The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1916-02-17
SHIPS LgAD|N9
War SUPPLIES
ARI DESTROYED
TWO LARGE STEAMERS AND
PORTION pr PIER BURNED
esTERDAY.
NCENDIARY BELIEVED
IA
TO HAVE CAUSED FIRE
Twenty-Five Barges and scows,
Together With Other Small
Water Craft, Destroyed by
the confIagration.

NEW YORK, Feb 16.-The steam
ships Bolton Castle and Pacific and
ssa 800 foo, pier belonging to the New
! York Dock company at the foot of
/ Pioneer street, Brooklyn, were de-
i stroyed early today by the most
disastrous fire on the Brooklyn
( water front in years. Another steam
/ er, the Pallazia. was damaged, about
25 scows and lighters were partly or
wholly burned. Six hours after the
. fire started the police said they had
accounted for all but two pc. sons
aboard the burned ships. The loss
is estimated at considerably more
than 81. 100000.
F The origin of the fire is unEn own,
but suspicious that it was incendary
were aroused because of the fact that
some of the steamers were loading
with war munitions, some OF which
was intended for shipment to the
Russian government and to be de-
livered at Vladivostok.
Is A watchman aboard the Bolton
Castle, which was loading gasoline
for Russia, discovered that the build
ings on the pier were on fire soon
after l o'clock this morning. The
blaze spread so rapidly that the Of
ficers and crews of the steamers and
lighters lying at the pier, after a
vain Ell AZ no prevent the spread of
the flames to their vessels, were
compelled either to leap overheard
or to seek safety aboard other light
ers or tugs.
Three steamers lying at the pier
/. were surrounded by fleet Of about
fifty lighters and barge. On some
of the barges were the wives and
families of the captains. Some of
them wer compelled to jump over
board Firemen and policemen drag
ged many out of the water to ad-
by 3tigboats or fireboats.
8 Capt, Benjamin Smith of the Boil
ton Castle and six of his crew made
their escape from the burning vessel
by crawling hand over hand on a
rope to barge. Mrs. Smith fell into
the water but was rescued by sail
ors.E All the rescued persons were
i given shelter on nearby pier.
When the fire company reached
the scene the pier was blazing so
furiously that they could not gain
aceess to it. The Palazia was towed
into the stream 100 yards or more
off the dock, but it was impossible to
saye the other, two steamers.
#grhe boilers of both the Bolton
Castle and the Pacific blew up when
the fire was at it's height, complet-
ing the work of destruction. ;
Fireboats prevented spread: of the
. fire to adjoining piers and before day,
light had it under control. ,4
The Bolton Castle, a British YES
sci of $3.50; tons. arrived here on Feb
from Singapore, Port Natal and St
Lucia, The Pacific, of 3,612 tons, ar.
rived from Hull. England, yesterday
Both belonged to the Castle line. The
burned yer was leased to Barger &
company, steamship agents, and is be
lieyed to have been filled with mer
chandise, including war munitions.
Later reports placed the ;estimated
property loss at more than $4,000,
900 A statement issued on behalf
of the agents for the .owners of the
] steamships Bolton Castle and Pacific
said their Investigations thus far has
failed to develop any evidence which
would lead to the conclusion that the
fire was of incendiary origin: