The evening world., 1913-08-29
FIRE IN OIL SHIP
|SPUT OUT AFTER
15H0URS' BATTLE
Blaze of 100000 Gallons En-
dangers Brooklyn Water
Front Throughout Night.
OWNED BY GERMAN FIRM
Craft Was to Have Sailed Tues
day for New Zealand and
Australia.
OWNED BY GERMAN FIRM

AZ . o'clock this morning tho fire.
which ragged all night and morning from
o'clock hast evening. on tho oil ship
BurEomeister Hsckman. lyinG at tho
Bush Terminal docks. Brooklyn. was
out The ship was then on an even
keel In the mud. In n depth o. twenty
Yorker remained alongside until Assur-
ance was had that there was no more
chance Of the flames again springtns
up. The nremen OF Brooklyn and the
frcboats from Manhattan had one OF
the most stubborn fights to contend
with that has been known for many
years on the river front.
All through the night and morning
there we're explosions on the ship n =
cargo Of 10000 gallons Of crude oil and
300 cases of benzine. In response 20
three alarms. the apparatus Of sixteen
engine. hose and truck companies went
TO the docks Tho fire tugs Seth Low
and New YORKER went from this side
and water was poured into the hold all
night The reports Of the explosions
drew a great crowd. and the police re-
serves from three stations were kept
busy preserving the fire lines. The fire
was spectacular. The flames leaped
high into the sky through dense walls
OF yellow smoke. wrcckagc. saturated
with oil. made 4 fiory lane down the
river and tho fire tugs were busy keep
sng the fire away from under tho docks.
Tho fircrncn and the policemen were
on duty all night. remaining at their
posts for fifteen hours.
COLLISION OF OIL CANS STARTS
SPARK, THEN FIRE.
| The fire started at 8 o'clock yesterday
evening when a laborer dropped \ five
gallon can Of oil Gown . hatchway
where It hit against another can. strik-
ing out . spark which fired the vApor
rising from the spilled oil. Five min
utes later the ship was rocked with a
series OF explosions and became =
roaring mass Of flame.
Efforts 70 got the burning vessel away
from the dock II was menacing fsrsd
after hawsers dragged her ten fest and
snapped In the fire.
Several million gallons Of water
poured into TIE ship'by fire hose sank
her closer and closer To the waters
edge and early to-oay she listed ami
went down by tho port side In twenty
fve feet OF water. The starboard side
was high above water and the oil an
closed by II wall Of water and the steeI
hull. was burning M II In tank. The
crashing force OF hose streams hai
torn tho blazing woodwork away isav'
ing II to float down stream.
FUMES AND SMOKE OVERCOME
CHEF OFFICER.
| At tho first alarm Chief Officer Her
man Pfeii ran from his cabin and ieapet
through tho forward hatch. thinking h
might separate the few tins then burn
ing from tho others and cOnnne tn,
area Of damage. Smoke and flame over
came him and only with great difficulty
we're the pier hands able to pull him GU,
|, He soon revived In the fresh air. utt
tho worse for his adventure. but there
after the intense heat and black smok
forbade neGr approach to the ship b!
any ono
The noise Of the explosions sounds
, through the neigh b0rhood and drew
!. crowd. At first. when comparatively
few tins were involved. they poppe'
open like tho rattle OF muskstry. a
the Are grew ferccr they went on Il
, lots. as loud as cannon. Police re-
serves had to drive back the spectator
syory few minutes as the IRE spread.
: Tho snip was owned by q. l. II
S,emers a. Co. OF Hamburg. and hA
been chartered by the New ror
agents, Benham h Bogssen. to tn
Vacuum Oh Company to carry i6O0t
. tins OF refined oil to New Zealand an
Australia. All except 5000 tins ha
been loaded. The ship was to -