The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1904-12-23
nine perish ON
BURNING Steamer
TWO PASSENGERS AND SEVEN
OF CREW LOSE LIVES IN
LONG ISLAND SOUND.
VESSEL is ENTIRELY
DESTROYED BY FIRE
Bravery of Officers and Men Saves Sew
eral-Property Loss Estimated at
$3.50, OOO-Flames Break Out Dur
ing Night.

New York, Dec. by the burning
of the Starin line steamer Glen Island
in Long Island sound Saturday nine
lives were lost and property rough
ly estimated at quarter of a million
dollars was destroyed. That more
lives were not sacrificed undoubtedly
was due to the personal courage of
the officers and crew and the excel
lent discipline maintained when hor-
rible death for all seemed almost a
certainty. When the steamer was
stern to stern, and yet the only per-
sons who lost their lives were those
whose escape had been entirely cut
off by the fire before the alarm
reached them.
List of the Dead.
The dead are-PasSengers: I'm
known Hebrew woman, believed TO be
Dora Schalfski, who lived at G6 Ham
ilton street, New Haven; unknown
man, supposed to be New Yorker.
Crew: w. E. Hendrickson, assist
ant engineer; Luman Miller, fireman;
It
fireman; Otto l.. Alolfran, fireman;
o. Berg, deckhand; Peter Hensen,
deckhand.
All Lights Are Extinguished.
The Glen Island left her dock here
at $3.50 o'clock Friday night on her
regular trip for New Haven. There
were ten passengers and a crew OF
81 men, including Capt Charles E
McAllister, First Mate Ira Larsen
Pilot Thomas McMullen and Quarter
master John O'Brien The trip down
through the sound was without Incl
dent, and just before midnight, when
about three miles west Of Greenwich
Conn, Capt McAllister left the pilot
house and went below for his midnight
lunch. At that time there was no in
dication of trouble of any kind, but
hardly had the captain reached the
galley when there came rush OF
sitting smoke from the hold of the
steamer and every electric light or
! board the craft was eXtinguished
When the captain rushed to the decl
smoke was pouring from every pas
| sageway and flames were sweeping vi
through the aperture around the walk
| ing-beam.
Capt McAllister sent in the alarm
| for fire drill, and the men came
tumbling out of their hunks. In thu
meantime the steering gear had beer
| blocked and the pilots, finding them
selves unable to direct the course o
| the steamer, hurried to the assistance
! of the other members of the crew il
saving lives.
| Capt. McAllister ordered McMulliI
to go to the hurricane deck and loosel
the two large life-boats. Capt. Meal
lister managed to loosen the port life
boat The other lifeboat was frozel
! to the davits, but a smaller one wa
! soon ready to be lowered away.
Confusion Among Passengers.
While the officers and crew wer
| working there was fearful scene o
confusion among the ten passengers
/ They ran about the saloons in disarray
The woman who lost her life had beef
aroused by the stewardess and was Of
! her way to one of the boats when. sh
suddenly turned and dashed back int,
| the flaming cabin. 1t is supposed tina
| she went back for her valuables. Sh
| was not seen again and must have per
| ished. There was no possibility Of wait
| ing for the rescue of those who failed t.
/ appear at once. In the large boat i
| people were afloat. They included tn
! eight rescued passengers and seven o
the crew including the captain. TIL
large boat was just about to be lowered
| when the latter ran up and jumped il
just in the nick of time or he toe woul
have persisted. The smaller boat, which
Pilot McMullin had managed to free
carried seven passengers. The two boat
were rowed as far away from the bur-
ing steamer as was necessary to escap
destruction, and waited there an
watched the boat burn. They mad
every possible effort to find any possibl
survivors, but there was none to b
found. The burning steamer drifte
away toward the Long Island shore. Il
the meantime the tug Bully, which wa
passing with a string of barges in tow
sighted the burning steamer, cast he
tow adrift and came to the rescue of tn
persons in the boats. They were takel
on the small craft, placed in the furnac
room of the tug. clothing was given t
them, and when the steamer Erastu
Corning came along shortly afterwar
were transferred to the latter an
brought to New York.