New Britain herald., 1918-01-05
FEAR GREAT BLAZE
 IN ICEB0UND FLEET
Navy Makes Preparations to Aid SbipnlaSterS in New York HarbOr

New York, Jan. 5.-Imminent dan- ger of a conf1agration at congested points along the harbor front wor- ried steamship men yesterday moro than the continuation of the freeze in. Not only has the Fire Department in mind the possibility of a disaster in the crowding of vessel and freight in the ice-packed waters and frozen slips, but the Navy Departm ent has made ready to aid with men and boats should blaze start at oane of the dan- ger points, the chief of which are in South Brooklyn.
 Many complaints were made by steamship Captains that their vessels were in danger from fire, with re- quests for every precaution. Capt De Boer of the Dutch freighter Sas- senheim told the World about her plight aEd it was a typical case. The ship had been at anchor off West l 18th Street six minths when the cold spell began.
 Three times I was carried down. stream by the ice,'' Capt. De Boer said. "The first time I managed to stop at 135th Street, and the second time, when I was carried down to Seth Street. l got tugs to move me up- stream, but had hardly anchored when the ice piled against my ships bows so thick that the anchors would not hold and we started down again. I decided to drop out of the river and brought up in the Narrows. The Harbor Master would not let me stay there, so I engaged a berth in Go wanus Creek, Brooklyn, at the foot of 18th Street, and I took my ship there at noon Thursday.
 Vessel of all sizes were tied up in the creek. Barges were hanging on to each other and the tugs could only nose the Sassenheim among them and then slowly push the small craft aside with her sides. Lighters are damned against my vessel on all sides, many of them loaded. They are not held by the ice but have collected because they have been unabl to unload their freight.
 My vessel is loaded with oil cake which 1 was to take to Holland to feed cattle, and it would burn like matches. The stern of my ship is ly- ing against the bulkhead of d yard in which are stored 10000 or more bar rels of resin. A lumber yard is close ny anu no puu Ol stores piled all around us. Each lighter has a coal stove for those aboard, and the slightest carelessness would start a fire that no human hands could cope With until it had wrought havoc"
 Capt De Boer cabled to the Neither lands Overseas Trust that his vessel was damaged and had been forced to await her turn in drydock. In her last IY>if ell, ct, hnon nrcr n1e heavy ice that loosened a plate. Re- ports of vessels having been injured by the ice were numerous yesterday, indicating that the depth of floating cakes has increased rapidly.
 Instead of endeavoring to break up the ice in the harbor by crushing it here and there as had been done for days, boats were sent yesterday morning to cut channels below Staten Island and trust to the afternoon ebb to carry a large part of the ice out to sea-. The move was successful to a great extent and much congestion around Staten Island was relieved.
 Shipping men suggested the plan in desperation after vain attempts to open passages to the coal terminals and free barges that would provide bunker fuel for about 100 vessels which have not been able to get coal to leave port. The delay has cost steamship companies and shippers an immense sum of money.
 Six New York Central tugs and the steel Hudson River propeller Pough- keepsie, built to cut her way Up the Hudson until the river froze solid, were sent to Princess Bay and, work ing almost enmasse, tore way through the channel and soon had the ice slipping out of Great Kills and other docks. They moved out into Raritan Bay and opened channel which carried lot of ice from Perth Amboy, South Amboy, Arthur Kill and the southwest side of Staten Island, relieving the pressure in the