Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-04-09
.NARR0WESCAPE
PASSENGERS
IN FIRE At SEA.
Steamer Ontario Run Onto
Rocks Off Mpntauk Point
When Blaze Was Discov-
cred in Hold; All Saved.

Ditch Plain Life Saving Station, l..
T., April s. The steamer Ontario,
1000 Vtons burden, Baltimore to
Boston. with fifteen passengers and a
crew of forty, was run on the rocks
off Montauk Point by her captain
early today when fire was discovered
in her hold.
The passengers were transferred IN
life boats to the tug Tasco from New
London, Conn, which rushed to the
scene in response to the Ontario's 8.
o. S. wireless signals and after six
hours work the fire was brought under
control. IT,
The vessel is hard aground with a
light sea running and but little wind,
and there is little danger, apparently,
of her going to pieces.
Life savers hovered near the vessel
in their boats all morning, ready to
take off the crew. Captain Bond, when
the fire was under control, said there
would be no need for their service.
At $3.50 Captain Bond sent word
ashore that the fire was under control
and the vessel was then hard aground
and apparently in no danger of break
ing. The tub Easco, with the Ontario's
passengers aboard, was then still
alongside. It was reported that the
passengers would be landed at New
London, Conn. A wrecking tug is on
the way here from New York.
Two crews of life savers In their
boats and three revenue cutters are
standing alongside. A breeches buoy
was shot to the vessel from the shore
when she first went on the rocks at
8 o'clock this morning But the cap
tain, transferring the passengers to q
tug, sent word by life savers that his
crew would remain aboard.
Long before daylight they had
chopped dozen holes through the
pilot house and water was pumped, by
the vessels own engines into the hold.
At o'clock Captain Bood sent word
ashore that the fire had been checked.
The fire broke out during the night
and became so threatening that
shortly before two o'clock this morn
ing Captain Bood ordered the wireless
operator to send S. o. s. distress sig
nails. An hour later he turned back
upon his course and drove the vessel
full speed ahead for the reefs of Mon
tauk Point.
Through the. early morning hours
the wireless sputtered along the en-
tire north Atlantic coast with news Of
the vessels danger. Ten minutes later
the men at this station saw the ship
on the rocks hurried off with a
breeches buoy apparatus and later
dragged their surf boat on it's track
three miles over the beach to the
burning steamer. The life savers, re-
inforced by crew from the Hither
Plain station two miles away, trans
ferred the passengers in small boats
to the tug and stood off In readiness
to take the crew ashore II need be-
Although the flames could not be
seen. a great cloud of steam and
smoke arose from the burning ship
and spread haze along the water
front for miles Captain Bood told the
life sewers that the fire was confined
entirely to the hold. A light sea was
running and there was little wind The
hull of the vessel was badly blistered
on the outside.
The Ontario is vessel of 1887
tons net. She is 29O feet long. Of STEEL
and was built in 1904. She left Balti-
more Saturday
The revenue cutters Mohawk and
Seneca picked up the wireless call at
New York and the cutter Acushnet at
Boston hurried to the scene. They
we're able to give but little assistance