New-York tribune., 1902-03-20
ESCAPED FIRE AND WATER
Continued from first pnrS

the night was the first cold and windy ors g..
number of weeks and that the fire origi,ato5
IN aDout the same manner as the disaster Of -
years ago seemed to bear ont this ,beO W.
This version stOutIy denied by pier of5iIs' f5tits'
insurance men VIII be hard hit by the frs
a cursory investigation disclosed the fac tb.
nearly an the property lost was fairly we'll
protected by insurance. "V"
The waterfront in the vicinity of tho IT, -
dismal enough yesterday. Nothing was Ies, -
the Phoenix pier but line OF oIackened stUr9ns
FLAMES were still smOUiier1ng in the str11cr,r,-
A group of thoroughly chilled fremen ,vorLsS =,
the ruins, which were fantasticalIv streatsd
with lcicles Castle Point. which overIOoks ths
scene. was crowded with sightseers. Those Nh
passed in the ferry boats crowded to the rail -
view what they could of the burned district
among the grewsOme ruins. Just back of the
othCe on the street end OF the pier was fo1IrS !.
quantity of rifles and ammunition which vas
awaiting shipment TO Antwerp on the Rritieb
queen 1t was reported. anl denied as well
that these 2.b cases OF guns and cartridges were
contraband goods for the Beers Seven of the
guns seen were krag-JOrge and many of
the shells which lay scattered about were loaded
with steel bullets incased in lead that had
partly melted from the heat. II was presUr1a
bly, the discharge Of hundreds of the cartridges
which caused the short. snappy explosions heard
at frequent intervals in the fire. Superintendent
Mason said that he knew nothing OF such a
consignment having been made to the Beers
At the British Consulate Yesterday Afternoon
Sir Percy SandersOn the consul general III
the story that the guns and ammunition were
contra band goods for the Beers was absurd.
Line, said the story was fake.
LIBELS AGAINST BRITISH QUEEN
The British Queen was still burning yesterday
afternoon. She lay beached off Thirty-nintb-st
Brooklyn. TO which point she drifted Wreckrr
crews of the boats Champion and Hustler
struggled with the blaze in her hold She lies
in about thirty feet of water. with bad Hst
to starboard. 1t is believed that she is a total
loss. The steamship Heathburn was beached
at Black Tom Island. Communipaw. Yesterday
morning the twenty Cinnamon Of her crew were
taken back to the vessel They were in charge
of Custom House officials.
The first of many claims for salvage which
probably viii grow out of the fire fled at
| o'clock yesterday in the office Of the Clerk Of
the United States District Court by Benedict 4
Benedict, lawyers. of No. IS Wall-st. as proc.
tors for the steam tug g. E. Rose and her crew
of eight men.
The IfbeIlant according to papers filed is the
Cornell Steamboat Company. owners Of the tug
G. B. Rose, together with George E. PalmeteeT.
the captain, and seven members or the tugs
crew. The libel is filed against the lighter
Athens and its cargo
Iibels we're also fled against the steamship
British Queen yesterday by Richard J. Foster,
owner and Daniel J. Lynch and Alexander
]. Forsyth captains of the tugs P c. Roman
and John T. Welsh in the clerks office OF the
United States District Court.
According 10 the papers filed by Wheeler. Cur
It's & Haight as pTOCtoTS for the hbellantS the
Roman and the Welsh pulled the burning ship in
midstream at the risk Of the lives of their crews
Assisted by two other tugs. they took the Brit
ish Queen TO the GOwanus Flats. where they
beaChed her.
Additional libels were also filed by Richard J.
Foster as owner. and Daniel Lynch as captain
OF the tug P c. Roman, and Myers Henderer as
owner. and Harry Rex captain. OF the tug
NJ. Henderer, against the barges Manchester
Andy, OsCawanna. WoOdmOnt and Stamford. all
OF which. IL is declared were saved from total
destruction by the tugs.
Mayor Lankering of HObOken. who was one
of the most energetic of the fire fighters. Criti-
Cised the steamship companies for constructing
htmSy piers. He hoped that the companies had
learned lesson since two severe disasters had
overtaken them and that future piers would be
constructed Of steel and stone, such as the
North German Lloyd Company building
He said that the legislative committee Of the
HObOken Council would probably make no rec
concentrations TO the companies