Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1900-07-06

ampton 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 char
tered to take 500 of them to England,
and that they were on board of her
when the flames broke out on the pier.
Officials declare positively that
there were no members of the Chris
tian Endeavor society aboard the
Saale.
AS many people, to avoid being roast
ed to death on the three steamships and
the docks, jumped overheard and were
drowned, searching parties kept up
close watch to-day along the shores
of the North river, Brooklyn and
Staten Island. AS the tide was on the
turn when the people were lost in the
water, it is believed that their bodies
were carried up stream and when they
rise will come to the surface above
Twenty-third street, unless they drift
ed into the central current and caught
the flood tide running out. They are
likely to be discovered mostly in the
upper bay. Relatives of the missing
employed rowboats and men to patrol
in the vicinity of the disaster in the
hope of picking up the remains of the
missing ones. Other boatmen searched
for the dead on speculation.
Damage of s1O,OOO,OOO.
The property loss can simply be ap-
proximated at this time. None of the
officials around the docks could give
anything like precise estimate of their
losses and none was prepared to make
n statement on this point. a conserva-
tive estimate made by prominent fire
underwater places the entire damage
at less than S10OOO,o0o.
How Lives Were Lost.
Fully 1,5oo people were working on
the piers and vessels when the fire be-
gan. There were the longshoremen re-
moving and loading cargoes, the sailors
on the vessels, and even a number of
passengers on one ship which had just
arrived.
Cut off from shore by walls of
fire, driven off the piers into the water,
cooped up in cabins from which the
sky could be seen through narrow port
holes but no rescue could be had, hun
dreds of persons met fearful deaths.
Nobody will ever know how great the
number is. Many bodies have been re-
covered, unrecognizable.
Ships, piers and warehouses were all
burning within nine minutes from the
start of the fire. Then when the en-
gines and fire tugs came they were
powerless to put a limit to the flames.
Not till pier of the Hamburg-Ameri-
can line was blown up by dynamite was
the fire under control.
whisky Feeds the Flames.
In the middle of pier was a large
quantity of cotton bales, and alongside
this infiammable substance were 100
barrels of whisky. The fire had its
origin in the cotton and was fed by
whisky. The casks which contained
the spirits exploded and their contents
were scattered over the inflammable
merchandise upon the pier. The fire
swept over the pier with greater ra-
pidity than the devouring elements
travel over the dry grass of the prai-
ries. 1t caught the awnings and rig
ging of steamers and spread with in
conceivable rapidity to the highly pol
ished woodwork of the cabins and the
infiammabic cargoes which were being
stored in the holds.
Firemen Helpless.
| Such headway was gained by the fire
that when the Hoboken fire depart
ment arrived the firemen were utterly
helpless to cope with the flames. They
were further handicapped by having
several hundred feet of hose burned
Calls were made to the New York fire
department for assistance, and fire tugs
were sent over. These, however, had
little effect on the great mountain OF
flame and smoke.
| The steamships Saale and Bremen
after being pulled free from the docks
were towed ablaze down the bay and
beached off Liberty island.
Vain Appeal for Help.
On the Bremen as it blazed out in
midstream six men could be seen with
their heads out of the portfolios, wav
ing handkerchiefs for assistance. Tug
boats and small boats darted around
the big steamships, making every effort
to save the men, but the heat kept then
away.
MiraculOusly Saved.
Superintendent Miller, of the Bremen
piers, starting out late Saturday nigh,
in quest of the dead, most unexpected
ly rescued % men. On the tug E. A
Stevens he approached the Bremen ant
found, to his amazement, that there
were still men living aboard her. He
took from one of the coal ports the
fourth engineer and six of the crew
who had managed to survive the fierce
ness of the fire in the lower part of the
vessel. Then he visited the Kaiser VIII
helm der Crosse, and, seeing the Mair
drifting with the tide, he followed il
the Stevens to where the still burning
liner was beached on Weehawken flats
Profting by his experience on the Bre
men, he scanned the sides of the vesse
closely and deserted at one of the Goa
| norris n man who was pollinu for n n N