Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1904-03-04
LIVES WERE lost
RESULT OF FIRE ON STEAMER
QUEEN FROM FRISCO.
Origin Of Fire Unknown--started $3.50
.. m.-Ra1ed Three Hours Before
controlied-owlng to Heavy Sea
Lfeboats capsized-Was 80 Miles
From Land.

Fourteen people lost their lives as
the result Of the fire on the steamer
Queen, from San Francisco to Seattle.
The origin of the fire is 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 conhagra-
ton was first discovered the lifeboats
containing women, children and many
men were launched, but three of these,
owing to the heavy seas, capsized,
splitting 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.
According to the stories told by pas
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 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 manned, 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
16 people.
The first boat capsized almost as
soon as 1t touched the water by get
ting under the stern of the ship. All
l the passengers in this we're rescued by
the other small boats with the excep
tion of Miss Steiner, first class
passenger, who was drowned. The sec
ond boat capsized while being lowered
There were no passengers in this al
the time, but the crew of four mer
who were aboard were spilled out anc
lost. A third boat filed about half
mile from the Queen, and all but foul
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 as fol
lows:
: First cabin-Miss Steiner, Cle-Elum
Wash, drowned In destruction O
, small boat.
: Mrs. E. Adams, Seattle, woman o
so, who died from exposure three hour
} after the discovery Of the fire.
Second class-D. e. Newberry ant
H. Buckley, drowned.
Deckhands--A. Nilsson, ]. Nelson ant
[ B. Frutas, drowned.
| Engineers department-Peter Nuhl
} and M. Flynn. drowned.
/ Waiters-W. lehman and N. Ray
mond, drowned; H. Douglas and A
Donnelly, burned and suffocated.
: The lifeboats that were fioated safel
and two RATS that were thrown ovel
! board to pick up any who might b
| thrown in the water remained In tn
: vicinity of the burning vessel, an
. within view of 1t while the fire was be
: ing fought by the crew and those NAL
= passengers that remained on board
Q Every available stream Of water wa
r thrown into the burning cabin, the me
+ working coolly and without any excite
ment. The survivors state that ever
man kept his head and worked har
! to subdue the flames. Despite thei
efforts, however, 1t was after o'cloc
. before the fire was under control an
the signal was given to the small boat
+ to return to the vessel.
q Passengers when interviewed this a
v ternoon stated without exception ths
l. everything was done by Captain Coz
4 sins that was possible to insure the
i safety. Had 1t not been necessary
/. send off the boats not a life would hav
J. been lost, but as it was dark whe
the fire started, and 1t was impossibl
y to light the vessel or to confine the WI
n men to their staterooms, 1t was a.
# solutely necessary to send them ava
t. to avoid panic.
RI Practically the entire aft of the shi
Q is in ruins. The intense heat OF II
3 flames has bent and twisted the Il
Il terror iron work into a shapeless mas
IS and sailors viewing the ruins tods
70 state that they do not understand no
1t was possible to get control OF II
Flames. Were 1t not for the fact th'
the captain, crew and passengers b
8, haved with the utmost GOODNESS, Il
b. vessel would have undoubtedly bee
e, DESTROYED and the loss Of life bee
Is than 200 passengers.
c. enormous. The vessel carried mo
rs
s. The Iananese government has pas