New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-06
CREWS LEAP FOR LIFE
AS FOUR VESSELS BURN
Captains Wife Overheard with
the Rest After Bravely
Fighting the Flames.
BIG SHIPYARD THREATENED
Blazing Flotilla Drifts Down on
Shooters Island, Where Pier
and Offices Are Destroyed
Before Fireboats Arrive.

before FlTSDOdLS AIiiVS.
Seven persons had a narrow escape
from being burned to death in spec
tacular fire which totally destroyed two
excursion steamers. two two story frame
buildings and badly damaged two tug
boats, a sidewhee steam yacht and
houseboat on Staten Island yesterday
morning. The flames spread rapidly,
ard at one time threatened to destroy
all of the buildings and steam vessels
on Shooters Island, just opposite Marin
er's Harbor.
Mrs. Bertha Brown, wife Of Captain c.
NJ. Brown, of Yonkers. owner of one OF
the steamers destroyed, proved herself
real woman fire fighter. She fought the
flames with the members of the crew
until they all were compelled to leave
the burning vessel or be burned to death.
She sustained no injuries, but suffered
from exposure.
The crews of the vessels burned de-
Clared that their vessels could have been
saved had the fireboats responded
promptly to an alarm which had been
sent in. They said the freboat Body.
which is stationed at st. George, less
than six miles from their vessels, did not
arrive until an hour and half after the
alarm had been turned in.
Chief kenlon came TO the fire after
the third alarm had been sounded and
directed the fremen in their work.
Starts on the Mohawk.
The fire broke out on the steamer Mo
hawk, owned by Captain c. NJ. Brown.
This vessel was one hundred feet long
and twenty-five feet wide. Alongside of
her lay her sister ship, the lrOquois, also
owned by c. NJ. Brown. Beside her lay
the tugboats Robert Robertson and
Plainhster, of the Mccartney Towing
Company. of New York, and alongside
Of them lay the sideWheel steam yacht
Clermont and the houseboat London,
owned by Lewis Nixon, the shipbuilder
and former leader of Tammany Hall.
The Mohawk and the Iroquos arrived
at the Cardell Brothers shipyard AT the
foot of Lochman avenue, Mariners Har-
Dor, shortly after ) o'clock on Saturday
night for an overhauling preparatory for
the coming season. After docking, the
fires on each steamer We're put out, and
when the crews retired at IL o'clock
everything was in ship shape, with not
the slightest sign of fire.
According to Captain Brown of the
Mohawk. whose vessel lay against the
pier, he was awakened at about . o'clock
Yesterday morning by hearing the crack
ling Of flames He jumped out Of his
bunk and went down to the main deck
and found the steamer all ablaze. He
returned to his wife's stateroom. aroused
her, and then woke up the crew, which
consisted Of Clause Forbes, John Banks.
George Carr Henry Brown, Frederick
Olcott and John Forbes The members
of the crew. including Mrs. Brown, were
soon on deck and started in to fight the
flames. one of the crew jumped, ashore
and sent in an alarm. TO which the fire
companies of Port Richmond and Mar
liners Harbor responded
8urnina Vessels Drift Away.
When the firemen arrived the fire had
eaten up the hawser which held the Mo
hawk fast To the pier and she had drift
ed out into Staten Island Sound. carrying
the other vessels with her. The flames
from the Mohawk soon spread to the lro-
Quois. and aided by the strong south
erly wind she was soon ahre from stem
TO stern. The other vessels also caught
fire but as there was not So much wood
work on them they burned mucn slower
than the two excursion steamers.
The wind soon had the burning vessels
out into the middle of the Sound. and the
flames could he seen for miles. Reakz-
ing that if they remained aboard of their
vessel any longer they would be burned
10 death the crew os the Mohawk, in
Guiding Mrs. Brown. Jumped overheard.
They were soon picked up by men in
rowboats. who had put out from the
shore They were brought back to Mar
tners Harbor and given shelter in
house on the shore.
'rhe burning vessels continued to drift
off shore. and finally they landed against
pier OF the Tidewater Oil Company on
Shooters Island. This pier soon caught
FIRE. as did the main office of the Shoot
ers Island Shipbuilding Company. two
story frame structure on the pier. and a
two story frame storehoUse. These build
lngs were practically destroyed as was
the pier.
BY this time the fireboats Body and
New Yorker arrived. and they succeeded
IN combining the fire to the burning YES
sells and buildings and finally putting
s. out. The tugboats. hOuseboat and
yacht were then towed back to the ship
ward at Mariners HarbOr.
The loss is estimated at $4,000. There
was no Insurance on the excursion
steamers or tugbOats. The cause of the
fire Is unknown.