Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1904-03-02
FOURTEEN lives WERE LOST
RESULT OF FIRE ON STEAMER
QUEEN FROM FRISCO.
Origin Of Fire Unknown-started 4:3o
a. m-Raaed Three Hours Before
ControIled-owlno to Heavy Sea
lifeboats capsized-Was 80 Miles
From Land.

Fourteen people lost their lives ~
the result Of the fire on the steamer
Queen, from San Francisco to Seattle.
The origin of the fire 10 yet unknown.
1t started in the social hall Of the yes.
sci at about 4:30 in the morning and
ragged for three hours before 1t was got
ten Under control. When the conaagra-
lion was first discovered the lifeboats
containing women, children and many
men were launched, but three Of these.
owing to the heavy seas. capsized.
spilling the passengers in the water
and causing the loss Of nine lives.
Three men. walters ON the vessel, were
suffocated before they could reach the
outer air in safety from their hunks
in the glory hole, In the aft part Of the
ship, and one woman died later from
exposure.
sengers and crew Of the Queen, which
arrived in Seattle Sunday afternoon,
the vessel was off Tillamook and about
80 miles from land when the fire was
discovered. There was a heavy sea on,
and the ship was pitching badly. When
smoke was seen Issuing from the so.
cial hall on the aft Of the main deck.
the crew was Immediately rousted out
and the hose mapned. while the stew.
ards went from cabin to cabin, waking
up the passengers.
There was no disorder either among
crew or passengers. When Captain
Cousins. commanding the vessel. dis.
covered the extent of the fire. which
embraced practically all the rear por-
ton of the vessel, he Immediately or.
dered the lifeboats launched. Four
filed with women and children and
sufficient men to man them were drop
ped overheard, each containing about
l6 people.
The first boat capsized almost as
soon as 1t touched the water by get
| ting under the stern of the ship. All
the passengers in this were rescued by
the other small boats with the excep-
ton of a Miss Steiner. a first class
passenger, who was drowned. The sec.
ond boat capsized while being lowered.
There were no passengers In this at
the time, but the crew of four men
who were aboard we're spilled out and
lost. A third boat filed about half
mile from the Queen, and all but four
Of its passengers and crew were res.
cued by the other small craft In the
vicinity.
List Of the Missing.
The list of the missing are a. fol.
lows:
First cabin-Miss Steiner, Cle-Elum.
WASH, drowned In destruction Of
small boat.
Mrs. e. Adams, Seattle. q woman Of
%. who died from exposure three hours
after the discovery Of the are.
Second class-D. e. Newberry and
H. Buckley, drowned.
Deckhands-A. Nilsson, J. Nelson and
8. Frutas, drowned.
Engineers department-Peter Nuhn
and M. Flynn, drowned.
Waiters-W. Heinman and N. Ray.
mond. drowned; H. Douglas and A.
Donnelly. burned and suffocated.
The lifeboats that were floated safely
and two RATS that were thrown over.
board to pick up any who might be
thrown in the water remained In the
vicinity of the burning vessel. and
within view Of 1t while the fire was be-
ing fought by the crew and those male
passengers that remained on board.
Every available stream of water was
thrown into the burning cabin, the men
working coolly and without any excite
ment. The survivors state that every
man kept his head and worked hard
to subdue the flames. Despite their
efforts. however. 1t was after O'Clock
before the fire was under control and
the signal was given to the small boats
to return to the vessel.
Passengers WHEN interviewed this af.
ternoon stated without exception that
everything was done by Captain Gov.
sins that was possible to insure their
safety. Had 1t not been necessary to
send of the boats not life would have
been lost, but as It was dark when
the fire started. and 1t was impossible
to light the vessel or to confine the wo-
men to their staterooms, It was ab-
solutely necessary to send them away
to avoid q panic.
Practically the entire aft Of the ship
Is in ruins. The intense heat Of the
flames has bent and twisted the in
terror iron work into shapeless mass.
and sailors viewing the ruins today
state that they do not understand how
1t was possible to get control Of the
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