The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-18
SAVANNAH BOAT GOT IN ATTIRE.
PASSENGERS nan 4 PiNICKl
HOUR or TWO orr BiRNEGiT.
Alarm Came at q \. VI. ami Some We're shy
OF Before breakfast Courage Boats
Were Got Ready TO Take Them or If
Need Came-It Didn't GbUdI Hurt.

i ne COastWl|e steamer Kansas Wy 'l
the Savannah Line cam" into port few
minutes before noon yesterday WIN her
forward hold red hot from fire snoIHer-
ing in the cotton and sixty-clght nervous
passengers who had been pretty badly
scared but didn't Ike 10 admit IT, MheA
they felt the solid ground Of Manhattan
under their feet they made light OF the
panicky hour o- two they spent in the fog
off Barnegat. when the steamer was first
found to he on fire.
The Kansas City left Savannah AT p NJ
last Wednesday, Capt II. c. Lewis was IN
command, with 5. y. Hamilton a. first
officer and William Rynerson second officer.
There were forty nine passengers in the
first cabin eighteen in the second and one
IN the Storage.
She had taken on at Savannah $50 tons
of freight, which included 1913 bales Oh
cotton. The cotton vas loaded into forward
hold No !. The rest Of the cargo was made
up Of hundred odd casks Of turpentlne,
stored amd-hip-; large conalgnments OF
Southern fruits and melons, lumber. naval
stores and pig iron. There was IA con
siderable quantity Of resin in a hold near
the cotton.
The Kansas City ran into fog of Barn"-
cat about clock yesterday morning
Capt. Lewis wa asleep in his cabin then
and First Officer Hamilton ordered the
anchor dropped Most Of the passengers
were In their staterooas som" dressing,
but the greater number in Their herthS
A few who had risen early were III the sihoN-
ing room, Among these were l.. b puhh'r-
ton and ". l. Benedict of Syracuse, VINO
were waiting for their wives to JOIN them.
Il smell smoke said Dunkerton, some
thing stronger than cigar smoke
A minute or two later the cabin began TO
Ali with thick smoke that had a sharp,
pungent odor
Mr.. Dunkerton called a cabin boy and
told him he thought the steamer was on
fire. The cabin boy told the steward, the
steward told the first officer and Hamilton
awakened Capt Lewis. BY the time the
captain got on deck passengers who had
cabins forward were rushing on deck,
CRYING Fire" and on the verge Of panic
Most of them were women and some were
in airv dress The forward stateruoin-
were so hot then that nobody could stay
in them, and the smoke was pouring up
from the fore hold. Aft there was Att"
smoke and the heat of the fire had not been
felt.
Capt Lewis and his two officers first Of
all got the women on deck quietcd.
There is a fire in the hold where the
cotton is stored said he Il don't think
there is any danger to the ship, and if there
is we are all right anyhow. We've got
plenty of boats and We are near land and
more than that we have got plenty Of time.
Just keep coof and don't get in the way
4 ~ 20 Ilir III god prh hoard y
The majority Of the women were level
headed and sensible, but few couldn't he
Gained. A girl from Savannah, who had
been very popular on the trip, kept scream
ing and crying that the ship would surely
burn up and that everybody would have to
die She was in such state that the other
women began to get pancky and even some
Of the men looked longngly at the boats.
Hamilton, said the captain, get that
woman aft in a stateroom somewhere or
the Lord knows what will happen. She's
worse than spark IN powder INA gazine.
The first officer led the girl away and
she tainted before he got her into the
stewards hands. She was a pretty girl,
tall with lot of dark brown hair and a nice
compile xion. but hadn't her nerve with her.
The captain then got the male passen-
gers around him and told them that their
business was to stay right with the women
and see that they didn't get frightened,
and that they were ready to leave the snip
II it became necessary.
The Kansas City has crew Of ffty-nine
all told and they soon had three * life boats
swinging over the water ready to drop
at the order. Water and provisions Were
put in the boats,
The whistle Of the Kansas City was turned
loose, blowing for hep-uuick short blasts.
Hamilton and dozen men tired to take
hose into the hold where tie cotton was,
but the place was like redhOt furnace
and the men found it Impossible to stand
the resino smoke Hamilton reported
that it was impossible to fight the fire that
way. So the ventiat ors were closed with
canvas, mattresses and anything that came
handy, the hatches were battcned down,
every outlet of the hold was closed and
steam was turned in 1t seemed to lessen
the heat after while but the smoke poured
out heavier than ever.
Capt. Lewis had got the anchor up and
the Kansas City was making slowly for
the Sandy Hook LightGh!2. Sh" had gon"
about five miles when foot came out Of
the fog and the big tug McCaldln Brothers
shot alongside. The tug had been cruising
off Banegat on the chance Of a job
THE ships afire,' shouted Capt. Lewis
to Capt. John Gully Of the tug Stand
by us in case we need help. ! think we can
get along all right now.
The coming of the tug Cheered the W omen
immensely. Conveyed by the tug the
Kansas City went along TO the lightship,
where she picked up another tug, the X, j.
Barrett. The two tugs ran alongside the
steamer to Quarantine, whence the news
OF the fire was sent to the city, and the Fire
Department and the police were asked to
he on hand to meet the steamer at Pier 80
near the foot of Spring street
The Kansas City left Quarantine about
1850 o'clock and made her way w the Bay
under her own steam to her III r The
passengers were all ready to land and didn't
waste minute.
The firemen working from the McClel-
Ian and the Abram s. Hewitt. which got to
the pier a few minutes after the Kansas
City, poured sea water into the hold where
the cotton smoldercd. BY 3 O'Clock in the
afternoon they had the fire whipped All
the cotton was destroyed and the loss in
fruits and other per-hable freight is
heavy. II may be that the ship herself is
considerably damaged.
"Capt. Lewis showed himself mighty
good man said Charles Reyes Il lunl ,r
man OF Augusta, Ga. who wa. "A passenger
Nobody at first knew how bad the fire
was and the fog made the situation all the
more alarming, but the captain was as
cool as a cucumber calming the passengers.
giving orders one after the other and smok-
ing cigar all the while. The women were
shrieky and foolish, Of course. but the men
acted pretty we'll, except for one fellow
who lost his head completely and prayed
q he saved When he rcnliZn1 TINT {, IA.