The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-17
BROKE OUT IN NIGHT.
Filled With Smoke
and Lights Went Out.
Property Loss Is Estimated at a
Quarter Of a Million.

the personal courage of the officers and
crew and the excellent discipline main
tained when a horrible death for all
seemed almost a certainty. When the
steamer was abandoned she was flame
swept from stern to stem and yet the
only persons who lost their lives were
those whose escape had been entirely
cut off by the fire before the alarm
reached them. Of the 81 persons, in
Guiding 10 passengers, who sailed away
on the Glen Island last night %, in
Guiding passengers, were brought
back today.
The dead are:
PASSENGERS.
UNKNOWN HEBREW WOMAN,
said to have resided at 206 Hamilton
street, New Haven.
UNKNOWN MAN, supposed to be a
New Yorker.
w. E. HENDRICKSON, assistant
engineer.
LUMAN MILLER, fireman.
FRANK BUSH, fireman.
| JOHN BURKE, fireman.
OTTO Z. ALOF'RAN, fireman.
| o. BERG, deck hand.
Among the passengers rescued were
Mr.. and Mrs. Frederick B. Street, New
| Haven.
/ Two daughters of the Streets.
| Max Levin. New York.
| Nathan Dublin, New Haven.
Arthur Wallace, Wallingford, Conn.
The Glen Island left her dock here
| last night for New Haven. The trip
down through the sound was without
| incident. About midnight, when about
| three miles west of Greenwich, Conn,
| there came a rush of sitting smoke
from the hold and every electric light
| on board the craft was eXtinguish ed.
Captain McAllister sent in the alarm
for fire drill and the men came tum-
I@Is I,ni, Tn f11c
meantime the steering gear had been
| blocked and the pilots finding them
selves unable to direct the course of
| the steamer, hurried to the assistance
of the other mem berS of the crew in
saving lives.
Captain McAllister ordered Pilot
Nc cMullin to go to the hurricane deck
and loosen one of the boats while he
floosen the two large life boats.
| Captain McAllister managed to
| loosen the port life boat. The other
| life boat was frozen to the davits, but
| a smaller one was soon ready to be
| lowered away.
While the officers and crew were
working there was scene of con-
fusion among the passengers. They
! woman who lost her life had been
aroused by the stewardess and was on
her way to one of the boats when she
suddenly turned and dashed back into
that she went back for her valuables.
She was not seen again and must have
| perished. There was no possibility of
waiting for the rescue of those who
failed to appear at once. In the large
| boat 3 people We're affoat. They in
| cluded the eight rescued passengers
| and seven of the crew, including the
captain. The smaller boat, which
Pilot McMullin had managed to free
| carried seven passengers. The two
| boats were rowed as far away from
the burning steamer as was necessary
! to escape destruction and waited there
made every possible effort to find any
| possible survivors but there was none
to be found.
| The Street girls are students at Vas
sar and were on their way to New Ha-
ven for the holiday vacation at home.
| The Glen Island was running up the
sound at her usual speed. when the fire
was discovered.
| How and where it originated is some
thing of a mystery, but it is believed
| to have started in a dynamo located be-
low and near the center of the vessel.
Nearly all the passengers were in their
berths when the vessel suddenly became
| filled with sitting smoke and the lights
went out. Efforts to check the spread
of the flames We're without avail and
the life boats were prepared. With life
| belts about them, the passengers were
quickly transferred to small boats.
Eight persons got into one and Is into
anOIner. Ice S11dSn60 one OIL the boats
and to this the loss of life is supposed
to have been due. So heavily laden
was the second boat that it threatened
every moment to capsize.
The tug Bully came to the rescue and
ran in as close as possible, but moth
ing could be seen of the nine missing
persons and all hope of saving them
was given up. Those in the life boats
were taken aboard and the tug headed
for New York. On the way she met the
steamer Erastus Corning, also of the
Star line and the rescued were trans
ferred to teis vessel They reached here
shortly before o'clock this morning
Beyond having suffered severely from
the cold and nervous shock none was
injured. The Glen Island which was
commanded by Captain McAlliSter, who
was the last person to leave the wreck
/ was constructed from the ruins of the
City of Richmond. The latter, curious
ly enough, also was burned. After hav-
ing been rebuilt, the steamer was chris
tened William G. Egerton, and later re-
named Glen Island.
Captains island, where the Glen
Island drifted ashore, lies off Green
wich, Conn.,, not far from the north
shore of Long Island sound. Survivors
city about daylight on the steamboat
F;rastus Corning. There were scantily
clothed and have lost almost every
thing they possessed in their rush to
the boats.
Captain Charles McA1lister, who
commanded the Glen Island, escaped
with only his under clothes. trousers
and overcoat. He lost nearly every
thing he owned including money Jew