The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1902-03-21
H0BOkEN, II +,
HAS S|,0OO,OOO FIRE
Pier of the Phenix Steamship
Line Destroyed.
MAY HAVE BEEN LOSS OF LIFE
Fire, Which Started In Belgian Wicker
Baskets on Pier, Does Much Damage
Before IL Is Subdued-Steamer Brit
Ish Queen Burned.

Ish Queen Burned.
New York, March pa swift and
In many details picturesque fire last
night destroyed the pier Of the PheniX
steamship line on the Hoboken, \. j.,
river front, with many bales of cotton
and hay; burned that company's yes
sci, the British Queen. to hulk; con-
sumed several lighters and their car
goes. damaged a dock belonging to the
Barber steamship line and for time
threatened the property OF the Hol-
land-American line and the huge
Campbell stores.
The loss. according to estimates,
will approximate 100000.
The estimated losses in detail are:
Piers, 100000.
British Queen, 100000.
Cotton and lighters, $250,000.
Seven lighters are more or less dam
aged.
The scene of the fire was Seventh
and River streets, HOboken. Together
they are the docks and basins of the
Phenix line and the Barber line.
The Phenix line pier was a wooden
structure 900 feet long with frame
shed. On this were many bales OF
hay and cotton, which burned rapidly.
How the fire started is not known.
With the barest warning the flames
burst out quickly, licking up the pier
ard cotton upon it and driving the
stevedores and sailors to the street,
for the vessel was being unlOaded,
having arrived here Friday from An
twerp. The fire flared up from the
steamer with as great suddenness as
upon the pier and since the vessel was
made fast to the pier and could not
be backed out, lighters and other Wa
ter craft which lay alongside of her.
some of them holding such infiamma-
BILE stuff as oil cake. quickly caught
fire, too.
No estimate could be made today
of the loss of life in the fire. and il
was thought the number of dead
would never be known. Patrick Hus-
sey. a longshoreman, who was burn
ed while trying to escape from the
Phoenix pier. died today from the eff
fects of injuries. Chief Engineer
Scott. of the steamer British Queen,
T is believed to have lost his life on
that vessel. Third Engineer Vereck,
OF the same vessel, says that Scott,
who was suffering from rheumatism,
went to his cabin to lie down short
time before the FIRE started. Vereck
was in the engine room when the
alarm was given. He tried to reach
the engineers quarters TO awaken
Scott. but was headed off by the
flames and had 10 leave the chief en-
sineer TO his fate. DR.. Heller, the
health officer OF Hoboken, says that all
the men Of the British Queen with the
exception of Scott have been account
| ed for.
Besides Hussey, four longshoremen
were taken to st. Mary's hospital and
are now under treatment there. All
were more or less burned. Some OF
selves by swimming ashore say they
saw 20 or 80 men leap into the river.
Although some of those who jump
ed into the water were picked up by
tugs, it is feared that number sank
before they could be reached by the
rescuers. Many of the lOngshoremen
are single men and have no relatives
| who could report them IN the event
of their being missing or having per
ished In the fire. The police say that
no one except Engineer Scott had been
reported TO them as missing.
The British Queen has been beached
| of Communipaw, in the upper bay and
search will be made as soon as posi-
BILE for the body OF the missing engi-
nser. Hussey, the longshoreman who
died today, was AZ years old. He
| leaves q large family. Superintend-
emit Mason, Of the Phenix line, said it
would be impossible to definitely state
the loss by the fire in less than two
weeks. He was asked If he thought
$3.50, 900 would cover 1t, and he re-
The British Queen was worth 100000
and there was a great quantity of val
uaOle merchandise on that vessel on
the pier and on lighters which were
destroyed.
This included cotton, hides, oils.
grains and a quantity Of harvest ma
ehinery. There was a rumor today
that the fire was of incendiary origin,
but Mr.. Mason said he was positive
there was no truth in it. He said he
thought the blaze started in a quantity
Of Belgian wicker baskets on the Phe-
nix pier and this was confirmed by
Charles Christensen, who was at work
on the lighter Castleton, which was
lying forward OF the dock. Christian
sen said the flames seemed to burst
from, O nile of wicker baskets that had