Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1900-07-06

Flames started in Cotton on Nortn Oer-
man Lloyd Company's Wharves-Fo"r
Great Ocean Liners Caught and MemDer
of Crew and Passengers Found Dea'" !"
Flames or Water.
New York Especially Almost Wv
600 900 worth of property was de-
stroyed, many lives lost, many persons
were injured and at least low lives
were imperiled by a fire that started
among cotton bales stored on Pier NO
9 of the North German Lloyd Steam
ship Company, in Hoboken, N. j.
In less than Is minutes the names
covered an area a quarter or mile
long. extending outward from the
actual shore line to the bulkheads,
from 600 to 1000 feet away, and mad
caught four great ocean liners and
dozen or more smaller harbor craft III
it's grasp. 1t is believed that about
200 lives were lost and 300 persons
we're injured. The hospitals in New
York. Hoboken and jersey CITY were
crowded with the injured.
Those who gathered along the shores
OF the Hudson river to witness the
great confagration saw a spectacle
that they can never forget and one
that will always have conspicuous
place in the history of New York.
River and bay were enveloped in a
pail of black smoke, through which
angry flames, bursting as from vol
canoes. on the Jersey shore, and In the
water itself, )eaped like red spheres IN
TO the sky. The surface of the water
was covered with floating and blazing
masses of freight, thrown in haste
from the doomed vessels, all unnoticed
in the mad rush to rescue more pre-
cious human life, threatening or being
sacrificed in the great ships. And
through the pail of smoke a great
crimson sun, enlarged to thrice its size
by the haze, glared like an enormous
eve as it slowly sank in the west.
Such was the tremendous spectacle pre-
sented on the surface of the Hudson
river. as if it had been some holiday
pageant 1t was made tragic by the
realization that somewhere In that
smoke. somewhere beneath the turDld
waters, scores of lives had been lost OF
were then in their last desperate strug
gle against DEATH
The greatest loss Of life appears to
have been on the Saale. She carried
45O people, and was to have sailed fol
Boston. 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
crew of 500 men, the Main ESQ, and Il
as many lives were lost on the Bremen
and Main as on the Saale the number
of lives will be very great. Then, also
many persisted on the piers, the canal
boats and lighters.
The burning or smoldering remains
of canal.boats, lighters and barges art
scattered all the way down the rivel
and bay to Staten Island and Cover
nor's Island. Each of these craft viii
add something to the list of the dead
The loss to the North German Lloyt
docks alone is placed at $4,000, 900
The value of the great quantities o.
cotton, oil and various other merchan
disc on the docks has not been esti
mated at this time. The loss to TIT
North German Lloyd Steamship Com
pany alone will probably come close
to $1O,0O0,O00, as the Bremen, thu
Main and the Saale were almost to
tally destroyed. The Kaiser Wilhelm
was somewhat damaged. The fiv'
storehouses of the Campbell Compan!
were greatly damaged, the loss on on,
building alone being placed at $1,000,
600. The value of the Hamburg
American Line steamer Phoenicia il
not known, but this will swell tn
amount Of damage. The Thingvalli
pier was burned, and the dock of tn
Hamburg-American Line suffered
greatly. A number of small building
in Hoboken were destroyed along tn
wharves, with their contents.
From what can be learned the fame
started among large pile of cottoI
bales on Pier of the North German
Lloyd Steamship Company, and spreac
with such remarkable rapidity that il
Is minutes the entire property of tn
company, taking in over third of
mile of water front and consisting o
three great piers, was completely en-
veloped in huge blaze that sent grea
, clouds of smoke high up into the air.
, The flames started so suddenly AM
on the piers and on the numerous yes
sells locked were unable to reach tn
street. There were great gangs O
workmen on the piers, and these, to
gether with a number of people VIII
were at the docks on business an
visiting the ships scattered in all di
rections. AS all means Of exit wer
, cut off by the flames, they were force
to jump overheard. S
+ AT the docks of the North Germa
/, Lloyd were the Saale, a single-scre'
passenger steamship of 1866 grOs
tons; the Bremen, twin-screw pas
senger and freight of 10,526 tons, an
the Main, a twin-screw freight an
+ passenger steamship of 10000 gros
tons. They all caught fire and wer
: burned to the waters edge. The Ka
: ser Wilhelm der Crosse, which ha
: lust come in, was the only one Of tn
: four big vessels at the dock that es
capped.
The loss of the crews of these yes
sells will reach 100.
The fire was first discovered by
Waterman on the pier at o'clock. II
saw a small streak of fame shoot frol
q hale of cotton on Pier No. 2, at Whlc
was locked the steamer Saale. He IN
: mediately sent in an alarm.
In a few minutes the flames had e.
tended to the steamship and were con
municated to the adjoining pier on IN
north. Here were locked the kaist
wilhelm der Crosse and the Mali
K;IIad nv LIGHTNING.