The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1904-03-04
FOURTEEN LIVES WERE LOST
RESULT OF FIRE ON STEAMER
QUEEN FROM FRISCO.
Origin OF. Fire Unknown-Started $3.50
a. m.-Raned Three Hours Before
ControlIed-Owing to Heavy Sea
Lfeboats Capsized-Was 80 Miles
From Land.

tOurIeen people lOSl luelI HNSS "S
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 hail of the YES
sci at about 4:30 in the morning and
ragged for three hours before it was got
ten Under control. When the conhagra-
ZION 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 a 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 it touched the water by get
ting under the stern of the ship. All
the passengers in this were rescued by
the other small boats with the eXcep-
r ton OF a Miss Steiner, a first class
5 passenger, who was drowned. The sec
= Ond boat capszed while being lowered
? There were no passengers in this at
S the time, but the crew of four men
who were aboard were spilled out and
e lost third boat filed about half
e mile from the Queen; and all but four
d of it's passengers and crew were res
Q cued by the other small craft in the
! vicinity.
> List of the Missing.
The list of the missing are as fol-
q lows:
= First cabin-Miss Steiner, Cle-Elum,
# Wash, drowned in destruction Of
! small boat.
Mrs. e. Adams, Seattle, a woman OF
so, who died from exposure three hours
], after the discovery Of the fire.
d Second class-D. E. Newberry and
ID H. Buckley, drowned.
he Deckhands-A. Nilsson, J. Nelson and
e B. Frutas, drowned
Tx Engineers department-Pete MUM
le and M. Flynn, drowned.
st Waiters-W lehman and N. Ray
es mOnd drowned; H. Douglas and A
es Donnelly, burned and suffocated.
The lifeboats that were floated safely
n and two RATS that were thrown over
r. board to pick up any who might be
n thrown in the water remained in the
al vicinity of the burning vessel anC
. within view of it while the fire was be
ms ing fought by the crew and those male
10 passengers that remained on board
he Every available stream of water wa
o.
llv working coolly and without any excite
% ment The survivors state that ever
mt man kept his head and worked har
by to subdue the flames. Despite thei
er efforts, however, it was after o'cloc
before the fire was under control an
Nc the signal was given to the small boat
to return to the vessel.
of Passengers when interviewed this a
ternOon stated without exception tha
lid everything was done by Captain Coz
The sins that was possible to insure the
lew safety. Had it not been necessary
giS- send off the boats not life would hav
of been lost, but as it was dark whe
val the fire started, and it was impossib
Mil to light the vessel or to confine the W
de- men to their staterooms, it was a
solutely necessary to send them ava
by to avoid panic.
ion Practically the entire aft of the sh
her is in ruins. The intense heat of Il
art flames has bent and twisted the
air terror iron work into a shapeless mas
the and sailors viewing the ruins tod;
rec state that they do not understand no
,ivil it was possible to get control of Il
was flames Were it not for the fact tn
the the captain, crew and passengers /
haved with the utmost GOODNESS, &
vessel would have undoubtedly be-
DESTROYED and the loss of life be-