The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-07-01

| save the men, but the terrible heat from
the flames kept them away.
The saving of the great Kaiser Wilhelm
der Crosse was one of the most exciting
incidents. 1t seemed as if it would never
be possible to get her clear, and the fire
was spreading SO rapidly that it threat
ened at any moment to break out on the
big ship. The great hawsers, in the con-
fusion, could not be handled well, and
axes We're brought into use to chop them,
releasing the vessel. She was toWed out
into midstream and taken far up the
river. Her bows were slightly burned.
Five minutes after the fire broke out
woman jumped from one OF the ships
In vain effort to reach the water The
flames surrounded her and she plunged
heedlessly in the direction where 1t SEEM
ed safety lay. She leaped into a burning
lighter alongside the ship, when an Of
ficer on board, who still stood by the
burning vessel, and realized what would
be her fate, plunged down after her, hop
ing to drag her out of the burning lighter
into the water. He followed her within a.
couple of seconds, and both went down
into the flames IN the lighter, and per-
ished.
STORY OF SURVIVOR.
One man in the hospital with burned
hands and face, said he was rescued by
himself He said he was helpless in the
water when the other threw an arm about
him and buoyed him up The others face
was fearfuliy burned, and the other arm
was useless, but he treaded water and
f1oated so skilfuIly that they foated down
the river, and a tug went to their rescue
The man who told the story said he faint
ed after being rescued, and did not know
If his rescuer had also been taken out
Of the water.
An idea of the intensity Of the heat was
given by the fact that the steamship
firemen, men who are used to working in
the fireroom of a vessel, supposed to be
the hottest place in which human beings
work fell back from the work Of fighting
the flames, overcome by the heat. Some
of those who went into the water and
were rescued only slightly injured, said
that many who fell into the water after
escaping the flames went insane Men
babbled of home and friends during the
few brief moments that they and the
others faced death. The fierce furnace.
which lay between them and the land,
bereft them of their senses.
There were acts of cowardice as well
as heroism. Men chung to others and re-
fused to loosen, even when the act meant
death to both. One of the survivors was
seized by another man, who chung to him
man, who was later saved, had to beat
his companion into insensibility before he
could loosen HIS hold, and plunge into the
water.
HUNDREDS IN HOSPITALS.
All of the hospitals in Hoboken and this
city are crowded with the victims Of the
fire. There are scores of men burned so
badly that little hope is entertained for
their recovery Hudson Street hospital
has every patient that it can possibly
take care of. as also have Bellevue, st.
| Vincent's and many of the other hospitals.
| There were over 200 persons taken to the
hospitals up to 10 o'clock tonight, and
sufferers were still coming in by the score.
All kinds of vehicles were brought into
requisition as ambulances.
Saloons, stores and any other buildings
that happened to be opened along the
river front of Hoboken were turned into
hospitals temporarily.