Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1904-10-29
HEAVY FIRE LOSS
IN new YORK CITY
Believed to Have Been of Incen.
diary Origin.
LOSS ESTIMATED AT $1,000, ,ooo
Piers and Sheds of Large Warehouses
Are Swept by Flames-Ocean Goinq
Steamers Are Damaged by Fierce
Flames.

Are Swept by Flames-Ocean Coin,
Steamers Are Damaged by Fierc
Flames.
New York, Oct 28.-Fire, believe,
10 have been of incendiary origin
swept over the piers. warehouses ant
shipping at the Bush Terminal com
pany store, South Brooklyn, early to
day.
The loss is estimated at more THAI
$1,O00,000. One life, that of a police
man, is known to have been lost ant
other dead may be found later. A
fireman was badly injured.
Four fine ocean-going steamship.
were badly damaged, having beer
ablaze from bow to stern, and hun
dreds of thousands of dollars worth
of cotton, hemp and the general car
go Of China ships being in the har
Dor were partially destroyed.
After a battle of more than three
hours by the entire Brooklyn depart
ment, the flames were pronounced un
der control. At first the firemen
could make no headway The smoke
from the burning hemp prevented the
t1remen from approaching one section
of the fire, which set fire to the cotton
in the holds of the steamships, and
could not be affected by the water.
The known dead:
Policeman Patrick Gushing, OF the
city Of Brooklyn, caught at the end OF
Pier No 6.
The injured:
Benjamin Walsh, fireman, skull
fractured in fall down a hatchway.
Walsh lay in the hold of the Cittadi
Palermo for two hours while fire on
the vessel was all around him.
AS to the fate of the crews Of the
ships nothing definite is known. The
vessels were the American, Arizonian
and Nebraskan, Of the American and
Hawaiian Steamship company, and the
Citta di Palemor of the Italian line.
They were warped tightly to the pier
and tugs could not get alongside ow.
ing to the intense heat.
That the fire is of incendiarv ma.
ture is the belief of two private de-
tectives and two Welshmen.
Last Tuesday morning fire in one of
the many piers Of the company also
started mysteriously, and DESTROYED
$50,000 to $4,000 worth of cotton.
Much ill-feeling is said to exist be.
tween the Terminal company and
some OF the residents of the neighbor.
hood because the company desired to
close certain South Brooklyn streets.
After Tuesdays fire the company EN-.
ployed private detectives.
A few minutes before midnight the
detectives and watchmen were half.
way out on Pier No. 7, 134 feet long.
and 140 feet wide. Alongside this pier
lay the American-Hawaiian ships. Be.
tween them were lighters laden with
cotton and hemp. On the pier was
ton upon ton of merchandise. Nearest
the men lay the Nebraskan, on the
point of sailing for the Pacific. From
the lighter Victor, according to the
men almost on the stroke of midnight
came shaft of fire which shot be.
tween them and the end of the pier.
and almost simultaneously between
them and the shore came another bolt.
In an instant, the men declare. the
flames had spread apparently in every
direction. Escape was cut off and
within five minutes aftar giving the
alarm the watchman and crew aboard
the different vessels, the watchman
jumped into the water.
The spread of the fire was describ.
ed to be astounding. Ten minutes
layer the long pier was blazing from
e1d to end, and the flames had caught
the Nebraskan. The calls of the
men aboard were heard, but they could
not be reached from land for the
flames arching over the high steam.
ship fell upon the lighter Adelaide,
and over to Pier No. 6, where were
stored thousands Of bales of cotton
and hemp. It's course there was quick
and once inside, the flames could not
be reached by water. 1t was impos.
sible for the firemen or the fire tugs
available to approach the burning
ships, bound, as they were, to the
blazing piers and throwing off the
most intense heat.
Gushing lost his life, it is believed,
when he made reckless dash through
the flames out to the pier to give the
alarm to any person who might be
aboard the ships. The fire cut off his
return.
The damaged vessels were all new,
except the Citta di Palermo of the Ital.
Ian line.
Belonging to the American Hawai-
Ian Steamship company were the
American, the Nebraskan and the Ar
izona-among the best In the Atlantic
and Pacific trade.
The burned piers were the largest
in New York harbor.