ON FIRE AT SEA.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XV, Issue XXI, 23 November 1895, Page 660

ON FIRE AT SEA.

Seven Women Roasted Alive. An Heroic Stewardess. The cheapest route from London to Edinburgh is by sea from Hermitage Wharf to Leith or Granton. The steamers are boats of about 1,200 tons, very similar to those employed in the Austialian coasting trade, and a return passage costs 26s only, whereas third-class rail comes to £3 2« Bd. Natura'ly, during tho tourist season of August and September, these vessels are crammed, and a thrill of horror ran through the community when on Monday morning it transpired one of them had been ablaze oil Clacton, and that a number of women passengers had been roasted alive. Tho vessel in question, the lona, left Leith on Saturday evening, all going well fill 24 hours later, as she approached the mouth of the Thames. It was then the darkest part of the night, and the Captain's feelings when flames were all of a sudden observed shooting from the midst of tho forecabin passengers’ quarters, may be imagined. The alarm given, a scene of panic, much aggravated by the smoko and heat, supervened. The men trapped in a large cabin adjoining the conflagration broke open another door and escaped. The women, unfortunately, were penned in a cabin which had but one available exit, and the passage that formed part of it was one of the first things to catch tiro. Those who had the presence of mind to rush across promptly in their nightgowns were singed but saved. The remainder, caught like rats in a trap, soetn to have been slowly roasted alive. It must In charity be supposed everything wns done that could be done, yet, with the exception of a single woman (the stewardess), the accounts show a striking

absence of heroism. The crew pumped on the burning cabin, but when at length the tiie yielded to their etlortsa few incinerated remains indicated the seven victims had died hours before.

The heroic stewardess aforementioned. Miss Le-lenbam, was ono of the first to escape from the burning cabin. No sooner had she reached the deck than the recollection of the trapped women, and especially of a little child confided to her care, rushed into her mind, and with a cry • It’s too horrible, I must do something,’ she turned again into the burning fiery furnace. That she reached the cabin and the child we know, as her body was found on the floor with her charge in her arms. Personal Narratives. A Lady’s Story. Several interviews were obtained with passengers and others who were on the lona at the time of the catastrophe. Mrs Henry Thompson, of London, who was in the cabin at the time the fire broke out, said :—We had had a most pleasant voyage until the fire broke out. 1 was in my berth at the time, and remember that there were about fifteen or sixteen other ladies and children in the compartment. I was asleep, and was awakened by knocking nt tho door and hearing the sailors running about shouting that the vessel was on fire. I jumped out, and, wrapping myself in my cloak, ran up the hatchway on deck. I remember seeing a person in a berth, and I woke her up as I ran along. 1 was assisted on deck by a sailor. Before I came up 1 saw severa l ladies attempting to dress themselves, and I think this must have been the cause of their deaths, because though I just managed to scramble up on deck, 1 think all the others had to make their escape by way of the Cook’s pantry, which adjoined. I remember quite well seeing the stewardess rushing around the compartment waking people up, but 1 think she also stopped to dress herself or to do something When I got on deck the captain and the crew were doing all they could to put out the fire and to rescue the persons in the burning compartment. Considerable excitement prevailed for a long time, and most of the ladies were more or less alarm.d when the lifebelts were handed around, and other preparations made for leaving the ship, but throughout the captain and his cfficere behaved in the most admirable manner, doing everything they could to maintain good order and stay the a'arm and excitement of the passengers. Four ladies were in the cabin all night with their things on, and they were able to get out quickly, but I think more would have escaped if they had not stopped to dress.’ About the Brave Stewardess. The assistant steward informed a reporter that the scene was a most heartrending one, the screams from the women’s quarters on the port side of the ship being agonising in the extreme. The first indication that the women were in peril was given by Miss Ledenham, the tore cabin stewardess, who rushed on deck screaming frantically. She was in her night attire, which was in flames, and it was in the attempt to rescue a child that the stewardess perished in the flames. She was seen to rush through the flames, and was not seen again alive. The boats were lowered by Gunner M’Elvenna and the cook, whilst the crew were endeavouring to get the fire under control. Tho duration of the fire was quite four hours, but it was not till the flames had been subdued that the fate of the women was known. The assistant steward explained how it was the women perished whilst the male passengers escaped. The fire broke out in the lamproom, and immediately ignited the men’s quarters on the starboard side. The door of the passage connecting the cabin with the forecastle was forced open, and it was by this means that the men gained the deck. There is no passage from the women's quarters to tho forecastle, the only exit being by the frontdoor. This passageway, however, was soon enveloped in flames, so the women and children were unable to escape.

The chief steward said there was some doubt as to tho passenger whose name is given as Miss Moetman, as on some labels the name had been spelt differently. The identification of tho dead girl was uncertain. It had been stated that she was a daughter of Mrs Raymond, but he knew Mrs Raymond well and was certain she had no child with her when she came on board. Her name he thought, was not on his list, and Mr Bird had ascertained that she was not his daughter. Miss Ledenham the stewardess,he added,belonged toForestgale, London. She had been on the lona for some considerable time, and was very popular with the crow, whilst he had never known a passenger say a word against her. Oefickr and I’assknokr. An officer of the ship, in the course of an interview, stated : * I was In the engineroom when I heard tho captain's bell ring “Full speed astern." 1 ran on deck and

called up the chief engineer. The first thing I saw on getting on deck was a flame coming from the gentlemen’s cabin forward. We at once got the hose under way from the engine-room. The ladies came running out of their cabins, and so did the gentlemen. We played on the ladies’ saloon, the gentlemen's saloon and on the dining - room. I saw a woman and chi d in the ladies* room—this was an hour before the fire was put out. They were lying with their faces down, and about fifteen feet inside. The lady appeared to have knocked against the bulkhead when rushing out. Belore this we did not expect we should see any bodies, excepting that of the stewardess and the child she went back to look after, for we thought they might all have got out. This was not so, however. We entered the saloon later on, and, passing by the bodies of this woman and child, over whom we spread some canvas, came to other bodies. The last we found was the stewardess, who was clasping the hand of the dead child. A passenger who was on board states that when the flames were seen issuing from the ladies’ cabin the engines were stopped at once, and in a few minutes water was being poured into the cabin by means of two hydrants. There were about seventeen ladies in the cabin, which was on the port side, the gentlemen being quartered on the starboard side. It is supposed, the passenger says, that the fire broke out in the dining-room. What little wind was blowing was on the starboard bow, thus driving the flames towards tho cabin in which the unfortunate ladies met their death. A Gunner's Narrative. Gunner McElvenna, ‘V’ Batterv of the Royal Horse Artillery, stationed at Woolwich, said :— • I was returning from furlough on the lona, We left Leith at about 8.30 on Saturday night, and all went well until about a quarter past one o’clock this morning. We were then in * The Swin.’ olf Clacton. We had all retired to rest at about ten on Sunday night. Shortly after one o'clock I heard the chief officer call, “ All hands on deck,’’ and loud tramping of feet overhead. I roused all the others in the men's side of the forecabin. All the beds were full, and there were a lot of passengers sleeping on the floor. When I got up I smelt smoke, and on opening the cabin door a sheet ot flame hurst in. I immediately closed the door again, and tried to find some other way out on to the deck. By this time all the others in the cabin were awake, and we could hear screams coming from the women’s quarters, which were at the other side of the dining-hall, which adjoined our cabin. There was a small light in our cabin, and I groped my way about and found a door leading to the forecastle. This, with the cook, I forced, and, followed by the other male passengers from the fore-cabin, made my way to the forecastle. There was no sign of any flame there, and we soon saw that the fire was confined to the cabin. Wo all went aft. Some ot us had a few things on, and some were nearly fully dressed. When we got to the bridge we saw several of the women folk rushing about, and the flames seemed to be coming mainly from their cabin. They all tried to get out by the front door leading to the deck, but I saw several of them driven back. There was no chance of entering the cabin, as it was blazing furiously at this time. When we got to the bridge 1 assisted the cook to get the boats ready while the crew were getting the fire out. A length of hose was soon at work, but it was nearly four hours before the flames had been sufficiently subdued to allow of an examination. We had seen one passenger - running about saying he had lost bis wife, but had no idea of the truth of it. When the chief officer went into the cabin he saw a sickening eight. There were the remains of four or five women strewn about the pluce. None of us knew how many lives had been lost until we got to London. The gentleman who had lost his wife was in a terrible state. We had all the boats and lifebelts ready ten minutes after we got the alarm if they had been needed, but they were not. The lamp-room joined our cabin, and all on board think that the fire originated there. I can't speak too highly of the captain and the crew, though some of the passengers were in a great hurry to get on tho lifebelts.’