Evening journal., 1913-09-06
PENN FIRE
SWEPT; SINKS
At Her WHARF
Ericsson Liner Is Wrecked by
Disastrous Blaze in PhiIa-
deIphia HarbOr
WILSON LINER GETS
OUT OF DANGER ZONE

PHILADELPHIA, Pa, Sept 6.-Dam-
aged from stem to stern by fire and with
only part of her third uppermost deck
projecting from the water, the Ericsson
Line steamship Penn, the fastest passen-
ger boat on the river, rests on the bot
tom of the Delaware today, wreck as
the result of a disastrous blaze. The
fire was discovered in the galley of the
vessel while she was tied up at her dock
at Chestnut street wharf shortly after
D o'clock this morning.
Damaged also is the excursion steam
ship Bristol, of the Delaware River
Transportation Company. This craft,
however. was saved from the fate of the
Penn through the heroism OF the crew OF
the tug Transit. With ner wheelbox
burning fercely the BristoI was towed
INTO the open river and there the blaze
vas extinguished.
The blaze on the Penn was discov-
cred by Reginald Cummings, steward
Of the vessel, who, after being
awakened by the smoke, dashed for
ward where he saw flames shooting
from the galley windows. Souting
Fire." Cummings ran to the sleep
ing quarters of Captain ,Alexander
McNamee and awakened him.
While the Penn's siren shrieked an
alarm to those on shore the boats
officers dragged the slumbering crew
from their hunks. Several sailors
dazed when they reached deck and
discovered the boat ablaze, leapcd in
TO the river. One or two of the cool
er-headed stepped from the other side
Of the boat to the dock, while others
turned in with a will and helped fight
the flames, which we're by that time
making rapid inroads on the wood
work Of the upper decks.
When the flames we're discovered,
Purser Michael Lowe was asleep in
his quarters with his wife, Hattie,
and 11-year-old daughter, Margaret.
The child tainted from fear, and was
carried by her parents through the
dense smoke to the dock, and there
treated by a police surgeon.
Rebecca Taylor, a colored cook, in
whose quarters the fire is thought to
have started from a source as yet un-
determined, was nearly suffocated by
smoke and was carried to the dock
by John Swan, colored member Of
the crew. -
McNames directed his crew. who
rFainfy strove 70 conquer the flames
from the dock and on the boat. but
the blaze rapidly gained headway and
soon worked back from the galley to
the middle Of the boat, there to work
downward and into the staterooms,
boiler room and cabins.
This morning more than 500 passen-
gers who had planned TO leave on the
boat for Baltimore saw only the char
red upper deck Of the big boat when
they reached the dock.
II is estimated that the damage done
to the Penn will reach $4,000, and It
will cost several thousand dollars to
raise her from her present position.
The steamer Brandywine of the Will
son Line was also endangered by the
blaze on the Penn, but under her own
steam pulled out into the open river
and escaped the flames. The Bristol
was damaged to the extent of several
hundred dollars.
The Penn was built in 1903 at Will
mington, Del. at a cost of SIPS, 900.
She was 207 feet long, with beam OF
% feet and 10 inches, this peculiar
construction being necessary in or
der that she might pass through the
narrow Delaware and Chesapeake
Canal. With a 22-horse power en-
gine, she developed 21.5 knots on her
trial trip. She had a passenger ca
pacisy Of 700 and a cargo capacity of
446 gross tons.