The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-04-18

forward.
enter AcushnCt and tug TaScO
or,lcred their crews I'm readiness
10 take or the sailors on the On
The latter, however, showed
mn disposition TO leave, battling
dcsDcratcly with the flames.
MONTAUK POINT. y. Y, Special
The, Merchants ana Miners Line
steamer Ontario, bound from Norfolk
fC Boston with ninety persons, includ-
ing passengers and crew on board,
caught fire of here early today ana
was bcached on Long Island, one and
a half miles west of Montauk Point
The passengers and part of the
crew were taken off, the remainder.
under Captain Bond, remaining on
board TO fight the flames
After five hours fighting the crew
had succeeded in conhning the great
masses OF flame TO the hold.
The hero Of the disaster was the
wireless operator on the ship, who
kept pounding away at his wireless
KEY rrtu tac flames drove him from
his posi-.
operator worked i'm his pajamas until
the Acnes were scorvhing his night
clothes and ne was compelled 10 fee
his station.
Fire was discovered in tie hold Of
the ship about 8 o'clock when she
was about half way between Mon
tauk Point and Block Island. In
stantly wireless IS. O. S" calls were
sent out. while the crew were form
ed into a fire fighting brigade.
The sea was high at the time and
a gale was blowing. which added TO
the alarm. The passengers. aroused
from their bcrthS by the tumult
aboard and the smoke which poured
through the hatchways, ran on deck
in terror.
The vessel was turned inshore and
rushed toward the beach under a full
head of steam. She reached land
a mile and a half west OF Montauk
Point and was beached there. neigh
boring life savers taking off the pas
scngerS and crew I'm life boats and
with the brooches buoy.
The first wireless call for help was
picked up by the Point Judith wire
less station The help cali was i'm.
mediately followed by another mes
sage from the operator on the on
tario. who said that. in spite Of the
efforts which the fire fighters were
the fire was gaining rapidly
1t had started. he said, in the for
ward hold, but rapidly consumed its
way toward the stern. BURSTING
the bulkheads forming the
partition OF the after hold.
Driven From His Post.
Soon after this the wireless opera
tor was driven from his house by the
flames.
When the blaze had eaten its way
through the deck, the high wind
drove its way into the hull. tanning
the fire afresh.
Though the wireless operator had
been driven from his post. calls had
4 ,f..a, s..1rr
moning all the ships in the vicinity
10 the scene.
Word was also flashed along the
Long Island and the New England
coasts TO all the life savinA stations.
Half a dozen members of the Witch
Hall life saving stations crew start
ed out in a powerful big motor launch,
while Block Island guards did like
wise. They could catch glimpses of
the fire as the wind famed the flames
upward through the matches.
The 4. a. Scott Wrecking Com
pany also sent a tug 20 help the burn
ing vessel.
All this time the Ontario. was MAX
ing her way toward the beach.
Soon the vessel came upon a life
station launch. manned by the mem
bers OF the Ditch Plain coast guard
crew. which had started out upon
receipt OF a wireless call.
According to the crew, the fire
must have been smouldering for a
long time before it was discovered.
Except the watches. the sailors and
officers on duty. every one on the
ship was asleep when the alarm was
given.
Without waiting to dress, Captain
Bond dashed out upon the deck in
his pajamas and took charge of the
situation.
The captain and part Of the crew
l.
The captain sent the following mes
sage ashore: we will not leave the
ship now. but stand in readiness to
do SO If the fire drives us Off"
Passengers Panic-Stricken.
When the fire was discovered the
wireless operator. II. K. ingalls,, OF
Boston. was aroused. and. without
waiting to dress, took his station al
his key in his pajamas. There he re-
manned piercing the darkness with
calls for help. until the fire drove him
away. He stuck to his post, though,
until the heat actually scOrChed his
garments.
AS the FIRE grew and pillows of
smoke rolled up from the hatchways
the passengers became panic-stricken,
despite the reinsurance of the Off
GERS
Some of the women went into hys-
terics and screamed until they were
exhausted. The passengers. the ma
1ority OF whom were in their night
clothes. stood upon the decks swept
by the wind and clouds Of spray.
Just as the heat became unbear-
able the steamer reached the shore
and life savers, who had been guided
to the point for which the ship was
headed by the glare of light sur
rounded the vessel in boats, while a
breeches buoy was rugged up.
First the women and children were
taken off, then the men. Later the
passengers were transferred to a tug
and taken to New London, Conn.
Flames burst out in new places.
The last of the passengers and fire.
fighters on board retreated. but the
captain refused to desert his post.
The Ontario was built by the New
York Shipbuilding Company, at Cam
den, N. J., in 1904. She was driven
by a single screw, was 292 feet long,
AZ feet beam and of 3,0S2 tons.
The cargo OF the Ontario consisted of
pig metal and cotton and is believed
10 have originated from spontaneous
combustion, which set the cotton blaz-
ing.
A strange feature of the disaster was
that the Ontario was beached within 200
feet OF the spot where her sister ship
the George Apol, was wreced twenty