Omaha daily bee., 1907-05-22
One Passenger Dies of Injuries in Grand
Rapids Hospital.
stVENTY-FVE LIVES ARE ENDANGERED
! asengers and Crew Rescued by Steamer
Kansas and reighter Kerr.
HULK is TowEO INTO GRAND HAVEN
Fire Broke out Between Decks nnd
Made Such Great Hcndway
That Crew Could Not
Control 1t.

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. May a.-Five
lives were lost aud about sevcnty-fve peo-
pie had a perilously close escape from
death when the steamer Naomi OF the
Crosby Transportation company burned
early today In the middle Of Lake Michl-
gan while on its regular night trip from
this port 10 Milwaukee. -Four OF the vic
Tins were coal passers peuned down in
the forecastle by the flames where many
of the rescued passengers from the decks
Of the freighter Kerr and the steamer
Kansas saw them at the portfolios valnly
imporing for help.
]. NJ. Rhoades Of Detroit, a passenger.
was the fifth victim. He was terribly
burned in his berth and died soon after
reaching a hospital at Grand Rapids.
The steamer was burned to the waters
edge and has been towed into this harbor.
where 1t lies at its dock a smouldering
hulk. The fire broke out between decks
in the forward end of the steamer. II
spread with such Tremendous rapidity that
1t was vain for the crew 10 fight the flames
and they busied themselves arousing and
saving the passengers. The Kansas took
all the half clad passengers aboard and
brought them here in a shocked and
frightened condition.
Passenger Dies of Injuries.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. May a..-Four
coal passers were burned TO death and one
passengers, j. NJ Rhoades Of Detroit, was
fatally burned, when the Crosby line
steamer Naomi, formerly the Wisconsin,
was burned to the waters edge early to-
day in the middle of Lake Michigan. Fifty
passengers and all Of the crew except the
four coal passers were taken off in small
boats by the freighter Kerr and the
Naomis sister ship, the Kansas, which was
enroute from Milwaukee to Grand Haven.
j. M Rhoades of Detroit the only one of
the passengers who was seriously injured
and who was hurried TO hospital as soon
as the rescued people had reached Grand
Haven died few hours after arriving
at the hospital Mr.. Rhoades was
lumber expert for the Detroit branch Of
the Diamond Match company.
James Avery OF Tulare, s. D., and Will
lam Sherwood of Fargo, N. d. were the
only passengers aboard residing west OF
Wisconsin.
The loss Of the Naomi, which was in
command of Captain Thomas Trail is
estimated at $225,OOO After the passengers
and crew were rescued, a tug and barge
which had been attracted to the scene by
the fire put line on the burning hulk and
is now towing II to Grand Haven.
The fire started in the vicinity Of the
kitchen between decks and spread 80
rapidly that the whole ship was seething
furnace before the crew could get tho
fire apparatus working Fire swept the
whole length of the ship. II IS considered
miraculous that the passengers all escaped,
Many Of them were taken of in their night
clothes while scarcely any one was more
than partly clad
Discovered by Another Boat.
The fire was not originally discovered
by any of the Naomfs crew, but was first
seen by the lookout on the steamer Kan
sns which was proceeding in the opposite
direction from Milwaukee to Grand Haven.
The Kansas made for the Naomi and in
the meanwhile the passengers Of the i'll
, fated boat were being awakened.
| Captain Thomas Trail was the last man
TO leave the steamer alive and his cloth
ing was almost burned off him.
! 1t is said by the passengers that the
screams of the dying men in the hold were
heard, but that II was impossible to reach
them.
/ Tell Thrilling Stories.
] Many of the passengers of the burned
1 steamer Naomi returned today to this city,
! They told graphic and thrilling tales Of
their dangers and unanimously praised the
/ coolness and bravery of the Naomfs crew.
/ Arthur Jones, a Detroit attorney, lost
( all his belongings except his clothes. What
/ we suffered" he said, "as we stood there
on the stern of the boat watching the fire
creeping towards us in spite OF the heroic
| efforts of the crew 20 beat 1t back, nobody
can tell. Through It all no Drawer men
ever walked than Steward Philip Rossbach
and Purser William Hanrahan of the
Naomi. Brave and cool, os II in port. they
worked like heroes caring for the passen-
gers. 1t was these men who went down TO
the lower deck with smoke and flames all
around them and handed up the body Of
Rhoades. whose picture still haunts me-"
Sol Waterman Of New York said:
Never will forget the picture OF those
poor fellows in the forecastle who were
burned The Naomi was a mass Of flames.
Suddenly the four men who had been
asleep in the forecastle thrust their heads
from the port holes and called for help.
The captain OF the freight steamer we
were on ordered a lifeboat to go TO their
aid. The boat went but the men were
unable 10 squeeze their bodies through the
ports We could hear them calling pitt
fully for help and see them through the
flames, but the lifeboat crew came back
and reported Il could not reach them.
The captain ordered the boat to return
and get the names OF the men. Then We
could hear the questions and answers as
the men told their names and the names
! OF residences OF their families and friends.
4 Finally one man called out: Goodby, I'm
/ gone and fell back into the flames