Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-06-16

first 01SCOV6Teu, she Sdih. IL ID S'sA
mated that there were then nearly 100
cfarred bodies on her decks. Just al
ter the steamer sank the water nearby
was black with bodies.
The tug Fidelity succeeded in picking
I'D So charred corpses in Hunts cove
off Ryker's island, and carried them in
to the Sound. None of these bodies it
is thought can ever be identified. Heads,
legs and arms are burned off and not
q shred of clothing is left on any OF
them.
What looked like a big hatch on
which were five or six charred bodies
was found floating in the cove at
Hunts Point and lowed carefully
alongside the Fidelity. The wood was
badly charred and the bodies seemed
to stick to it. Policemen and the crew
of the Fidelity were unable to release
the bodies without further mutilating
them and in order not to do this, ar
rangements We're made to tow the
hatchway with the bodies on it to the
dock of the Fidelity.
Among the boats that We're hurried
to the succor of the stricken passengers,
were several tugs of the New York Cen
trail & Hudson River Railroad Co., the
auxiliary cat-boat Easy Times, the
health department tug, Franklin Ed
son, and the Charities departments
Massassoit. These with a swarm of
row boats manned by willing hands,
approached as near the blazing vessel
as was possible and rescued scores or
people. The Franklin Edison was So
close to the burning steamer that her
own paint was scorched. The crew Oh
the tug, however, stuck bravely to thelr
work and snatched many women ana
children from n terrible death. The flre
had possession of the boat from stem to
stern by the time she was off l5Sth
street. The fire boat Zophar NILS,
was summoned from her mOorlngs at
the foot of East Goth street ana was
soon on the scene, it's crew lending val
liable aid in saving life.
Peter ]. Tremble, a deckhand, was
found by the police wandering aimless-
ly about the beach. He told the follow
ing story:
I'VE left the Third street dock at
10 A. NJ. 1 was polishing brass work
aft on the port quarter, when a deck
hand called my attention to smoke
coming out of n forward cabin. l ran
forward and helped the first assistant
engineer to stretch hose. He could
not get any water. The fire spread so
rapidly that we were driven to the for
ward promenade deck, which was
crowded with panic-stricken women
and children. l pulled down an armful
of life Dreservers and distributed them.
l then put a life preserver around my
own shoulders and jumped overheard
with my children.
"They were torn away from me by
the impact of the water. l managed to
grasp one of the blades of the paddle
wheels and climbed up in the paddle
box. The water beneath me was a
perfect hell. Men and women were
ciawing at my legs as l climbed, and
my trousers were torn away in my eff
forts to escape from them.
II was subsequently rescued by
row boat and put on shore at the point
where the police found me-"
Fred Hoffman. a fireman and one of
the excursionists, was unnerved and
hysterical. At first all that could be
got from him was that he had lost
his mother and sister-in-law, his broth
TT tWO anu u yCui'o
with him. He told this story:
81 was on the upper deck with the
family and little Edna, my brothers
3-year-old child, was in my arms. Be-
side me were my mother, Mrs. Sophia
Hoffman, my brothers wife, Celia. her
boy, Raymond. aged 4, and Jane Work
man, my friend, aged 20 years. 1 don't
remember much about the fire. 1t
seemed to come from below. l grabbed
the boy and called upon the women to
follow me. First the women were
separated from me then the crowd
swept me and the little ones toward
stern of the boat.
ct was an awful crush; the women
fought and I could do nothing but pro-
tect the two children with my body
and moved with the crowd. Tugboats
were all around us, but they were
busy trying to put out the fire. and
/ saw no attempt to take off the peo-
pie. The boat was gone, that was PLAIN.
The fire was eating her up. The tugs
would have done better had they tried
to save the passengers. In trying to
reach the women folks of my family,
1 got lost in the crowd and went over
board with it. / remember nothing but
being trampled upon. When / came to
the surface. life preserver was With
in my reach and / chung to that. My
strength was gone and it seemed as
if 1 could not hold on n bit longer,
when some one pulled me out of the
water and took us ashore"
Miss Clara Stuer. a survivor. after
reaching the home of friends on East
Seventh street, said:
"I was sitting on the upper deck
with some friends, when little girl
next to NE noticed the fire. 1t seemed
but a few moments later that there was
roar as though n cannon had been
shot Off and the entire bow Of the boat
was one sheet of flames. The people
rushed pell nell over one another and
in the rush I lost track of my friends.
Hundreds of people jumped overheard.
being caught by the flames and escape
was impossible.
ct jumped over the rail and dropped
down to the next lower deck, when l
began to dispense with my clothing SO
that / could have better chance in the
water. Then I started to climb down