Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1904-03-05
FOURTEEN LIVES WERE LOST
RESULT OF FIRE ON STEAMER
QUEEN FROM FRISCO.
origin of Fire Unknown-Started 4:3o
a. m.-Raged Three Hours Before
ControIled-owing to Heavy Sea
Lifeboats capsized-Was 80 Miles
From Land.

Lifeboats 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.
It started in the social hall of the yes
! sci at about 4:30 in the morning and
ragged for three hours before it was got
! en- Under control. When the conlagra.
ZION was first discovered the lifeboats
containing women, children and many
men were launched, but three of these,
owing to the heavy seas, capsized,
5pilling the passengers in the water
and causing the loss of nine lives.
Three men, walters on the vessel, were
sulfocated 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
% 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
eial hall on the aft of the main deck,
The crew was Immediately rousted out
md the hose manned, while the stew
ards went from cabin to cabin, waking
mp 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
Is people.
The first boat capsized almost as
soon as it touched the water by get
ting under the stern Of the ship. All
the passengers in this We're rescued by
he other small boats with the eXcep-
ion of Miss Steiner, a first class
passenger, who was drowned. The sec
ond boat capsized while being lowered
There were no passengers in this at
he time, but the crew of four men
who were aboard were spilled out and
lost. A third. boat filed about half a
nile from the Queen, and all but folN
# 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 of
small boat.
30, who died from exposure three hours
after the discovery of the fire.
Second class-D. E. Newberry and
H. Buckley, drowned.
Deckhands--A Nilsson, J. Nelson and
B. Frutas, drowned.
Engineers department-Peter Nuhn
and NJ. Flynn, drowned.
Waiters-W. lehman and N. Ray
mOnd, drowned; II. Douglas and A.
Donneny, burned and suffocated.
The lifeboats that were floated safely
and two RATS that were thrown over
board to pick up any who might be
thrown in the water remained in the
vicinity of the burning vessel, and
within view of it while the fire was be-
ing fought by the crew and those male
| passengers that remained on board.
| Every available stream of water was
thrown into the burning cabin. the men
working coolly and without any excite
ment. The survivors state that every
man kept his head and worked hard
TO subdue the flames. Despite their
efforts, however it was after 7 O'Clock
before the fire was under control and
the signal was given to the small boats
10 return to the vessel.
Passengers when interviewed this af-
ternoon stated without exception that
everything was done by Captain Cou-
sins that was possible to insure their
safety, Had it not been necessary to
send off the boats not life would have
been lost, but as it was dark when
the fire started and it was impossible
TO light the vessel or TO confine the wo
men TO their staterooms, it was alb
solutely necessary TO send them away
70 avoid a panic.
Practically the entire aft of the shiT
is in ruins. The intense heat of the
flames has bent and twisted the in
terror iron work into a shapeless mass
and sailors viewing the ruins today