The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-04-02
BIG PIER FIRE IN H0B0KEN
Phoenix Liner British Queen and Sew
eral Lighters Destroyed.
LOSS ESTIMATED At 100000
Fire Caused by Defective Electric Lign'
wire.-rvo Men Lost Their Lives, and
MANY Injured - Miraculous Escape
or the British Queens Chief Engineer
Tho Blaze Most Spectacular One.

or the British Queens Chief Engineer
Tho Blaze Most Spectacular One.
New York City. - Hoboken had
great waterfront fire. its second in less
than two years. One steamship pier
leased by the Phoenix Line. was de-
stroyed. and the steamship British
Queen, of that line. was burned practi'
cally to the waters edge. The pier OF
the Barber Steamship Line was slight
ly burned, but no serious damage was
done there.
The loss was estimated by two fire
insurance experts who visited the
scene ut something less than $l.0OO.'
600. They divided 1t as follows:
Phoenix Line pier. wooden struc'
ture. on piles. 100000.
The steamship British Queen. which
was fastened at the pier. and which
was burned out before sne could be re-
leased. S4OO.O0O.
Seven lighters. laden with cottonseed
oil and general merchandise. destroyed.
and damage to Barber Line pier. under
100000.
Two men lost their lives and six
persons were injured In the fire. Pat
eick Hussey. a longshoreman. who dis
covered the fire, inhaled some name
and died in st. Mary's Hospital.
Thomas ]. Cocney. while at work try
ing to extingulsh the flames on the
burning lighters fell overheard and
was drowned.
Robert Scott. Chief Engineer Of the
British Queen. who was thought TO
have been burned to death In his bunk.
reported at Meyers Hotel in the morn.
Ing. having passed the night on the
steamship Heathburn. the crew OF
which rescued him from the Icy
waters OF the river. Scotts escape
from death was nothing less than
miraculous. He was penned on the
burning steamship for IN hour with
the flames roaring on all sides. the
blistering skin falling from his face
and hands. Then he leaped into the
water and swan to a barge. This TOOK
fire and Scott had to take to the water
again.
He fought his way under tia stern
Of the Heathburn and. seizing tine rud.
der. he clung to 1t for three-quarters
OF an hour and then he was rescued.
Scott said that he had been sailing
the seas since boyhood. but that he
never had such close call before and
those who heard his story believed
him.
An examination by the marine un.
derwriters. to which was summoned
q number OF dock laborers and officers
Of the British Queen. resulted In the
announcement that the origin Of the
fire was a defect In the electric light
wires on the pier. 1t was at first sup
posed that spontaneous combustion
In a number OF wicker baskets on the
pier had caused the blaze. but investi
CATION showed that these baskets con.
taIned personal effects only and could
not have caused the fire.
More than dozen lighters. barges
and smaller craft caught fire and had
to be cut loose from their moorings and
drifted down the river.
Two of the blazing lighters drifted
to the east shore of Governors Island
setting fire to the new landing pier
and the bulkhead. The flames spread
rapidly over the pier. dangerously men.
acing the officers quarters. but few
yards away.
Every battery of artillery was turned
out and the soldiers set to work to
prevent the flames from spreading. The
strong northwesterly wind blowing
fercely across the bay. had sent the
flames shooting along the edge Of the
island. The pier and woodwork only.
however. ignited.
Not since the disastrous fire that de.
vastated the Hoboken piers Of the
North German Lloyd Steamship Com
pany almost two years ago has the
North River presented such scene as
was Occasioned by the fire. From 10
o'clock. when the burning craft began
to make their way down stream. until
after midnight. when the last fitting
rays of flames showed where they
were being destroyed In the harbor and
on the Jersey fats. the water was as
II illuminated by pyrotechn!c display.
In an uneven procession the British
Queen. two barges and two lighters
each a mass Of flames. drifted down
the river and into the larbo-. From
the top of the tall buildings OH the New
York side Of the river the sight was
one long to be remembered.
For the two hours during which the
fiery procession lasted a canopy OF
light. alternating from 4 dim glow TO
glare that rendered visible every
building on each coast. was thrown
over New York. Jersey City. Hoboken
and the islands Of the upper harbor.
From the wreck OF the British Queen
pillars of flame shot up again aud
again. casting over IN area Of miles
a light that outlined the sky lines OF
the cities as clearly as IL it were mid.
day.
Every time the flames shot up from
the wreck the tieet of tugs came into
plain view around her. Streams OF
water poured from their hose into the
seething mass of iron and steel. show
ing that the liners towering masts
We're twisted like reeds by the heat.
her iron sides warped. her wooden Su
perstructure q crumbling beap o:
debris.