The Forrest City times., 1902-03-21
HOBOKEN DOCKS BURNED,
Fears That the Lives of Number of Longshoremen and Others
 Have Been Lost.

New York, March 1s.-Thc pier of the Phoenix line in Hoboken was de- stroyed by fire tonight. The steam ship British Queen was destroyed and several lighters were burned. The fire threatened the Campbelfs stoies, and for q time it looked as if tho flames would reach the Holland Amer ican line docks. The Maasdam, of the Holland line, was lowed out into the stream. Men who were on the docks and on the British Queen when the fire started, assert that there were many lives lost. They said that long shOremen were imprisoned about the ship, and that some sailors in the forecastle of the British Queen did not get out.
 The fire started at S:34 o'clock, near the end of the Phoenix pier nearest the North river, among cotton bales with which the entire pier was crowd ed. The flames ran in all directions until the whole structure, which was wooden one, surmounted by frame shed, was enveloped.
 The steamer British Queen. owned by the Phoenix people, was tied to the south side of the pier and the flames quickly leaped to her upper decks. These decks were covered with cattle pens, which, being built of light timber were the means of at once spreading the fire over the steamer. There was no chance to cut her loose from her berth until abont eleven o'clock, when tugs laid hold of her and got her into mid stream.
 Her crew had narrow escape. Capt. Pattison was not aboard he having become i'll yesterday and gone to a hospital.
 In the same slip as the British Queen were dozen or more light CTS. cotton laden. These caught fire and only one or two were saved, par tially burned. The captain of the lighter Tonawanda saved himself, wife and child, by pushing q cotton bale into the water, placing his falai- ly and himself on it and paddling into the river. The crew of the United States training ship Portsmouth got them ashore safely.
 From the lighters the fire pot into the Barber line pier. The steamer Heathburn. of this line, just in from Hong Kong, with tea, was hauled out into the stream with fire spreading over her. At II o'clock half a dozen tugs were pouring water into her in an effort to put out the blaze. The captain, his family and the crew es- capped.
 South of the Barber line pier is that of the Rotterdam line It be- gan to blaze about 10:3O o'clock. At it was the big freighter Maasdam. The captain had steam up, and soon had his vessel safely in midstream
 At 11:30 o'clock the fire on the piers and on the lighters left in the slips was under control. The Heath burn and several lighters were float ing down stream, all ablaze.
 The first estimates of the loss, nec- essarily hurriedly made, follo%: Piers, $300,000; British Queen, S4G6,- 900 Chought to be too high C.<and cot ton and lighters, $200,0 ,00O.
 Seven lighters are more or less damaged.
 About midnight Chief Croker of the fire department of New York city be- came alarmed for the safety of the piers on this side of the river. The burning barges from Hoboken were floating to this side, and the chief thought it best to get a large force of engines and other fire apparatus lined up along the river front near the American line and other piers be- tween Cortlandt and Murray streets.