Waterbury Democrat., 1902-03-19
VAS FIRE IhgENDIARY
Rumor Says it Was, But Super
 intendent Mason Doubts It.

intendent Mason Doubts lL. The Number of Dead Will Probably Never Be Known-Several of Those
 Who Jumped into the Water We're
 Rescued. But 1t Is Thought Many | Were Drowned-Patrick Hussey
 Died from His Injuries at St Mary's
 Hospital.
 New York, March 19.-No estimate could be made to-day of the loss of life i'll the fire that started last night on the Phoenix line pier i'll Hoboken, and it was thought the number of dead would never be known. Patrick Illus sey a longshoreman, who was burned while trying to escape from the Phoe- nix pier, dled from the effects oT his injuries in St Marys hospital this morning. Chief Engmeer scort of the steamer British Queen, is Deneyed to have lost his lire on tnat vessel. Third l Englneer Nrieck of the same vessel says that scott, who was suffering from rheumarism, went to his caDIn to lay down snort time betofe the l fire started. Nrieck Was in the engine room when the alarm or ire was gwen lie tried to reach the engineers quar- ters to awaken Scott, but was headed oH by the flames and had to leave tine chief engineer to his fate. Dr Helfer. the health officer of Hoboken, says that all the men of the British Queen with the exception of Scott have been ac- counted 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 the longshoremen who saved them selves by swimming ashore say they saw twenty or thirty men leap into the river
 Although some of those who jumped into the water were picked up by tugs it is feared that number sank before they could be reached by the rescuers. l Many of the lOngshoremen are single men and have no relatives who could report them in the event of their being missing or having perished i'll the fire. The police say that no one except En- | SCOlG ldS D6tu u IucAu as missing. The British Queen has been beached Ut Black Tom Island, Communipaw, and search will be made as soon as possible for the body of the missing engineer. Hussey, the long, l shoreman, who died ill St Mary's hos pital, was 40 years old. He leaves q large family. Superintendent Mason of the Phoenix line said to-day that it | WOIII1 hp i1l1nncSihIa foI, tx. tof fo the loss by the fire i'll less than two weeks. He was asked if lie thought $1.250,000 would cover it and he re. piled that he did not think it would The British Queen was worth $500, ,OOO and there was great quantity of val uable merchandise on that vessel, on the pier and on lighters that were de stroyed This included cotton, hides, oils, grains and q quantity of harvest machinery
 There was rumor to-day that tke nre was of incendiary origin, but MT Mason said he was positive there was no truth in 1t. He said he thought the plaze started in quantity of Belgian i wicker baskets on the Phoenix pie-. ana ms opinion was confirmed Dy CnafleS ChrlstianSon, who was at work on the lighter Castleton. which was lylng forward off the dock. Christian- son said the flames seemed to burst lorlh rom a pile of wicker baskets that had been unloaded from fhe British Queen on Monday. He said the lire spread in an incredibly sh0rt tune over the outer end of the nier. Ihe British Queen was soon ab!aze ana the men on board had to leap into the water to save their lives. The mes by which the vessel was moo-ed to the pier were burned away ana ;t was then feared that she might foat against some of the docks lower down the river and set them afire. Tn spite or the intense heat given out by the turning steamer tug ran in under her stern and made line fast to her rud- 'ier. Lines were then passed from sey. eral other tugs to the first one and in that way the big steamship was hauled out into the stream.
 me steamer Maasdam. which was lowed out into the river from the Iol- land-Amerlcan pier when if was thought the flames might spread in that direction, was brought back to inc dock this morning.
 The fire was still smoldering today ana two Ire engines were playing water on the ruins.
 Those seriously hurt in the fire are John Jensen, who jumped from tlie burning pier and struck his mead against beam, and Peter Carroll. who was badly burned.
 Mrs Hussey, the wife of the man who died in St Mary's hospital this morning, is very i'll at her home. She gave birth two days ago to a child which did not live. She has not been informed of her husbands death.
 The Chinamen who fled from the steamship Heathburn when that vessel was endangered by flames and who were captured by United States GUS toms officers and taken to the North German Lloyd's pier for the night were returned to their ship to-day. The Chinamen were arrested in order to prevent a possible violation of the Chinese exclusion act.