The Oskaloosa herald., 1916-02-17
TWO STEAMERS
ARE DESTROYED
$4,000 1000 BLAZE THIS MORNING
IN BROOKLYN HARBoR.
MYSTERIOUS FIRE IN CHICAGO
Fall River, Mass, Also Victim Of
Flames and Suffers Loss of ST.
ooo-city Hall and st.
Mary's Cathedral Missed.

New York, Feb. 16.--A $4,000000
fire virtually destroyed two steamers
and damaged others at the New York
Dock company's pier in Brooklyn
early today.
1t was brought under control only
after hours of hard fight by the en-
CINE crew and fire department. All
but one of the twenty coolies missing
shortly after the fire broke out have
been accounted for.
The captain of the Bolton Castle
and sailor aboard the Pacific, the
two steamers burned, had thrilling
escapes from death
The two steamers were loaded with
war supplies for Vladivostok. This
gave rise to bomb plot rumor. One
report said short circuit of electric
wire in the dock company's Office
started the blaze which swept rapidly
along the 70O-foot pier and set fire to
the steamers.
| The steamer Pacific of 1912 tons
arrived from Hull, England, yester-
day. The Bolton Castle, a British
vessel of 1909 tons, arrived here on
February 6 from Singapore, Port Ma
tai and st. Lucia after calling at Bos-
ton. Both were either discharging
or loading freight at the pier yester-
day and both are freight steamers.
Mysterious Fire.
| Chicago, Feb. ia mysterious
+ fire, evidently of incendiary origin,
! was discovered early today in the
city hall, near the chemistry labora-
tory in which poison, found in the
room OF Jean Crones, alleged princi-
pal in the anarchistic soup poisoning
plot was being anaIyzed. A quart
bottle containing oil was found in
the cloak room. Flames quicly lick
ed their way up the cloak room.
Entire Block Burned.
Fall River, Mass, Feb. 16-- After
an all night fight against a $1,500,000
fire which swept the business district
of this city, the combined apparatus
+ of half dozen towns checked it.
1t started from an explosion in the
basement of the Steiger department
store at Spring and South Main
streets. The flames took the build
! ings of the entire square, including
the Lenox Hotel and just missed the
city hall and st. Mary's cathedral.
A shifting Of the wind caused the
/ flames to threaten the congested ten
ement house district where mill
hands live, but they were checked be-
! fore they reached the buildings.
Sugar Destroyed by Fire.
! PHILADELPHIA, Pa, Feb. 16.-Fifty
thousand bags of sugar valued atS130,-
600 were destroyed by fire in the hold
of the steamer Dalton lying at Del
aware river pier here last night
The vessel which was considerably
damaged by the flames, had been
chartered by the British government
to convey the sugar to West Hartle-
pool. England, and was to sail tomor
row. The origin of the fire is
mystery.
TWO Killed in Fire.
Toronto, Ontario Feb. 16.--Two
ipersons were killed and two serious
ly injured in a building occupied by
the American club which was de-
stroyed by fire following an explos.
lion in the club rooms.
The fire is said to have been of in
lcendiary origin and a report of Ten
tonic plotters is being circulated
The blaze started fro mthe heavy
explosion which rocked the building
r. L. Hurston of Dallas, Texas, a
guest of the club, was trapped in his
room and persisted. Ed Johnson,
caretaker of an adjoining building
and Capt. A. r. Manard of the Cana.
dian army, who were in the club.
were injured.