Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-12-19
A SOUND DISASTER
Steamer Glen Island Burned
Near Execution Rock.
MANY SUFFOCATED IN THEIR BERTHS
stnrin Liner, on Her way From New
York to New Haven, Caught Fire
In Early Morning = Crew
Behaved Like Heroes.

NEW HAVEN, Conn, Dec. 19.-The
steamboat Glen Island of the Starin
line, on her way from New York to
New Haven, caught fire when but q
short distance past Execution rock, in
Long Island sound, early in the morn
ing. and in the rapid spread of the
flames two passengers and seven men
of the crew were cut off from help Or
escape. They undoubtedly persisted
and only by the prompt and heroic ac-
ton of Captain Charles Il. MacAllaster
and the remaining members of the
crew were the sleeping passengers
aroused and saved. In their night
clothes they hastily boarded two life
boats and for an hour awaited the help
of succoring vessels, all the while suf-
fering from the intense cold. First
picked up by the tug Bully, they We're
transferred TO the Erastus Corning, a
freight boat of the Starin line, and
brought to this city at daylight.
The dead are: Mrs. Rosa Silken, fifty
five years old, 206 Hamilton street,
New Haven; unidentified man, suppos-
ed to reside in New Haven: Peter Ben
son. deck hand; Otto Burgh. deck
hand; John Burke. fireman; Frank
Bush, fireman; w. Il. Hendrlckson, as
sistant engineer; Human Miller, fire.
man, and Ole Olafren, fireman.
When the Glen Island left the Starin
pier at 0 o'clock at night there were
ten passengers and a crew of twenty
M persons, including Captain David
Marcus, who was to take command of
the boat OIL her next trip. The main
deck of the steamboat was filed with
merchandise consigned to stores in the
Connecticut city, nearly all of an in
fammable nature and roughly valued
at 100000. The boat, built twenty
four years & of the fiimsy construc-
ton peculiar to excursion craft. rep
resented a value of $4,000, according
to the Starins, and all was covered
injury.
Frank b. Street, a wholesale grocer
In New Haven, with his wife and two
daughters, Miss Emeline Street, Il stu
dent in Vassar college, and Miss Grace
Street, together with Arthur Wallace,
son of II. Wallace, a silver manufac-
turer in Wallingford, Conn, were the
first cabin passengers. Travelling Sec
ond class We're Mrs. Rosa Silken, who
persisted; Nathan Dublin, a clothing
manufacturer of $50 Cedar street, New
Haven; three Hebrew men, one OF
whom WINS lost, and an Italian.
Comparing the disaster with the ter
rible fatality and fire that destroyed
the General Slocum, the heroism Of the
handful of men that comprised the
crew of the Glen Island rang along the
water front when the facts became
known. From Captain MacAllaster
down to the humbTest deck hand there
was not one who sfifked duty or show
ed a sign of c%owardice, and that the
work of rescue was carried on only
by the light of the raging flames in
creased the praise.
Hendrickson, the assistant engineer,
was on duty and would not leave his
post. Miller and Burke, firemen, stay
ed by him until they were cut Off by
the rapid spread or the nrc ana tnefe
was no help. All the others lost, it is
believed, were suffocated in their
berths except the woman, who, dragged
from danger by Sarah Smoot, a negro
stewardess, returned to her room in an
endeavor to save her jewels.
For himself Captain MacAllaster told
Il modest story of the rescues from the
burning boat and rave great credit to
the officers under him. They in turn
praise the venerable skipper, who,
nearly sixty-eight years old, has for
twenty-three years been a master along
the Atlantic coast. The fire, the cap
tain believed. started from defective
insulation OF. electric light wires in the
main companionway from the main
deck to the stateroom deck above.