The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-07-03

Endeavorers who were to have sailed
from Boston, Thursday, for Southamp-
ton on the Saale may have lost their
lives. 1t was said that some of these
people had come to this city to inspect
the ship, which had been chartered to
take 500 of them to England, and that
they were on board of her when the
flames broke out on the pier. The fire
boat Robert A. VanWyck, which ar
rived on the scene first among the fire
fighters, presented picture of hor-
ror and ghastliness as she lay at her
Dock in the East river today. The
decks were covered with cotton, satur-
ated with the blood of the victims res
cued by the brave men aboard. The
firemen were at work cleaning the boat
and picking up stained remnants Of
clothing which were torn from the
burning bodies as they were pulled
aboard the fire boat from the pit Of
fire. Pieces of human skin clung to the
scarlet rags, and the dreadful expert
ence of the firemen was brought again
to eyes and memories which sought to
forget the horrible spectacle.
HEARTLESS TUG CAPTAIN.
New York. July 2.-Forty Of those
who perished on the steamship Saale
went to their deaths despite the gallant
effort made to rescue them because the
captain Of a tugboat valued more highly
than a human life a horse probably
worth $40. OF all the heartless acts the
crews of tugboats were guilty of on Sat
urday afternoon none can equal the con-
duct Of this man, whose name and that
of the boat he commanded probably will
never be known to the public. Bent on
lending what aid they could, and with
flames roaring about them, and the
shrieks of those imprisoned in the Saale
ringing in their ears, the fearless band
of rescuers led by Chief Engineer H..
Bahrende, Of the Hamburg American
liner Kaiser Friedrich, had no time to
ask questions.
When the alarm of fire was first
sounded the officers of the Kaiser
Friedrich and many of the crew rushed
down from the steamship and out on the
end of the pier. They were standing
there. watching the flames eating their
way along the North German Lloyd
piers, when the Saale, burning fiercely,
was pulled out into the stream for the
dock abouce.
AS she swung by the Hamburg Amer
lean pier Mr.. Bahrends saw a man with
his head out of one Of the Saale's lower
port holes. trying to cool his face with q
h"iiuNeiS Suiei he Adu ulppeu INTO the
water. thinking that all others on the
steamship had gotten Off safely except
this man, Mr.. Bahrends thinks was the
chief steward Of the ship from the cap
he wore, the Kaiser Friederich's chief
engineer called for volunteers to man
boat to go to the rescue.
When the band of volunteer life saw
ers got out to the Saale, Mr.. Bahrends
leaped aboard one of the fleet of tugs
hA
steamship and, seizing a hose, played it
on the man leaning out of the portfolio,
about fifteen feet from where he was
standing. Mr. Bahrends learned from
him that 40 stewards were caught in a
lower compartment in the after part of
the ship, and that they could be reached
through an open hatchway on the poop
deck, near the steering gear.
BY This time the lifeboat had got I'D to
the portfolio through which the chief
steward was peering, and tools were
quickly brought out and the frames of
the portfolios smashed in. Even then.
however, the opening was too small for
the imprisoned man to get through, and
In another instant he fell back in the
hames, which by this time was leaping
out of the portfolio.
AS soan as Mr.. Bahrends had learned
of the plight Of the forty stewards and
OF the way by which they could be
reached, he climbed upon the Saale's
main deck with the hose in his hand.
and, followed by two of the crew of the
life boat. they found the open hatch
way and peering down through the
flames and smoke pouring out of it they
saw the stewards huddled together 20
feet below, their faces blanched with
fear.
He called down to the imprisoned men,
ana one answered him, saying that there
were forty of them there, powerless to
help themselves. Mr. Bahrends, think
Ing 1t was safe for them to climb the
ladder, while he played water on it,
ne shouted down to them to come up
one at time. One man started. and
had gone few feet, Mr.. Bahrends keep
Ing him drenched with water as he
climbed up the mouth of the volcano,
when suddenly the hose was torn from
the chief engineers hands. The flames
leaped with greater fierceness and Mr..
Bahrends was driven back to the side
OF the ship.
you're spelling all our hose" shouted
the captain of the tug.
Mr. Bahrends pleaded with the captain
to let him have the hose, but the man
was obdurate. Flames were now lick
Ing the feet Of the chief engineer, and
ne asked the tug captain to raise q lad
der so he could reach the tugboat's deck,
HIteen Ieet below. |H.
Jump for it," replied the captain at
nrst, and 1t was only after repeated re-
quests that ladder was furnished.
Mr. Bahrends then hurried over to his
own boat and rowed over to the fire.
boat New Yorker which was close by
pouring streams of water on the doomed
ship. From the deck of the New Yorker
he again made his way on to the Saale
and hurried back to the hatchway, up
which he had hoped to bring the i'm
prisoned stewards.
There, at the top of the ladder, his
body lying half out on the deck, was
the man who had started to climb up
TO what he thought safety. He had
been burned beyontf recognition.
Mr., Bahrends was able to rush to the
opening for an instant and shout to
the other 80 men he had left below, but
THIS time there was no reply The stew
ards had nerished aifhas- aufeooo Aaa 4.