New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-08-27
RIVER STEAMER BURNED
THE THOMAS MMANUS, OF THE CATS
KILL LINE DESTROYED.
TIE CAPTAIN AND HIS SON HAVE
NARROW ESCAPE-BOAT CUT
LOOSE FROM PIER.

The river steamboat Thomas McManus. of the
CatskiH Evening Line. which plies between Pier
No 43, North River. and Hudson. n. Y, stop
ping at Intermediate points, was destroyed by
fire yesterday afternoon and will be out of COM
mission for some time.
The line uses the south side of Pier No a.
which is a covered recrea ton pier. Three boats
are usually tied up there, and yesterday there
were the McManus the Kaaterskill and the
Saugerties. The first at the western end
of the pier. nearest to the open river; then
came the Kaaterskl. which runs to Catsklii
and the Saugerties last in line.
The fire broke out after o'clock among
some hay on the forward deck In a few mo-
ments it had gained a good hold on the wood
work of the boat. Most of the deckhands and
officers were nearest the stern end, but Charles
Staunberg the captain. and his son. Charles
Staunberg il, and one or two other hahuS
were forward. They all had narrow escape
from burning as the gangplank cut off
from them by the flames and the boat was TOO
distant from the pier for them to jump. -Four
of the men jumped into the river but the two
Staunbergs and ]. T. Brown. the chief engineer
rushed through the flames. and. although they
suffered burns manage to get to the pier over
the gangpank
Meanwhile. Captain c. +, Hallenbeck. of the
Kaaterskill had noticed the flames. and pro
curing a length Of hose he played on the ire
from his vessel. Some one also turned in an
alarm Hallenbeck. after few moments, see
ing that the small stream of water he was play
ing on the flames was having little effect, ana
that there was imminent danger of the pier
itself catching fire, jumped from the boat ana
with an ak severed the lines that held the
Thomas McManus to the pier. The vessel
drifted out into the river and foated northWard
to near Fourteenth-st where the nrepodls
William L. Strong and Zophar Mills played sew
era1 streams of water on her. The McManus
was flowed by the two flreboats and a New y ork
Central tug to the Jersey shore where she Is
wreck.
on the pier when the boat caught ire was
large number of children and women VINO had
been taking an airing. The smoke from the
fire swept across the pier in huge Volumes
driving them all off There two policemen
always on duty on the pier, and THESE WIZ
others from neghboring piers, were aole TO caliL
the fears of the frightened women anu chiui ("
and get them all off in safety .,
Cantain Staunberg. his son and the chleL eLiSl
neer had their burns dressed by Or - IN on.
nor who came from 81. Nincents HosPI'dI, -, oul
none of them would go to the hosp!ta1' me- me- =
were no passengers on the boat ACllns o Depu't
Chief Rinns estimates the loss at S,'.''' nut II
wonld be much in excess Of this hSure II lLe
boat destroyed. as dIpedIou - ~
from the shore. ,-s Iorora
The two men who jumped overheard peloto
tho boat was cut loose from the pier We're 'oHi,
Cloupb the wheelman, old river pilot; anu
William Whitbeck, the second ehslIiCei - 20
was Kicked UP by the New-York central tus
+ba+ ha1nad tow the MCManus across the 49,
and remained on board three hours u''' 'le
tug could put him ashore.