Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-16
BAY LINER ON FIRE
American tackles Fight Flames
on Steamer Maryland.
BOAT IS FINALLY BEACHED
Three Hundred Passengers in Peril
of Life.
ENTIRE INTERIOR BURNED OUT
Heroism of United States Sailors
Prevents Tragedy-Mate in
Great Jeopardy.
ENTIRE INTERIOR BURNED OUT

Great Jeopardy.
| NORFOLK, Va, December 16.-With
| the suddenness of an explosion fire
was discovered on the steamer Mary
| land of the New York, Philadelphia
and Norfolk railroad while that steam
err was en- route to Cape Charles from
Norfolk last night with nearly 800 pas
sengers on board. Before the flames
were subdued practically the entire in
| terror Of the vessel was burned.
| That the ship was not totally de-
stroyed and that no lives were lost is
due directly to the hero1sm Of NJ. Stone
and W. II. Schingle, United States sail.
ors from the receiving ship Franklin,
who had just completed their train
ing course at the st. Helena reserva-
ton and. with eight shipmates, were On
their way to the New York navy yard
to be assigned to the battleships In
diana and Massachusetts,.
Mate Nearly Lost Life.
| Fire was first discovered among 400
bales Of cotton on the steamer. Mate
W. Il. Foster attempted to extinguish
| tiC ildAlOS Will d SIuSlC lOIIc VI uOSc
He came near losing his life.
| When he tried to get back to safety
he found that he was cut off on all
! sides by the fire. Then a rope was
| thrown to him, and he was hauled to
the upper deck.
With the fire burning and no effort
being made to extinguish it, Stone.
Schingle and their eight shipmates
practically took charge Of the steame,
and gave the passengers a thrilling ex-
hibition of how Uncle Sam trains his
sailors to fight fire.
Stone leaped to the railing Of the outer
edge Of the promenade deck, and passen-
gers might have thought he intended ia
| leap overheard. Instead, Schingle grab.
bed him by the feet and Stone was low
cred down over the side Of the steamer
until he reached one Of the glass windows
to the freight compartment. .
With the nozzle Of the hose he carried
| in his hands, he beat in the glass. The
| mates above turned on the water, and
the battle again the flames began.
single-Handed Fight.
| The Maryland left Norfolk at 6:15
O'Clock. Thirty minutes later. while the
steamer was between Bush Bluff light
and Sewalps Point, a negro deckhand
discovered smoke coming from the freight
hold.
He reported the matter to Mate Foster.
| Without notifying the passengers ana
| hoping to prevent q possible panic, the
second officer attempted to conquer the
| flames single-handed.
| Fortunately the passengers We're at
supper when the fire was discovered Inc
GOODNESS of the sailors and other male
passengers prevented panic. several
| 1,vStartCa1- hut were soon
quieteds ~.
northwest blowing at the time Had the
steamer been far from port the conse-
auence would have been horr l,t1., . saWas
! ing on earth could have possibly saver
| the lives of good many passengers nae
| the fire been discovered after the steamer
(: was out in the bay.
Beat Death Twenty Minutes.
With only about twenty minutes be-
tween safety and possible death. Capt.
| Adler. commanding the Maryland, made
| ALI speed possible for Sewalls point. and
kent I'D a continuous appeal for help by
blowing distress signals. The race against
fire was inspiring, despite the seriousness
of tho situation.
During the mad race Stone and his
companions fought the fire practically
SlnkIS-HduuSO, VI SNS~
what to do. Stone. with his body hang
ing over the ship, kept stream OF
water on the fire during the run TO
Sewalls point. To his bravery and those
of the men who stood behind him the
messengers owe a good deal, perhaps their
lives.
The fire gained such Roadway that the
flames were licking the upper cabin be-
fore the steamer reached Sewalls point.
When the passengers We're safely landed
on the coal pier of the Virginia railway
the vessel was a mass of smoke and
flames.
Built at Sparrows Point.
The Maryland which was built by the
Maryland Steel Company in 1907. had her
trial trip July II of that year.
She was go feet in length over all, 249
feet inches between perpendiculars.
beam nodded 40 feet. depth nodded Is
feet 3la inches.
She was driven by twin screws worked
by two engines whose cylinders meas
ured. II, 27ia and Al inches in diameter.
with a common stroke of rs inches, de-
yeloping a horsepower of 1900 and driv-
ing her at speed of III. miles an hour.
steam was furnished by four boilers, each
IL feet 6 inches long, II feet In diameter
and carrying working pressure of $50
pounds.