The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-03-19
SHIPPING IS.
 DESTROYS D. $l,OOO,OOO Fire River at Hobo
 LOSS OF LIFE UNKNOWN Pier of Phoenix Steamship Line Goes Up in Smoke. The British Queen Burned to . Hulk- A Picturssqus 1lass That at
 Times Threatened Ensrm-
 -ous Damage.
LOSS OF LIFE UNKNOWN

-
 New York. March 1s.--A swift. ard, ls many of its details, a picturesque. frs tonight destroyed tho pier of the Phoenis Steamship Line on the Hoboken tN. J.l river front, with many bales of cottor and hay: burned that company's vessel the Bsitish Queen. to . hulk: consumed several lighters and their cargoes: dam. sgd a dock belonging to the Barber Steamship Line. and. for time. threat. ened the property of the Holland-Ameri. can Line and the huge Campbell stores.
 The loss. according to estimates today. will approximate sa.Oo0.0o - 's.'
 Whether any lives were lost was most difficult to learn. While the confiagra- ton was at its height and after 1t had been reduced by the @1iremen and fire boats, rumors were rife that several men had perished. It was tolerably certain at midnight that Chief Engineer Scott of the British Queen had burned to death on her, and that sailor named Jansen met the same fate. One of the men who es- capped, says he saw several men leap into the water when the steamer became enveloped in fire, and he saw few, if any, of these rescued. '7s4 fef s.5 t'.
 The quartermaster of the ruined ship said that 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 that they were quite assured that all were safe save Engineer Scott. whom they simply said was missing. It is not un- likely that some of the longshoremen and stevedores who swarmed about the vessel may still have to be accounted for.
 The estimated losses in detail are: Piers, $500, 900: British Queen. S400.0oo; cotton and lighters, $25o.000.q w E az
 Seven lighters are more or less dam aged. 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 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 and the cotton upon 1t. and driving the stevedores and sailors to the street, for the vessel was being unloaded, having arrived here Friday from Antwerp. cotton laden. The Ire fared up from the steamer with as great suddenness upon the pier and since the vessel was made fast to the pier ana could not be backed out, lighters and other water craft which lay alongside of her. some of them holding such infiam- mable stuff as oil cake quickly caught fire, too.
 The captain of the lighter Tonawanda saved himself. his wife and his child by pushing a cotton bale into the water, placing his family and himself upon it, and paddling his strange life raft into the river. The stiff wind, which had blown all day, gave impetus to the fire. Cattle pens upon the upper decks of the British Queen wore the first part of her consumed, but presently her hull was aflame.
 From the Phoenix Line pier the flames spread to the pier of the Barber Line and then to the steamer Heartburn of the company, newly arrived from Hong Kong, China. with cargo of tea.
 Among the crew of the steamer Heart burn were thirty-two Chinamen. When the flames began to run over the vessel they all scampsred to the pier for safety and began to make their way to the streets of Hoboken. There was a large force of customs officers on hand guard ing property. As soon as these officials saw the frightened Chinamen they be- came alarmed that the aliens would make an illegal entry into the country, so with drawn pistols they ordered the Chinese to halt The command was needed, and then. surrounded by guards. the foreign CTS were marched to pier some distance away and there locked. up, under sur veilance for the night. The captain of the Heartburn was not aboard. His wife and children were, but were rescued by the mate.
 The Holland American line docks are below those of the Barber line. They caught fire, but were only slightly damag- ed The company's big steamer, the Maasedam, was lowed out into the. river as soon as the danger became apparent
 The fire was fought by Hoboken and Jersey City fire engines, and from the water side by tugs and New York fire department boats. Employees of the Hoi- land American and Bremen steamship lines assisted these forces. as did the crew of the United States steamer Portsmouth, lying at the pier next above the Phoenix line.
 The fire started about S:35 o'clock ana by Il 30 1t was well under control The British Queen. still ablaze was lowed out into the river. Three lighters. all afre. were directed down the river by tugs, but once or twice came near setting firq to property on the New York side. Two of them finally drifted to the east shore of Governors Island. setting fire to the new landing pier.
 The army officers quarters were great ly endangered and the soldiers stationed on the island were employed in fighting the flames.
 In few hours the danger had passed When the excitement attending the fire had subsided, the Hoboken police report ed that five longshoremen were in the hospital there suffering from burns. One of these. Patrick Hussey is almost sure to die and the child of the captain Of the Tonawanda is in a dangerous condi- ton. The captain and his wife are also at the hospital