New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-07-07

OIL TIE CiuD ana the members WIN iAo
pened to be present cav what was COM
ing into their back yard, and tney
turned IN alarms and telephoned for the
police Not knowing how many pas
sengers there might be or how great the
fire might become, they sent out all
available launches and skiffs to the edge
of the steamer The tugs on the sea
side Of the vessel played streams on the
deck and it was due to this help that
the fire which had jumped across the
deck to the forward part of the port
paddle box was kept In subsection.
The fireboat. New Yorker, Zophar
Mills and Seth Low hurried to the dis
abled steamboat and assisted with their
powerful streams. The government sup
ply ship vestal also joined the fleet of
firehghters.
Cara7sn Gets Offer OF Help.
The municipal ferryboat Manhattan.
on her way up to the Battery from st.
George, was the first craft to edge in
close to the Grand Republic. Her cap
tain shouted to Captain Carman and
asked if he should stand by, but when
the skipper replied that he would be able
to make the pier without help the Man
haitian continued on her course.
James A. McConaghy. the purser Of
the Grand Republic, said the crew had
no difficulty in getting down the hose.
and he laid stress upon the fact that it
was good hose. It was held UP against
the superstructure by thin strips of
Lilo joip hot
could pull il down. The entire deck was
covered with life preservers, which. &C
cording to the stea mboat inspectors.
were the best that are manufactured
Captain Henry NJ. Seeley, inspector of
hulls said the Grand Republic was in
/ fine condition. In his report on the
Grand Republic. Captain Seeley said:
She was in amply good condition to
carry the 3.7O0 passengers allowed her
by law. She has more life buoys than
the law requires. besides eight metal
lifeboats, one wooden lifeboat and two
life RATS. She was examined on Nay 20
and re-eXamined on June 81
J. L. Crone, the inspector of boilers,
said the vessels boilers were in good
condition when last examined. and that
she had complied with the. law in having
weekly fire drills.
Triumph for Discipline.
Fred A Bishop. secretary and acting
general mana ger Of the Iron Steamboat
Company. which operates the Grand Re
public. was bubblfng over with delight
when he arrived on the Grand Republic
at the Battery at o m. 1T was a fri
umph for discipline" he said. and I
am proud Of every one of the forty men
| of our crew
Accidents will happen. of course, but
we have demonstrated that we are pre-
| pared to cope with any fire that may
start on board our steamships. We do
not know how the fire started, but we
know that within a minute the lines
We're stretched and water was turned
on and the flames were well under CON
! troll before any assistance came.
II was in the Office when the news
came to me. I went to the seventeenth
| floor. where. with a glass, we could see
the steamship in mass of smoke. When
| ] came down to the office again I was
| told that the Merritt-Chapnlan Wreck
| ing Company had a tug at my disposal.
and I rushed to the scene. Everything
was calm and orderly when I arrived
there, and I was delighted at every
thing I saw and heard of the manner in
| which the crew behaved.
The Grand Republic was purchased
| four years ago from the old Knicker-
booker Steamship Company, which
owned the i'll fated General slocu1n.
Repairs Cost $4,000
In the four years since we operated
the ship we have expended on her fully
$4,000 for new boilers, new electric
light plant enlarged sea cocks and ex-
tended fire lines, so that streams can be
played on any part of the boat and we
replaced the old copac life preservers
with block cork, the best known life pre-
server that can be secured
The rules Of the company require
that fire drill be held each week, and
there is considera BILE rivalry among the
crews of the boats under our control.
The Grand Republic has esta blished
record by having the hose pouring water
over the side within forty-one seconds of
the alarm. All on board of the Grand
Republic agreed that within a minute
OF the alarm streams were playing on the
fire.
The Grand Republic was inspected
shor- time ago and was found TO be in
perfect condition and perfectly equipped.
The damage may amount to between
s., 600 and 5000. but we expect to have
her in commission within. a week. She
has gone to our repair docks at the win
ter quarters. at Edgewater, N ], near
the 1:s0th street ferry landing. To-days
occurrence leaves our record unfair
nished. We have carried 59000.00O per-
sons since we started business without
losing a life"
On Pier l. at the Battery. the landing
place Of the Grand Republic and the
Iron Steamboat Company's boats, there
was a huge pile which contained baby
carriage. a number of valises, coats,
hats. wraps and other impedimenta left
on board by passengers Most of the
stuff however, was checked, showing
that il had been left on board by people
who had gone to Rockaway, expecting
to use the things on the way up in the
evening when ii grew cooler.
The General Socum Disaster.
The grewsome possibilities OF the fire
on the Grand Republic recalls the fate