The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1904-12-22
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.

ing N1Sut.
New York, Dec. 19.-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 a 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 06 Ham
ilton street, New Haven; unknown
man, supposed to be New Yorker.
Crew: W. E. Hendrickson, assist
ant engineer; Luman Miller, fireman;
Frank Bush, fireman; John Burke,
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 crew of
21 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 on
board the craft was extinguished.
When the captain rushed to the deck
smoke was pouring from every pas
sageway and flames were sweeping up
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 the
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 members of the crew in
saving lives.
Capt McAllister ordered McMullin
to 60 to the hurricane deck and loosen
the two large life-boats. Capt. Meal
lister managed to loosen the port life
boat The other lifeboat was frozen
to the davits, but a smaller one was
soon ready to be lowered away.
Confusion Among Passengers.
While the officers and crew were
working there was a fearful scene of
confusion among the ten passengers.
They ran about the saloons in disarray.
The 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
the flaming cabin. 1t is supposed that
she went back for her valuables. She
was not seen again and must have per-
ished. There was no possibility of wait
ing for the rescue of those who failed to
appear at once. In the large boat Is
people were af1oat. They included the
eight rescued passengers and seven of
the crew including the captain. The
large boat was just about to be lowered,
when the latter ran up and jumped in
just in the nick of time or he too would
have persisted. The smaller boat, which
Pilot McMullin had managed to free,
carried seven passengers. The two boats
were rowed as far away from the burn
ing steamer as was necessary to escape
destruction, and waited there and
watched the boat burn. They made
every possible effort to find any possible
survivors, but there was none to be
found. The burning steamer drifted
away toward the Long Island shore. In
the meantime the tug Bully, which was
passing with string of barges in tow,
sighted the burning steamer, cast her
tow adrift and came to the rescue of the
persons in the boats. They were taken
on the small craft, placed in the furnace
room of the tug, clothing was given to
them, and when the steamer Erastus
Corning came along shortly afterward
were transferred to the latter and
brought to New York.
Bad Fire in Boston,