The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-07-23
Steamer Menus, With Fire
in Hold, Gets Aid of
Sister Ship,
SING ALL NIGHT.
TO KEEP COURAGE
Passengers Behave Bravely After
Original Excitement Is
Quoted

CHARLESTON. s c.. July s-The
snap and flash IF the wireless sendirg
out the IS o. S" caII-the nigh sea cry
/ fo- heIp-today resulted in the saving Of
scores OF lives after flames broke out
on the 5.o1o-tcn coast liner Nomus.
owned by che Southern Pacific Com
psnv. of the Florida coast
News Of the disaster was received here
/ IN wireless dispatches
The ComUs. a sister ship belonging 70
The same line. ansW cred the call. stand
Ing by while the passengers were trans
/ ferred.
The advices sent out while the vess =
/ vas ahIzze in twelve athc-s Of water.
said that there was a minimum OF cor
fusion among the passengers and that
nearly all. especially the women. act 81
with heroisn. from the time the fan IS
were discovered until they were Sc &c
aboard The relief ship
There were sixty passengers on board
and a crew OF 10 men.
The Menus plies ike the Comus. be-
tween New York and New Orleans. She
made her lrs- trlD IN Noveuber. 1906
or steel 40 feet long she was built IN
Philadelphia by WiIiauh Craup add
Scrs- Her beam is So feet and her
depth $50 rezt-
she left New York last wednesday
with a large passenger list and a good
cargo Of freight She was due in New
Orleans late tomorrow or early Monday.
Fire Well Advanced
The fire was well advanced when dis
covered yesterday afternoon For q
tine efforts were made To keep the sit
uatiOn from the knowledge OF the pas
se-Sers, but eventually. this becawr i'm
possible, as the blaze gained head ,sav-
In the meantime the wireless had been
splitting out flashes necessarily When
II was seen that the passengers would
inevitably have TO know the situs=s51
the answer Of the Comus was PICKED
mp She was bound up the coast from
New Orleans.
Capt John BOYD, Of the Nom or
dered all hands 90 fight the FIRE II was
impossible TO penetrate the flaming hold.
50 the matches were battered down and
the pumps kept gelne ilcessantIv. food
Ing the compartment
The vessel was compelled to sIaczen
speed and then lay TO- The life boats
were got in readiness TO take the pas
senEers ashore II was proposed to land
them on the sandy but treacherous
beach, II necessary
Sing All Night.
A few OF the passengers went 10 the
aid Of the officers. cooperating in
maintaining ch5srfuIness- All through
the night anxious groups Of passengers
hUddled on deck. but some were in
duced TO 20 to bed.
The saloon was turned over 70 those
VINO preferred 20 stay awake and two
score passengers sang ali night while
one OF their number played the piano
VI hen the CODus came Up al last and
her master, Captain CIaxs0n, signaIed
that he was ready TO take aboard all
passengers, the condition Of those on
the Menus was as good as could be
expected Some O. the more nervous
however. were III q state bordering on
collapse
The small boats Of both shins we're
women. and children from the Menus
Today the blaze was got under control
Fear Of its IaT-lg I'D should air be al
lowed 10 enter the compartment pre-
vented the opening Of the matches FOR
the time being however
Until the hold could be searched after
the process Of SDOtlerIuE should be
abandoned no definite estimate of the
damage could be made according TO the
officers
Rude INVESTIGATIONS, however. led 10
the statement that the hull Of the yes
sci was not damaged, and that she
probably could make port without diff
Guilty under her own steam