New-York tribune., 1900-08-14
CYMRIC ON FIRE AT SEA.
CAPTAIN, OFFICERS AND MEN OVER
COME BY CHLORINE GAS
BOAT DRILL INTO FIRE DRILL
PASSENGERS LONG UNAWARE


PASSENGERS LONG UNAWARE
The White Star steamship Cymric which
came to her pier in this city early yesterday
morning. caught fire when nineteen hours out
from Liverpool. At noon on Sunday, August B.
just as the call for beat drill had been sounded
some one told Captain H. ST. G. Lindsay who
was on the bridge ready to direct the men. that
there smoke coming out Of hold No. 1, for
ward. Then" he said, "we'll change it to fire
drill" The men were all ready, and they were
sent to take up the hatch.
Below the promenade deck, where the pas
sengers soon gathered are decks in this order:
The shelter, the upper or cattle the main
between, and the orlop. which is the lowest.
The fire was in the lower hold No 1, below the
orlop deck 1t started in the straw of some
large crates Of pottery. Around the crates were
hogsheads of chlorate of sodium, used for
bleaching powder, and hogsheads Of soda ash.
The men approached the hatch from the cattle
deck. AS soon they opened it to the hold
fumes of chlorine gas. which the heat had made
by fusing the bleaching powder with the soda
ash, came up and overpowered many of the
crew. They had to be pulled away from the
hatchway and lifted to the upper deck, where
Dr. w. ]. Fleetwood the ships surgeon. at
tended them. But the task of reviving them
was too great for one physician for as soon as
one squad of men left the hatchway unconscious
from the effects Of the gas others took their
| places, only TO follow the same course.
RELAYS OF MEN OVERCOME.
The officers themselves were among those
most seriously affected by the fumes. The cap
tain, Chief Oflcer Joseph Evans, First officer
Frank Howarth, Second Officer Fletcher, Third
Of1cer Smith. Boatswain Robert Jones and
Heating, a lamp trimmer, and many of the crew
| lost consciousness. The captain was overcome
three times on Sunday before the afternoon was
far advanced Once he stopped breathing, and
. it was thought the action of his heart had
ceased BY artificial respiration he was finally
brought back to consciousness. Chief Officer
Evans was then directing the crew.
The passengers had been locking or from the
promenade deck. At first they thought it was
nothing but the routine fire drill. 1t not
until the men became prostrated that they
allied that the ship was on fire. They We're then
kept quiet by the officers, and the sight of the
suffering of those who were trying to put out
the flames made them forget themselves for the
moment Dr. Craig. one of the passengers. was
asked to help the worn out surgeon, and they
both after that kept at the firing work Of bring
ing successive details Of officers and men back
to consciousness.
Meanwhile the were turning the hose
down the hatchway and steam was let into all
the forward holds. 1t was to no purpose. how
ever, for the flames could not be located.
THE HOLD IS FLOODED.
Under these conditions the passengers went
to bed on Sunday night. They went quietly. most
of them, after the Captain told them that the
fire was between steel walls and could not
possibly do any harm. Still. there We're some
who in fright sat UP all night
Before morning the engineers had bored holes
through the main deck, so as TO get TO the hatch
on the orlop deck. But the fire burned hercely
on until, on Monday afternoon, the sea COCKS IN
the hold were opened and eight or nine feet OF
water let in. After that there was no further
trouble.
Looking down the hatchway from the upper
deck as the ship lies at her pier. there can be
seen a space about ten feet square burned out
by the fire. In the centre of this space can De
seen the remains of the earthenware In the
lower hold where the fire occurred were about
six hundred tons Of cargo
Captain Lindsay told the story of the discov-
cry and fight of the fire last evening on the
White Star pier. He said:
The fire was discovered at 1905 o'clock
on Sunday We were about to have our boat
drill. ana on the bridge looking forward Wneh
tors. AT the same time one OF the ofnceTs; game
ana reported that there was diIe M o' fhat in
stead of having boat drill we had decided 70 have
thro9ght f-'' the he drill was rather realistic. but
do not believe that any of them knew the & reai con-
began to draw the unconscious men on deck Then
il began to be known by some that the snip was on
fire. There excitement and every one
o realize that there was no danger. some
of Them never knew that there nTe. There
were only one hundred and twenty-five saloon pas
sengers and we carried two hundred and forty
eight in the steerage, but they were art ana never
knew that there a fire on the ship Ihe great
danger in hghting the fire was from the chlorine
gas. DR.. F1eetwoods assistance was needed to
resuscitate the men who, they dropped were
hauled on deck. The hre was in the lower hold
and the damage done cannot be estimated at the
there was much damage done by water. Holes were
cut in the steel deck and water poured into the
orIop hold. In here quantity OF drygoods
and bales OF wool. The fire. so tar as can under
stand was caused by spontaneous combustion of
some hay which was packed about some fancy