Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1900-07-05
Four Vessels Also Burn to
The Waters Edge.
Feared Loss of Life Is Ap-
palling--Story of Fire.

New York, July almost ten mil
| lion dollars worth of property was de-
stroyed, many lives lost, many persons
| injured, and at least fifteen hundred
lives imperiled by fire that started
among the cotton bales under pier No.
3, of the North German Lloyd Steam
ship company in Hoboken yesterday
afternoon. In less than fifteen minutes
! the flames covered an area of quar-
ter of mile long and had caught four
great ocean liners and dozen OF more
smaller harbor craft in its grasp.
Stories in regard to the loss of life are
conflicting, the number being various
ly estimated at from 80 to 200. Up to
midnight ten bodies had been recov-
cred but were all so burned and black
ened that identification was impossible.
The hospitals in New York and Ho-
boken, New Jersey, are crowded with
injured and men are being brought in
by scores.
The flames started among large
pile of cotton bales and spread with
such remarkable rapidity that in fiji
| teen minutes the entire property Of the
7 company, taking in over third Of a
mile of the water front, consisting of
three great piers, was completely en-
velopedi a huge blaze that sent great
! clouds of smoke high in the air. The
| flames started so suddenly and gained
such Roadway that the people on the
piers and on the numerous vessels
locked were unable to reach the
streets. There were great gangs of
workmen on the piers, and these, to-
gether with a number of people who
were at the docks on business and Wis
iting the ships, scattered in all direc-
off by the flames they were forced to
jump overheard, and 1t is believed a
great number oft he people were
drowned
At the docks of the North German
Lloyd were the Saale, a single screw
passenger steamship of 1866 gross
tons; the Bremen, a twin screw pas
senger and freight Of 1885 tons, and
the Main, twin screw freight and pas
senger of 10, 200 gross tons. They all
Oh IN he
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 in the crews of these vessels is
said to reach 100. Tugs were imme
diately made fast to the Kaiser Will
helm Der Crosse, and she was gotten
out into mid-stream with safety, al
though badly scorched at the bows
The steamship Main, however. was
doomed, as the flames had already be-
come so fierce that no tug could APP
proach the vessels. Then by shift in
the wind the flames were sent in the
direction of pier No. / to the dock OF
the Hamburg-American line at which
the steamship Phoenicia, a twin screw
passenger of 6,76l gross tons, was
locked
The flames got good hold on the
Phoenica, and she was towed out
into midstream ablaze. The fire had
by this time become so fierce that Of
dcials of the Hamburg-American line
decided the only Way to Dreypnt total
destruction of their great pier was to
blow up the side of the dock at which
the Phoenicia lay. This was done, /
and a number of barges locked at the !
pier also took fire but in the effort to |
save Other property no attention was
paid to them, and they were allowed !
70 burn. 1t is feared the loss Of life /
in the hold OF the vessels was fright |
full. as 1t is said many of the crews
who were asleep at the time were i'm |
prIsoned there The worst tale will
come from the steamship Main which
was unable to be towed from the pier
rhe vessel had only arrived yesterday
morning aud some passengers were
still OF board. When the cry Of fire
was "a sed a number of them were
seen run to the burning decks and
most of them jumped overheard, and
save for few who were picked UP by !
the tugs. no one has been heard from,
although every hotel and hospital in
Hoboken Is crowded with the injured. 4