The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1916-02-16
TMO STEAMERS LOADED WITH
WAR SUPPLIES ~ RROO6-
iaN BURNED NJ DOe IA
EXPLOSION IS HEARD
FLAMES Burst put Following - TER
rifle Explosion la Forward
Hold a. I'arsfic. ---t rcus
Have Narrow I.seapc.

AIN hoEks teh. ih. - Two
steamers Wcrc destroyed aud several
ether vessels damaged at the New
York DOCK compaays piers in Bronk-
I'm this morning. The blaze was
gotten under control after four
hours Of hard lighting by engine
companies aud crews 81 fire tugs.
The loss Is estimated AZ four mil
lion dollars.
ill but one of the twenty eses -
missing shortly aftes the fiee WAS
discovered have been accounted for.
The captain of the Bolton Castle
ami seaman aboard the paeific.
the two vessels destroyed, bad Thrill
ling escapes from the flames. -
The two vessels were reported 90
b. loading with war supplies for
siadisestok ~ English ports. This
report gIs,e rise Ia runnr- of
bomb plot. Another report said
that a short circuit of electric wires
la the office of the dock company
started the blaze which swept rspid-
iy over the seven hundred feet Of
pier ard fired tlae steamers. The
crews had narrow escapes. One man
on the Pacific climbed the fifty
foot mast hair naked. going 10 the
top peak and Yelling foe help. The
flames rpared below him. tie dared
not jump gpr fear ~ act Clearing
the deck 4 fire tug shot q lire fo
him and after knottiug IL about the
mast alid down to safety while his
comrades eheered.
When the fire was under control
il was stated that no lives had beeu
lost. Fifty seasnen were rescued
from one sand bar.
G.. -. Wood president of the At
lantic Steyesiore company stated
that more than million doliars
worth OF merchandise was destroy
ed with the pier, and estimated that
the total loss 81 the ships. merehan-
disc and pier would be over rour
million dollars.
Jnse,sh Johnson. engineer ON the
Bolton Gostle. told vivid story OF
the fire. lie said he was walking
along the forward deck when there
was a terrific explosion in the for
ward hold. Instantly the forward
portion Of the ship was roaring
furnaee Johnson diyei into thn
slip aud swan Co pier No. 90. The
pier, ne said. WIS isfnmcd with
si-.etlores and freight. The fire
nest reached the Iaeific and the two
vessels and the pier were s0on en-
yel0ped ia flames. FiFemeu aboard
the fire tug New Yorker. At the risk
of instant death. ran the nose OF
their xe,,~el 'slong.ide the Pacific
when the fire was az its greatest
helxht and avertei further de~truc-
lion by towing AWAY a gasoline iad-
en- tighter. burning brands were
then falling about the lighters deck
about which WAS piled 100 barrels
of gasoline. -ix other lighters were
alongside ia. steamer. More thaa fif-
~ steYe,iores aud their families were
sleeping Ia these vessels.
The steamer BsIlagio also caught
fise but Wss saved after hard fight
More than a score Of lighters
/ along the pier were dSmaged.
Capt. benjamin smith - the Dol
ton Castle. his wife AMI Twenty-Five
+ essoIie< who jumped inso the water
were rescued by fireHen. seventy ~
I the ships survivors, including fifty
Chinese. escaped without any chof''-
ing. They were herssesi in the haild-
ingS near the pieS while the police
obtained clothing for them.