The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-08-29
Imperator Threatened With De
struction as She Lies at
1oboken Dock.
SECOND OFFICER is KILLED
tircmen Have Desperate Strug-
gle Before Gigantic Vessel
IS Saved.

New York, August os--Thc steam
snip lmperator, largest vessel anoat,
was swept by fire early to-day as she
lay at her dock in Hoboken. with her
crew and 1,l3l storage passengers
aboard.
Second officer Herman Gobrecht.
VINO led the crew into the hold to fight
the names, was cut off from his men
envelopcd in cloud of smoke and
suhocatcd. His body was found an
hour afterwards, untouched bT fire.
and brought ashore.
The small army OF passengers in the
steerage. aroused from their sleep by
the cracking Of flames, rushed panic
stricken for the pier, where most of
them spent the rest of the night hud-
dlcd in discomfort at the shore end OF
the pier.
None OF the steerasc passengers had
peen inspected by the customs or health
authorities. Because OF this armed
grafton authorities rushed them to
EMS Island At The earliest possible mo-
ment this forenoon
DnmnEe TX Not Heavy.
Officials OF ;hc line estimated that
the damage to the vessel itself would
not be great.
Nearly 100000 gallons OF water
We're poured on the fire. The company
announced that the ship would sail
saturday as scheduled and that the
damage would be repaired, SO far as
possible at sea
The great ship was dark md all on
board asleep, save the officers on watch.
when smoke ascending from the pro-
Nision-room was discovered simultan-
eously by seaman on deck watch and
petty officer on the bridge. Almost
NJ the same moment the cracking of
hameS was heard in the steerage quar-
ters
quiet alarm was sounded Com
modorc Russer, COMMUNICATIVE chief of
the vessel. was among the first to re-
Spond. The members of the crew of =
$50 men were III their places within n
minute. The complex re-nghting ap-
paratus OF the vessel was set in mo-
ton.
The stampede OF steerage passengers
toward the deck checked for n moment
the fight against the flames Ships
officers and hundreds OF the crew, lined
up in two columns along the route to
safety. guided the terror stricken men
and women to the pier.
with the ship clear. the entire force
turned its hand 10 eXtinEuishing the
flames. For three quarters of an hour
they fought the fire with only the I'm
pcrator's own apparatus Then. do
spairinE OF success, the Hoboken Fire
Department was notified and n general
alarm was sounded.
In the first sharp skirmish with the
flames Second officer Herman Con
recht and Seaman Otto Stumpf, caught
in the whitening breath of belch Of
fiames, were cut off from the door by
which they had entered Their COM
panions were driven back to open air
Although they Stormed the flames again
and again. the wall of smoke kept
them from rescning Gobrecht and
Stumpf. When the fire was checked
they were found and taken ashore.
Gobrecht and Stumpf. like the rest of
the fire fighting force. were e0uippcd
with smoke masks. hose and ropes.
which acrved as guide lines. Stumpf,
seriously injured. revived later
Saloon Is Wrecked.
The wiSp OF smoke curling into the
second cabin when the flames were first
discovered had by this time grown
into cloud. Through this cloud the
Hobokcn firemen rushed. dragging their
hose. The dining saloon OF the second
cabin suffered the greatest damag ge
from the smoke and the frcmen's pas
sage Tho handsome appointments OF
the saloon were wreck when the
smoke cleared away
Despite the reinforcement OF the fire.
men. the flames gained Roadway. Fire
boats from New York. n fleet Of tugs
and another battery OF fire engines
from Hohoken rushed To the pier.
y dozen tugs floating nearby were
held In readiness to tow the ship out
to midstream as the flames threat
encd at their height to destroy her.
Preparations We're maGeto cut the
liners moorings when the fire boats
began pumping water into the hold
With hfty streams playing hundreds
OF tons OF water on the fire. the flames
W. Lot ha
began to list. at s o'clock, there were
only two streams on the blaze and 1t
was practically eXtinguished.
One thousand longshoremen, employ
ed by the Hamburg American Line, the
Imperators owners. went on strike
eight hours before tho vessers arrival.
Continued on Second Page.)