The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-29
CAPTAIN DESCRIBES
 BURNING OF SHIP Many Passengers and Anil
 Inals Were Lost AN ELEPHANT JUMPED Big Animal Landed on Partially Con- structcd Raft and Drowned the
 Workers--Horses Swan
 Around the Ship
AN ELEPHANT JUMPED
Iron, the poston Globe

From the Boston Globe.
 Out of total of g persons, H pas scngers and eight Of t.le crew of the steamship Royal Tar pershed when she burned off Fox island on her way from St John, \. B., to Eastport and Port land Me, october c5. 1896. and with her went down small circus and museum that the vessel was transporting
 That was in the carly days of steam beating, and was a disaster that was re- called for many years afterNard. For his fine conduct on tho occasion of the burn ing Of his vessel the captain was given generous purse of gold and was later made harbor master in the Port of St. John, where he lived to a good old age and was highly respected.
 The actual cause of the fire which ter minated the career of the Royal Tar was never ascertained. She was a new vessel, built that year, and on her trial trip in May from St John to Eastport and St. Andrews she made the return voyage from Eastport to St. Johin in five hours. She carried about 200 guests on that trip. who were entertained with a hot luncheon on board when she com pleted her trial voyage.
 Her maiden trips to Portland was made on June 8, with 200 deck passengers and about 80 persons in her cabins. She was inc type of boat for that period and cost over S50,000. John Hammond and D. ]. Mclaughlin of St John were her own CTS. She was l46 feet long on the keel and about 1G0 feet over all, with a beam Of o1 feet. iOnf1pn1ant af iYap nd of l00 tons
 Ninety-Three People on Board
 On her last voyage she left St. John for Eastport and Portland on Friday, Octo- Der 2l 1856, having crew of q and p passengers, or total of 93 persons. She also carried Burgess collection of serpents and birds, DeXter's locomotive museum and q brass band. Among the anipals on the steamboat were an elephant. six horses, two dromedaries, two lionesses. one royal Bengal tiger, one gnu and a pair of pelicans.
 When the Royal Tar left St. John tho morning was fine in every respect. but before the day ended high wind came up that blew steadily from the westward with great violence for sev- eral days. As result. of the high wind and seas the little steamboat remained in shelter at EaatDort until Tuesday the 25th, when at 2 o'clock in the aft ernoon she got under way and TO- sumed her voyage.
 She had not much more than got outside when the gale increased in violence and she ran in for shelter near Fox Island. The wind was then blow ing from the northwest. The story of her loss was, told by Capt Thomas Reed, her master. in these words:
 The steam being down after we had been at anchor about half an hour, the boat was discovered 10 be on fire imme- diately over the boiler. under the deck The cable was slipped instantly and the fire engine set to work, but in five min utes the men could not stand at the pump, which was below the smoke nearly suffocating them.
 At this awful iuhcture there was rush for the boats, there being only two. sixteen of the passengers and crew took the largest boat and went away before the wind, which blew so hafd they were afraid to bring her to- I got possession of the jolly boat, with two men, Mir Sherwood and MT Fow- Ter, and a man belonging to the car avan jumped overheard and we picked him up.
 Some Rescued
 ''In about half an hour we saw a schooner coming to HIS, which proved to be the United States revenue cutter Veto, Captain Dyer. who rendered us every assistance in his power. He ran the cutter close to the burning steamer then In a sheet of flames. and succeed ed in taking out 40 passengers. who must have perishsd had not the cutter come to our assisAnce.
 we succeeded, with much difficulty, in reaching the Isle of Haut in PenobScot bay. where the people treated us With great kindness. The surviving passengers got a schooner to take them to Portland, and the master and crew a schooner to Eastport This is but a faint description of the scene. It was most awful to see so many human beings perishing without be- ing able to render them any assistance"
 One of the passengers, Hinson Patten by name, gives an account of the affair,