The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-06
MONTEREY MAKES PORT APIRE
BEACHED DFF STAPLETON-PtS-
SENGERS TAKE Ut COOLLY.
Most Of Them Taken on, but M Take
Chances on the ship slipping on Her
Mudbank. This Morning "A Hemp Fire
which show ed Itself First az Quarantine


from Progreso. Mexico. and Havana,
dropped anchor of Quarantine at $50
o'clock last night and a few minutes later
Capt. Arthur Smith and his crew OF 40
men were fighting a fierce hemp fire in the
forward hold.
The health officers had just gone
aboard when the fire. which had been
sm%ouldering for days In all probability,
showed itself and columns OF black
smoke lifted above the Monterey's bow.
of them in the first cabin. and although
the fire scare came on them all at once
they behaved sensibly and there was never
danger of a panic at any time. Some Of
the women folk were pretty nervous. but
Capt. Smith and his officers assured them
that the fire was confined to one hold and
that there was no immediate peril.
Tn ca ptain decided Immediately to beach
the ship at once as the best way out Of trou-
BILE. The matches were battened down,
four hose lines were run down through the
forward ventilstors into Hold /. where the
hemp was blazing, and the Monterey's
modern fire apparatus was used to food
the hold with steam. The crew, under first
rate fire discipline. worked fast, but the
hemp burned %stubbornly and at first the
men made small progress.
When they tried TO get the Monterey's
big anchor up there was trouble. The
winch was almost directly over the hottest
part of the fire and the men couldn't ha ndle
it. Finally they slipped the anchor alto
gether and forty-ive fathoms OF good
anchor chain went with the hook. They
attached a buoy to the, anchor chain, how
ever, and may pick IL up later on.
Capt. Smith moved the ship slowly toward
Stapleton. making about five knots. his
men fighting the fire every fathom Of the
way. NJ. Paul lie Faivre. the French Minis
ter to Cuba. and Baron Won Humbracht,
German Minister to Cuba, were on deck
most of the time watching the sailors at
work.
Between Clifton and Staplston Capt.
Smith beached the Monterey ~broadside on,
laying his boat on to a mudbank about
800 yards from shore. The Monterey draws
about twenty-five feet and there was less
than fifteen feet depth over the mudbank.
Sliding on sideways she stuck fast from
stem to stern.
Word was got TO the Ward Line office by
telephone, and the lines tug. Charm, ran
out as quickly as possible. Capt. Randolph
OF the Charm got two more hose lines
aboard the Monterey and added a few men
to Smiths fire fighting crew. A little later
the Governor Flower Of the Quarantine
feet ran over 10 the Monterey and put DR..
Doty, the Health Officer. Aboard. Then the
Quarantine tug Charles F. Allen laid along
side and DR.. Doty sent by her twenty-one
passengers TO Hoffman Island and eighty
six to the Ward Line pier in the East River.
Thirteen passengers. among them the
French Minister and his wife. decided they
might as we'll remain aboard. There was
little real discomfort for them except the
smoke.
Capt. smith decided he didn't need any
help from the New York Fire Department,
and although two or three fireboats were
ready to run across the bay there was no
call for heir services. BY . o'clock the cap
tain had the fire under control and pretty
thoroughly wetted down. The blaz re was
confined entirely to 800 tons OF hemp packed
in Hold l and the general cargo was little
injured.
DIR. Doty spent the night on the Governor
U lOWVIs III N hit AtIOANttbys
The freboat New Yorker went down on it's
own hook to aid in case OF an ~emssgency.
The customs officials sent down the
revenue cutter Hudson n the baggage
Of the passengers was gone through on ship
board so as not to put them to any more
inconvenience than was necessary.
At hood tide, which comes about 4 o'clock
this morning. Capt. Smith thought he could
go. A. NgNntarau IN thn r,,.dha III and 0,ool,,
anchored in deep water. IL wasn't neces-
sary to open the sea cocks and food the en-
tire hold. as Capt. Smith thought at first
would nave to be done. but so much water
was poured below to drown out the fire that
the Monterey may have a hard time sliding
of even at flood tide.
The Monterey is OF 2,9i8 ions register and
is one Of the four larger boats of the Ward
Line. She was built at Cramps yard in
1901. She sailed on June 20 from Progreso
and on July ? from Havana Most of her
cargo consists OF coffee. sugar, fruit and
West Indian woods. Water and smoke
damaged some Of the cargo. particularly
the coffee and sugar.
How fire started in the hemp in Hold 1
the officers of the Monterey couldn't figure
ont. They were sure. though, that il must
nave Deen hputteTlnk anu HinOulueTlnR
deep down in the compartment for days
and that a sudden draught when the Mon
terey came up TO Quarantine famed IL to a
first burst of flame. The hold where the
hemp wa carried was deep down and
farthest forward, and il would rave been
easy for the fire to burn slowly for some
days without being discovered.
Among the passengers who were landed
at the Ward Line pier by the Governor
Flower were the German Minister to Cuba,
Baron Won Humbraoht, and the Baroness
and Dynamite Johnny" O'Brien. the Cuban
Hlibusterer and soldier Of fortune. "Dyna-
mite Johnny" wasn't lazing while the fire
was going strong but worked with the crew,
coat and waistcoat OF. The Rev. DR..
Edward Herrick came ashore. He is "A
minister Of Havana.
The discipline aboard the Monterey was
so good and Capt. Smith and his officers
handled the crisis so quickly and quietly
that most OF the steerage passengers didn't
even know there was a fire in the ship until