Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-03-20
Destruction of Pier and
Ships inHoboken Tuesday
Night More Disastrous
Than Thought.

NEW YORK, March 19.-No estimate
could be made today of the loss of life
in the fire started last night on the Phoe-
nix line pier in Hoboken, and 1T was
thought the number of dead would never
be known. Patrick Hussey. longshore-
man, who was burned while trying to es-
cape from the Phoenix pier. died today
from the effects of injuries.
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 themselves 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 Il Is
feared that a number sank before they
could be reached by the rescuers, Many
of the longshoremen are single men and
have no relatives who could report them
in the event of their being missing or hav-
ing persisted in the fire. The police say
that no one except Engineer Scott had
been reported to them as missing.
I, The British Queen has been beached of
Communipaw. In the upper bay.
Hussey. the longshoreman who died to-
day, was AZ years old. He leaves large
family.
Superintendent Mason, of the Phoenix
line, said 1t would be impossible to def
nitely state the loss by the fire in less
than two weeks. He was asked If ne
thought 8, $50, 900 would cover 1t and he re-
piled that he did not think 1t would The
British Queen was worth $4,000. and
there was a great quantity of valuable
merchandise on that vessel, on the pier
and on lighters which was destroyed.
This includes cotton, hides oils grains
and quantity of harvest machinery.
There was a rumor today that the fire
was OF incendiary origin, but Mr.. Mason
said he was positive there was no truth
in it. He said he thought the blaze start
ed in quantity of Belgian wicker basl-
cts on the Phoenix pier, and this was
confirmed by Charles Christensen, who
was at work on the lighter Castleton,
which was lying forward of the dock.
christensen said the flames seemed to
burst from a pile of wicker baskets that
had been unloaded from the British Queen
on Monday. He said the fire spread in an
incredibly short time over the outer end
of the pier. The British Queen was soon
ablaze and the men on board had to leap
into the river to save their lives. The
lines by which the vessel was moored to
the pier were burned away and IL was
then feared she might float against other
ships and set them afire. IN spite Of the
intense heat given out by the burning
steamer a tug ran in under her stern ana
made a line fast to her rudder. Lines
were then passed from several other tugs
to the first one and in that way the big
steamship was hauled out into the stream.
The ruins Of the pier were still shoulder
ing today.
Those seriously hurt in the fire are John
Jensen, who jumped from the burning
pier and struck his head against a beam,
and Peter Carroll, who was badly burned.
The Cinnamon who fed from the steam
shin Heathburne when that vessel was
endangered by flames, and who were cap
tured by United States customs officers,
were returned to their ship today. The
Cinnamon were arrested in order to pre-
vent a possible violation OF the Chinese
exclusion act.
Chief Engineer Scott who 1t was sup
posed persisted in the fire, walked into q
Hoboken hotel today. He was badly
burned about the face, and said ne ha1
had a dreadful experience
1t was learned today that Fireman
Thomas Cooney, OF the fire boat David A.
Boody, fell of his boat last night and was
drowned.
Engineer Scott said that a short while
after he had gone to his room last night
he smelled smoke, and on investigation
saw the ship was on fire. Scott, who is a
sufferer from rheumatism, CROPPED his way
along the deck and took refuge in a large
cattle pen on the ships deck. Here he was
Joined by one of the firemen Of the ship.
The smoke and flames soon drove them
from the pen. Scott then fastened a wire
rope to the stanchion and threw one end
over the rail. He then slid down the rope
to lighter lying alongside the burning
steamer, where he remained unrescued.
Scott said ne did not see the fireman after
he (Scott) made his escape, and does not
know what became of him.