Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-07-02
THE GREAT FIRE
AT HOBOKEN.
Still Guessing as to the Actual
Number of Victims,
1T WILL BE AT LEAST 200.
search for the Bodies Condition OF
Vessels 3d. origin Of Fire
IA Mystery.

New York. July 2-Divers and wreck
ers are still hard at work on the burned
North German Lloyd steamers. II Is
believed that there are yet many bodies
20 De recovered from the wreck and two
large wreckng derricks are alongside
the Saale removing the bent and twisted
prices Of heavy iron that cover her hold.
The injured in the Jersey city hospitals
were reported TO be doing well this
morning, but several are not yet out Of
danger
The ruins Of the burned piers at
Hoboken are still smoulderng today
and the debris was too hot 10 be han
died The bulk heads are ohoked up
with huge masses of twisted iron and
heavy timbers II will require several
days TO remove this debris.
At police headquarters in Hoboken up
to 10 o'clock today inquiries had been
made for g. persons missing At ST.
Mary's hospital, Hoboken, this fore
noon it was stated that an of the As
fire patients In that institution were
doing exceedingly we'll with one ex-
ception. Wilhelm Rust, q years old, a
sailor on the Saale was terribly burned
all over the body and no hope is enter
taned for his recovery The North
German Lloyd Steamship co. no lied
Coroner Hoffman, OF H0bOken t. see
that all Of the unidentified and UNI
claimed dead have respectable burial
at the expense of the company. Accord
ingly. Coroner Hoffman is making ar
engagements to have all The hodles IN
the New York morgue taken 60 Hoo
boken. He has not yet arranged the
details for the burial Of the remains.
In many cases, the victims bodies have
been burned and charred in such a hor-
rible manner as to be unacceptable.
Those who may be Identified win be-
kept a reasonable time
Many small boats filled with men.
were about the ruins OF the burned
piers today searching for bodies. The
marine underwriters. the authorities of
HObuken and the steamship authorities
are all making an investigation 10 dis
cover the origin Of the fire. IL the
have discovered the real cause they
have not yet made Il public. The COM
mon report Is that the bale ~ cotton
which Wae first d'sSuyar ID faG,et.
was set on fire by spontaneous COM
bustiOn. although II is possible that
some one may have carelessly thrown a
lighted cigarette or cigar among the
cotton. Smoking, however, was strict
ly prohibited among the workmen on
the pier.
AS yet no definite idea Is obtainable
az to the extent Of the loss to the in
surance companies but II may be safe
ly estimated that the marine insurance
alone Will not be below $1,000 600. Prac-
tcally every one Of the score or so Of
marine companies is more or less ar
fected. the fire being almost altogether
of marine risk character.
The search for bodies on the Saale Is
attended with much difficulty. The YES
sells upper deck Is awash aft and her
bow Is seven feet In mud. II Is believed
that there are many bodies IN the stoke
holes and 20 reach that part Of the ships
gangs Of men are at work breaking up
and removing cargo and removing iron
gratings which bar the way As soon
as the cargo and iron work are removed,
the Saale will be pumped out and float
ed, The fire Is still burning m the hull
OF the Main. The vessel carried a crew
Of 1877 men, Of whom about 70 have been
accounted for The reports as 10 the