Men working in the holds of the four
steamships We're shut in by walls of
fame and it was impossible to reach
| them.
1t probably never will be known how
many men persisted in the ships, as the
flames We're SO fierce they would leave
few if any remnants of the human body
The greatest loss of life appears to
have been on the Saale
She carried $50 people and was to have
sailed for Boston this evening.
| When the police boat captain went
| aboard of her with his rescue party, he
| saw bodies lying all about the deck
| The steamship Bremen carried a crew
| of 300 men, the Main $50, and if as many
lives were lost on the Bremen and Main
| as on the Saale the number of lives lost
will be very great. Then. also, many
| persisted on the piers, the canal boats
| and lighters.
| The burning or smouldering remains of
| canal boats, lighters ami barges are scat
| tered all the way down the river and bay
| to Staten island and Governors island.
| Each of these craft will add something
to the list of dead.
| This spectacle was witnessed by thous-
| ands and thousands, both by those ashore
| and by other thousands who crowded
upon every ferry boat, every excursion
boat, upon every variety of river craft
| that could be secured for the purpose
| The crowd upon the banks of the river
| was almost as great as that which
| formed to witness the triumphal return
of Admiral Dewey.
Looking up the river at the burning
ships and piers the scene was WON
| derful and tragic one of grandeur
The steamship Saale had been towed
down the river until it was just off Fort
Liberty. where she had gathered around
her a ring of fireboats and tugs, all fight
| ing to save at least the hull of the
| doomed steamer.
Flames were still leaping from her port
holes and rushing out of her cabins and
holes.
AT varying distances about the burning
ship lay coal and cotton barges, all
ablaze, each with one or more tugs play
ing streams of water upon it.
| Some of these barges and lighters were
loaded with very infammable stuff and
the flames leaped high in the air, while
the heat was SO terrific that 1t was not
possible to use effectively the small hose
of the tugs
docks alone is placed at s2,OOO,00O The
value of the great quantities of cotton oil
and various other merchandise to the
docks has not been estimated at this
time The loss to the North German
Lloyd Steamship Company will probably
come close to $4,000. 900. as the Bremen,
the Main and the Saale We're almost to-
tally destroyed. The Kaiser Wilhelm der
Crosse was also damaged.
The value of the Hamburg American
line steamer Phoenicia is not known, hut
this will swell the amount of damage.
Another Goebel Suspect Arrested.
Frankfort. KY. July 2.-Deputy
Sheriff Harrod telegraphed from Big
Stone. Va. announcing the arrest OF
Robert Noaks. the new Goebel uspect
He left Big Stone Gap Saturday morn.
;.l