Posted with permission of Ann. Geo. The West Cumberland Times, Saturday, Oct. 18, 1884 - SERIOUS FIRE ON BOARD AN ATLANTIC MAIL STEAMER ______ GREAT EXCITEMENT ON BOARD THE BURNING VESSEL. DEATH FROM FRIGHT. ______ Our Queenstown correspondent telegraphs that great excitement prevailed in Queenstown, yesterday morning when, at eleven o'clock the tender arrived at the landing stage from the Guion mail steamer, Nevada, homeward bound from New York, and reported that the vessel was on fire and that her crew were in an exhausted condition, owing to their efforts to subdue the flames. The agents of the Guion company at once engaged a number of stokers and laborers, and sent them out, with other assistance to the steamer. It was discovered, however, that, thanks to the strenuous efforts of the crew and the assistance of some passengers, the fire had been subdued, and at half past two the tender returned to Queenstown and landed a number of passengers who had booked for Ireland. Narratives furnished by passengers gave the following account of the voyage. The Nevada left New York on Tuesday the 7th inst., with 30 saloon, ten intermediate, and 25 steerage passengers. The voyage was an uneventful one until Wednesday the 15th, when about noon, just before dinner time, an alarm of fire was heard, and smoke was seen to be issuing from the fore part of the hold forward of the engine room. A hasty examination showed that some bales of cotton and hops stored in a compartment by themselves, were well alight. Great excitement at once prevailed amongst the passengers and a number of women rushed about the deck with their children in their arms imploring the officers to save them, and they were pacified with difficulty, and in the meantime the crew, ably and coolly directed by the captain and officers, worked with a will on the flaming hold. The captain and some of the officers gallantly made their way into the hold itself, with the object of ascertaining the! exact dimensions of the fire; but were half suffocated and compelled to retreat by the dense and pungent smoke emitted by the burning cotton. Huge quantities of water were, however, poured down the hold; but for some time it apparently had no effect, for the fire managed to spread to the other side of the engine-room, and burned so fiercely that some of the outside plates of the vessel became red hot. Ultimately, however, the enormous volume of water began to tell, and at length the fire had been so far subdued that some of the crew, accompanied by several passenger volunteers, penetrated to the hold, previously taking the precaution to tie handkerchiefs round their mouths and nostrils, and commenced to get out some of the smoldering bales, which, as they were passed on deck, were promptly jettisoned. The removal of the upper bales unfortunately caused a draught, which caused the lower bales to burn more furiously. The hose was then again brought into requisition, and continued to play. Still there were ten feet of water in the hold, causing the vessel to settle perfectly, and necessitating the employment of a steam pump which thenceforward had to be kept going day and night. On Thursday morning the cotton was still smoldering, and thirty bales were jettisoned. In the evening another fifteen bales were thrown overboard, together with a large quantity of bacon. The crew and the volunteers continued to work with the hose until the arrival of the vessel at Queenstown yesterday morning, by which time, thanks to their labours and the effective use of the steam extinguisher, the fire was practically extinguished. It was, however, discovered that the vessel had a dangerous list to starboard; but this was removed by pumping out the flooded hold, and in the afternoon the vessel continued her voyage to Liverpool. All the passengers speak in terms of the most enthusiastic praise of the conduct of the officers and the crew, whose courage and coolness contributed more than anything else to allay the natural excitement of the passengers. None of the passengers sustained even the slightest injury, bit Bridget McEUCE, a consumptive steerage passenger, bound for Ireland, died of fright and excitement. Two saloon passengers, Mr. James OGG, of London, and Rev. James DAVIES, landed at Queenstown. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~