The Van Buren press., 1902-03-22
TIE BIG H0BOkEN BLAZE.
All of Those Who Were on Board
the Steamer British Queen
Accounted For.
ONE INJURED 'LONGSHOREMAN DEAD,
Several nre Known to Have Leaped
Into the Water to Escape thel
Flames, and How Many of Them
Were Drowned May Never be
Known-The Loss Very Heavy.


Known-The Loss Very Heavy.
New York. March 20.-No estimate
has Vet been made of the loss of life
in the fire that started, Tuesday
night, on the Phoenix line pier in Ho-
bollen. and il was thought the num-
Der of dead never would be known,
Patrick Ilussey,a 'longshoreman, who
was burned while trying to escape
from the pier, died, Wednesday, from
the effects of his injuries.
DR.. Heller, the health officer Of Ho-
boken, says that all the men of the
British Queen have been accounted
for.
Besides Hussey, four 'longshore-
men were taken to St. Mary's hos
pital, and are now under treatment
there. All were more or less burned.
Some of the 'longshoremen who
saved themselves by swimming
ashore say they saw 20 or 80 men
leap into the river.
Loss Of Life May Never he Known.
Although some Of those who
Jumped into the water were picked
up by tugs, it is feared that a num-
Der sank before they could be
reached by the rescuers. Many Of
the 'longshoremen are single men,
port them in the event of their being
missing or having persisted in the
fire.
The British Queen has been beached
off Communipaw, in the upper bay.
Ilussey, the ongshoreman who
died, was 10 years old. He leaves u
large family
The Loss Very Heavy.
Supt. Mason of the Phoenix line
said that it would be impossible to
definitely state the loss by the fire
in less than two weeks, He was
asked if he thought $l,25O,000 would
cover it, and he replied that he did
not think it would The British
Queen was worth 100000, and there
was a great quantity of valuable
merchandise on that vessel, on the
pier and on lighters that were de-
stroyed. This included cotton, hides,
oils, grains, and u quantity of har-
vestng machinery.
IncendiRry Rumor Secuted.
There was a rumor that the fire
was of incendiary origin, but Mr.. Ma
son said he was positive there was
no truth in it. He said he thought
the blaze started in q quantity Of
Belgian wicker baskets on the Phoe-
nix pier. and this was confirmed by
Charles Christianson, Who was at
work on the lighter Castleton, which
was lying forward of the dock Chris
tianson said the flames seemed to
burst forth from pile of wicker
from the British Queen on Monday
lie said the fire spread IN an incrcd-
IDLY short time over the outer end of
the pier, The British queen was soon
abla2c, and the men ON board had TO
leap into the water to save their
lives, The lines by which the vessel
was moored TO the pier were burned
away, and il was then feared that
she might float against some of The
docks lower down the river and set
them alirc,
4 Tugs Timely work,
In spite of the intense heat given
out by the burning steamer, a tug
ran in under her stern and made
line fast to her rudder. Lines were
then passed from several other tugs
TO the first one, and in that way The
big steamship was hauled out into
the stream. The ruins Of the pier
were stlll smoldcring.
Those seriously hurt in the FIRE are
John Jensen, who jumped from the
burning pier and struck his head
against Il beam, and Peter Carroll,
who was badly burned.
chinese Rounded Up.
The Cinnamon who fled from the
steamship heartburn, when that yes-
sci was endangered by flames, and
who were captured by United States
custom officers, have been returned
TO their ship. The Chinamcn were
arrested in order to prevent II posi-.
bic violation of the Chinese exclusion
net.
Engineer Scott Safe,
Chief Engineer Scott, who IL was at
first reported persisted in the British
Queen, walked into noboken hotel
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