The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1900-07-02
TWO
HUNDRED
People Perish by Fire at HObOk
en- y. j.

destroyed, many lives were loSI, many
persons were injured and at least 1,5OO
lives were imperiled by the fire that
started among cotton bales under per
of the North German Lloyd 5. 5.
company in Hoboken, n. j., at o'clock
this afternoon. In less than fifteen min
utes the flames covered an area of a
quarter Of a mile long, extending out
ward from the actual shore line to the
bulkheads, from 900 1000 feet away,
and had caught four great ocean liners
and dozen or more smaller crafts in
it's grasp
Stories in regard of the loss of life
are conflicting, the number being var
iously estimated at from fifty to two
hundred. Up to midnight ten bodies
had been recovered, but they were all
so badly burned and blackened that
Identification was impossible.
The hospitals in New York, Hoboken,
and Jersey City are crowded with the
wounded and men are being brought in
by scores
Those who gathered along the shores
of the Hudson river to witness the
great confagration saw a spectacle
they can never forget ana one that al
ways will have a conspicuous place in
the history of New York.
The river and bay were enveloped in
a pail of black smoke through which
angry flames, bursted as from VOLCANOES
in he Jersey shores in the water itself. |
leaped like red sphers in the sky. The
surface Of the water was covered with
floating and blazing mass of freight
thrown in haste from the doomed YES
sells all unnoticed in the mad race to-
rescue the more precious human life
| threatened or being sacrificed in the
| great ships. And through the pail of
smoke a great cyclone, enlarged to
| thrice it's size by the haze, glared l Ike
| an enormous eye, as it slowly sunk in
the west Such was the tremendous
spectacle presented on the surface of
the Hudson river os if It had been some
holiday pageant 1t was made tragical
by the realization that in that smoke
and beneath the turbid waters scores
of lives have been lost or were then
in their last desperate struggles against
death.
The spectacle was witnessed by thou
sands and thousands who crowded up
on the banks of the river as they form
ed to witness the triumphant return of
Admiral Dewey. Looking up theriver
toward the burning ship and piers, the
scene was a wonderful and tragic one
of grandeur. The steamship Eagle had
been towed dow nthe river until she
was just off Fort Liberty where she
had gathered about her a ring of fire
boats and tugs all fighting at least to
save the hull of the doomed steamer.
Flames still were leaping from her port
holes and rushing out of her abins. AT
varying distances about the burning
chit no 81
one or more tugs placing streams Of
water upon it. Some of these bargs
We're loaded with very inhammable
stuff and the flames leaped high in the
air while the heat was so terrific that
it was impossible to use the small hose
of the tug. One by one these alters of
fire were consumed, burning down to
the waters edge. Along the Jersey
shore small fires were blazing start
ed by the wreckage from the great
steamships.
over on this side of the river the fire
caused he greatest excitement as the
drifting steamships and barges fioate d
all af1ame to the New York shore and
crashed against the piers from Canal
to Murray Streets. The fire department
was called out at various points, along
the Threatened sections
For hours the river was crowded
with small boats fastening to the
scene of the district or already taking
part in the rescue of the hundreds who
had leaped into the river when seized
by terror of the flames. The boats were
padded here. there, hut soon their oc-
cupans had nohing to do but to watch
the mad sweep of the flames. Those
who had plunged into the water We're
either rescued or gone to the bottom
There were hundreds of men on each
Of the destroyed steamships and a few
women. Crowds of dock laborers and
also employees Of the companies were
all on the piers. Men, women and chill
dren were on the canal boats and men
on the barges and lighters and when
the fire made it's quick descent upon
them escape was cut off beore they re-
allied their awful position The peo-
pie on the piers jumped into the water
to save themselves and scores of men
huddled under the piers, clinging to
the supports, only to be sufforcated by
the flames or TO drop back into the
water by exhaustion.
Men working in the holds of the four
steamships were shut IN by walls of
flames and it was impossible to rescue
them. 1t probably never will be known
how many men perished in the ships.
as the flames were so fierce they would
leave but few, If any remnents of the
human body.
The greaest loss of life appears to
have been on the Sale She carried 45O
people and was to have sailed for Bos-
ton this afternoon. When the police