Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1900-07-04
APPALLING FIRE IN NEW YORK HARBOa.
Four Great Steamships and Three Piers
We're Burned.

| New YORK, Juno 30.-Almost ton mil
lion dollars worth of property was do
stroyed, many livcs wero lost, many per,
sons were injured, and at least 1900
livos were impcriled by fire that started
among cotton balcs stored on pier 8 of
tho North German Lloyd Steamship
company in lIobokin, N. D., at4 O'Clock
| this afternoon.
In loss than 15 minutes tho flames
| covered an area a quarter of q milo long.
extending outward from tho actual
| shore limo to tho bulkhoads from 600 to
| 1000 foot away and had caught four
great ocean liners and q dozen or moro
smaller harbor craft in its grasp.
The surface of tho water was covered
with floating and blazing masses of
freight, thrown in haste from tho doomed
vcssols-all unnoticed in tho mad rescue
of moro precious human life in tho great
ships Through tho pail of smoke a
great crimson sun, enlarged to thrice it's
size by the haze, glared liko an enormous
oye as it slowly sank in tho wost. Such
was tho tremendous spectacle proson ted
on tho surface of the Hudson river, as if
it had been somo holiday pageant. 1t
was mado tragic by tho realization that
somewhere in that smoke, somewhere
beneath tho turbid waters scores of lives
had been lost, or wore thon in their last
desperate struggle against death.
Stories in regard to tho loss of life arc
conflicting, tho number variously osti-
mated at from 80 to 200. Up to mid
night ton bodies had been recovered, but
thoy wcro all so burned and blackonod
that Identification was impossible. Tho
hospitals in Now York, IIobokon and
Jersey City arc crowded with tho in
Jurcd and mon arc being brought in by
scores.
Those who gathered along tho shores
OF tho hudson river to witness ,hc great
contiagration saw spectacle lha :: they
novor can forgot and ono that will always
have conspicuous place in tho history
of New York.
MEN BECOME DEMONS.
Sailor Paul Stornborg was one of the
mon taken from tho Saalo by harbor
police. lIo was burned about the logs
and suffered greatly from exhaustion
and shock. lilo managed, however, to
toll graphically what had happened.
wIher2 wcro forty of u.s." ho said.
and lunch. 1t was $50 o'clock when we
sat down. BY o'clock the boss shouted
and we won't forward to work in the
hold. Wc had boon busy five minutes
when somo ono shouted, "Gct out every
body, tho ship is gone"
Incn Such q scramble followed!
Every man turned into devil. Wo ran
trightened and clawing and swearing
for tho ladder leading up to the deck.
We found tho matches battered down.
Great God, how the men did cuss! Some
climbed up tho ladder and pounded
their fists against tho iron hatch. They
pounded until tho blood ran. Through
the iron grating we saw tho flames.
Fire was forward, fire was in tho storm.
Everywhere was tire.
"Somc of tho men started forward.
We had to pass over the coal bins Part
of the way wo could walk. Part of tho
way we had to stoop. Towards tho last
VIC crawlcd on our bollics. Think of 10
mon struggling like rats in that black
hole. There was no air, only everyone
was frightened and cursing to get out.
"Wo crawled through tho machinery
and got upon the pumps forward. But
thcro wcir 40 and on the pumps only
room for 10 or 20.
"Onc man tried to pull mo from the
place. | kicked his faco in and he be-
came still. Ten men tried to climb up.
Others kicked them down. The man
that ell first was stamped on like so
much coal. guess he is dead now. Wc
knew the fircmen were working to reach
us. We could hear them shouting.
But we thought they could mover
reach us. The men tore their clothes on
and threw them away. And after awhile
they stopped cursing Tho men down
at the bottom did not fight any more
One by one th>S just fell down and lay
still"
The List OF Casualties Increases.
New YORK, July 2.-Thc search for
bodies Of victims from the big IIobokcn
lire was resumed early this morning.
nj orc I'll lyDrS and prDnplprS XyprR nnt ~
work on the wreck OF the Saalc, Main
and Bremen. 1t is believed the casual
ties have reached 32G dead, 5S missing,
and 100 in iurCl