Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-11-23

ed in the death of four employees
The decision is as follows.
Ernest Foster, aged s. years. Ed
ward Rawley. aged Is years. Nehe-
miah Dunning. aged So years ana
Lewis 4Almeda. aged IS years. the for
mer an oiler. the three latter deck
hands Of the Steamer Mineola- were
suffocated by smoke at Bar Harbor
about a35 A. NJ. Nov. ;, 1918. when
the steamer caught FIRE.
We have caused this accident 10
be investigated and while the exact
cause OF the fire cannot be deter
mined absolutely. the following facts
were established:
The steamer Mineoia. with . gross
tonnage of 295 tons, piled regularly
between RockIand and Bar Harbor,
making connections at Rockland with
the boat of the same company from
Boston. Her crew consisted OF -
men of which IS were deck hands
Sleeping quarters for the crew were
provided on the boat. part of the
crew sleeping in the forecastle. On
the day of the fire the boat was tied
up at the wharf at Bar Harbor-
The fireman was sleeping in the
engine room. He awoke about go A.
NJ, and saw smoke in the engine
room. He Immediately notified the
chief engineer that the boat was on
fire, who told him TO give the gen.
eral fire alarm to wake up the crew.
which he did by shouting. This
alarm was heard by all of the crew,
including Capt. Bray who took
charge OF the situation and ordered
his second mate to ring in the town
fire alarm. The firemen Responded
promptly In the meantime the crew
had gotten the boats fire hose run
and the pumps started
One of the first acts of the captain
was to inquire if the men were all
out Of the boat. Getting no positive
assurance that they were. he made y
personal investigation in company
with Capt. Foss Of the Maine Central
Railroad steamer Pemaquid. who nan
arrived on the scene and F. r.. GerrE'
chief Of police. AS result three men
came out who had been Quartered IN
the stern. Captain Bray then went
forward and asked if the men were
all out Of the forecastle, and some
one told him they were. Captain
Foss. however. apparently was not
satisfied that they were. SO he with
Chief Gerry and the chief of the fire
department again descended. when
they discovered three men at the foot
Of the staircase and the fire escape
ladder These bodies were passe" up
TO the firemen. who took them Z. the
waiting room on the wharf. The men
were dead and all efforts TO resusc:-
tate them were in vain.
previous To The finding Of these
three bodies a deck hand and fire
man had been taken into the fore
castle for the purpose OF getting the
deck hands watch. While there.
they discovered the body of one man,
which they toCn out. This mas was
dead They saw no other bodies.
"A deck hand who slept in the fore
castle with these four men stated
that when he came out one OF the
men who later was suffocated was
tying UP his shoes. apparently think
ing that he had ample time 10 com
,letely dress himself This deck hand
said that he warned him that it was
no time 10 stop to lace UP shoes.
These men could probably have
saved their lives if they had used
diligence in getting ont Of their
sleeping quarters
LAS TO the cause of the fire we eH-
press no opinion. No one can state
positively. We do know that
small fire broke out among some
freight which was piled near the
boiler This happened while the boat
was on her way from Rockland 20
Bar Harbor. but it was very slight,
was Immediately put out and banked
with sand.
There are several ways in which
the main fire could have started. The
small fire might have contributed to
the larger one later on. It might
have caught from matches, cigarette
or cigar stubs carelessly thrown
about, or it is possible that it caught
somewhere around the boiler"