The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-04-08
Flames Are Discovered Among Cotton Bales While Passengers Are Asleep.
 Twenty nine Women and Children Are Taken from the Burning Steamer to Places of Safety. Boat Is Driven Into Shallow Water and Hole Cut in Hull = First Accident Since the Ontario Was Launched in 1904.
Especial from United Press.)

Montauk Point l.. l., April 8-Twen- taken from the burning steamer On tario, Of the Merchants & Miners line, off Montauk Point by the tug Tasco, from New London, Conn.,, early today. The captain and crew decid- ed to remain with the vessel, beached five miles from here, and fight flames which are raging in her hold. The re- mainder of the passengers elected to remain, although the tug is standing by, awaiting the moment when the passengers and crew still on board will be forced to leave the vessel.
 The Ontario was beached on reef of rocks before dawn and frantic sig nals of distress from the vessel brought the lifesaving crew from the nearby station. A rocket carried a line to the ship and a brooches buoy was hurriedly rigged to carry the pas sengers and crew over the waters that pound on the rocky shore of the northern point. The hfesavers could not launch a small boat to go to the the brooches buoy was first hauled in 10 shore it contained a note from Captain Bond. of the Ontario. which read:
 we will stick to the ship. But stand by as near as possible in case the fire gets beyond control
 A little knot of townspeople and seafaring folk had gathered in the gray dawn to watch the vessel, and they found themselves helpless be- cause of the stretch of angry water between the reef where Captain Bond had stranded his vessel and the shore. But the terse note from the ship con- vinced them that the crew was in a fair way to control the flames in the hold and that the crew and passen- gers were comparatively safe.
 A short time later the tug Tasco, from New London, steamed into the shallow waters about the stranded vessel and Captain Bond took line from the tug and p..t aboard the smaller vessel a score of women ana children stricken with fear over the disaster. The rest of the passengers and crew stayed with the ship, how ever, convinced that the fire would be extinguished without danger to those on board.
 With the vessel safely beached in shallow water, Captain Bond, despite flood the blazing hold. The vessel was high in the water, and in order to let in the sea hole was torn in the hull The Tasco stood by to await the outcome of the battle with the flames, and the line, reelected to the ship early in the morning by the life savers, rigged with the brooches buoy, still reached the shore, ready to take off the remaining passengers if it be- came necessary.
 Despite squally guests of wind that brought sweeping clouds of snow. the vessel wac safely beached. When the passengers were taken from the burn ,,lA r. ting them aboard the tug, although the snow caused some inconvenience. Although the sea was running heavy. the passengers were let off the side by ladders to the rolling tug.
 News that the Tasco was steam ing up the harbor with the Ontario's on board spread rapidly reached the landing 1t was greeted by cheers from a crowd of several hundred. The IS men and 14 women were first taken to the lunchroom in the railroad station and for the frs. time since early this morning given something to eat.
 Despite the exciting times of the passengers showed very few i'll eff fects aside from the nervous shock from which they had partly recover ed on the way from .Montauk Point on the tug.
 Mrs. Marie Stead, of Lowell, Mass, in speaking of the incidents of the night, said that the passengers be- haved beautifully, that there was practically no panic on board though the women were greatly frightened.
 Mrs. W. J. Bond, of Boston, wife of the captain, said she never saw a better behaved lot of men and wom- en in. her life.
 Passengers in speaking of the trip said that from the time the boat left Baltimore, Saturday, until last night, the weather had been clear and warm but that Sunday night it began to blow and a heavy sleet and snow storm set in with strong northeast gale which caused the boat to roll and pitch in heavy seas. The passengers were all in bed when the fire bells were rung. The fire was discovered in the forward hold among bales of cotton. Attempts were made to flames but they broke through the quench it. It was but a few minutes after the bells rang that the passen- gers appeared on deck in their night where, huddled together in the sleet and snow, they stood until bed quilts and wraps were brought them by members of the crew.
 When the fire broke out the vessel was half way between Block Island and Montauk Point and the captain beached her on the Point As the headed for shore the passen- gers were allowed to go below and dress and they were then placed in the life boats, wrapped in their bed quilts. where they stayed until the