The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-03-19
Steamship British Queen, Several
Lighters and the Phoenix
Line Pier Destroyed.
MANY LIVES IN JEOPARDY
AND AT LEAST ONE MAN BELIEVED
TO HAVE PERISHED.
Several Narrow Escapes and Much
Valuable Property Barely Saved
A Picturesque Scene.

NEW YORK, March 1s.-A swift. and in
many of it's details picturesque, fire to-
night destroyed the pier of the Phoenix
steamship line on the Hoboken, n. j., river
front. with many bales Of cotton and hay;
burned that company's vessel, the British
Queen. TO a hulk, consumed several light
ers and their cargoes, damaged a dock be-
longing to the Barber steamship line, and
for a time threatened the property of the
Holland-American line and the huge Camp
bell stores. The loss. according to esti-
mates tonight. will approximate $1,000. 600.
Whether any lives was lost was difficult
to learn. While the fire at it's height,
and after ii had been reduced by the fire.
men and freboats, rumors were rife that
several men perished. 1t was tolerably
certain at midnight that Chief Engineer
Scott of the British Queen, was burned to
death on her, and that a sailor named
Jansen met the same fate. One of the men
who escaped says that he saw several men
leap into the water when the steamer be-
came enveloped in fire, and he saw few if
any Of these rescued.
The quartermaster of the ruined ship said
the crew were in her forecastle, and he
surmised that if all escaped they did so
with difficulty. Nevertheless, some of the
British Queens officers said tonight they
felt quite sure all were safe except En-
gineer Scott who, they said, was missing.
1t is not unlikely that some of the long
shoremen and stevedores who swarmed
about the vessel may still have to be ac-
counted for.
The estimated losses in detail are: Piers.
N. o,a1
lighters, s25oOOo. Seven lighters are more
or less damaged.
The scene of the fire was Seventh and
River streets, Hoboken. Together there
are the docks and basins of the Phoenix
line, the Holland-American line and the
Barber line The Phoenix line pier was a
wooden structure, 300 feet long, covered
with a frame shed. On this were many
bales of hay and cotton. which burned
with the utmost rapidity. How the fire
started is not known. Some statements
are that it started in the British Queen,
which lay in the basin between the Phoenix
line dock and the Holland-American dock;
others that il had its origin al the end
of the pier At all events, with but the
parest warming the flames burst out quick
~ licking up the pier and the cotton upon
it and driving the stevedores and sailors $
TO the street, for the vessel was being
unloaded. having arrived here Friday, from
unloaded, having arrived here last Fri
day, from Antwerp. The fire hared up
from the steamer with great suddenness
on the pier, and since the vessel was
made fast TO the pier and could not be
backed out. lighters and other craft which
lay alongside of her. some OF them hold
ing such inflammable stuff as oil tanks,
quickly caught fire. The captain of the
lighter Tona wanda saved himself his wife
and his child by pushing a cotton bale
into the water, placing his family and
himself upon il and padding his strange
life raft into the river.
The stiff wind which blew all day gave
impetus TO the fire. Cattle pens upon the
upper decks OF the British Queen were the
first part OF her consumed, but presently
her hull was afame. From the Phoenix
line pier the flames spread TO the pier of
the Barber line and then 10 the steamer
Heathburn. of the company. newly-arrived
from Hong-Kong, China, with a cargo of
tea
Among the crew of the steamer Heath
burn were thirty-two Cinnamon. When the
flames began 10 run over the vessel they
All scampered 10 the pier for safety and be-
gan TO make their way 10 the streets of
Hoboken. There was a large force OF Gus