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Show NORFOLK-BALTIMORE PASSENGER SHIP DESTROYED AT SEA Mm I flFIl DIE .; Old Bay Steamer Vir-t' Vir-t' ginia Burns to Water's IE; Edge Off the Mouth of the Potomac River. t.f; - - . Negro Arrested on Federal Fed-eral Warrant Charging " Him With Setting , Fire to the Vessel. , NOEFOLK, Va,., May 24 Alfred c -V Coleman, negro, was arrested here this afternoon by federal authoi- ites on the charge of setting fire HIP; to the Virginia. The warrant was W' sworn out by a stevedore employed on tie Virginia. ' BALIIMGBE, Ma 24. The old bay , .Er Virginia, bound to Norfolk from : ,: , Stimore with 156 passengers and ' freight aboard, was burned to the -iter's edge near the mouth of the r-r Pctorsac river last night. :-::! ; lieutenant Commander George V. i-wes, U. S. X, who was a passenger :v. an loard the steamer Florida, one of 'tie rescuing ships, stated here today -bat he believed ten or fifteen persona y Officials of the steamship company, iwever, expressed their belief that the 'a of life would lie small, but they mid give no definite figures until the "ss(ger list is compared with the Mes of the survivors. a': ORIGIN OF FIRE ' IS UNDETERMINED. The fire started ia the freight hold. Jjf . lu origin was undetermined. Tle steamer City of Annapolis, also 'J. lllc Chesapeake line, arrived here JjOl- morning with four passengers of 0 'Jf; Virginia. Captain Dougherty of the City of if' aP1U said that his ship was about '-h'e miles away when the burn-4 burn-4 : Virginia was noticed. He proceeded t". I P0t at full speed, as did also masters of tho ships Florida, City -''J " Baltimore, Southland (running from Washington to Norfolk) and City of -"folk. WhcQ no arrive(j ciose to -c Virginia ho found that the fire Qf ,Js Mazing so fiercely that ho could Y RA aPl"oach her. He managed to pick j P the four survivors, who were in a ' ' "'fooat. JAXY OP CREW ARE :;. " PORTED AS MISSING. , e steamers City of Baltimore, with ,'jj"'100 Passengers of the Virginia, ; "ie Florida, with passengers and & j'! rs of the crew of the Virginia Soarl, followed the City of Aunap-C Aunap-C v.'0 .port- Captain W. G. Lane of 1 ... I,' rsi1ia wat) aboard tho Florida. '' ,!.,;'s said to be injured, but to what Was not known. u5 e otfico of the steamship company Save out a list of survivors to-. to-. to ,lle number who are said .. tave sailed last night on tbo Vir-jpj. Vir-jpj. "Ih 0nl" sixteen of the sixty-two '( ers of the crew, however, have n "counted for. PASSENGERS ARE , LT IN DISASTER. :;'.. jft,"1' the 156 passengers on the ': ooe5' 'lDe s,camcr Virginia, burned :;'p u" ck th's morning iu Chosa-'. Chosa-'. !,.' off the mouth of the Poto- . ,Vr, were injured but none lost :P i-'iifs Tnere Mere many thrilling ''" Hie i! .e b' members of' the crew .,: icinb '""R vcssel nnd officers and , . ir. .v. ot tlle erew of the Chesapeake " ' '' liie V ?f . Norfolk, which w as close Srs JCgi'iia when the fire occurred. iJL. Xewberry of Baltimore, LINER DESTROYED Bl FUMES; FlETEEi DIE (Continued from Page One.) and Captain "W. G. Lane of the Virginia, Vir-ginia, were the most seriously injured. Mrs. Newberry was hurt when a life boat fell and Captain Lane is suffering suffer-ing from bad burns. The Virginia was bound from Baltimore Balti-more for Old Point and Norfolk, Va. Sho carried in addition to ' passengers, a crew of 82, all but three of whom were colored deck hands who have been accounted for. The steamer's passeu-ger passeu-ger list was lost. Captain Lane, master of the Old Bay Liner stayed with his boat to the last aud was so badly burned that on his arrival ar-rival be went at once to a hospital. Captain Lane, Manor J. C. Davidson, of Camp Mead, who was going to Newport New-port News, and a laborer were the last persons to leave the stricken ship. -These men staved until the fire got so hot their hands aud faces were blistered. blis-tered. Major Davidson was picked up by a lifeboat. Within fifteen minutes after the blaze burst forth on the Virginia, the men on the City of Norfolk could hear the cries for help floating up to thein out of the water. The boats of the i two vessels picked up all they could find. The weather was clear and the seas ; calm; otherwise the rescuers would . have, been able to do but little toward saviug those persons who had to jump into the water. Two lifeboats, filled with passengers, capsized. Rescue Work Prompt, NEW YORK, May 21. But for the splendid seamanship of the crews .of several rescue ships, there would have becu heavy loss of life as a result of j the burning of the old bay liner Virginia Vir-ginia in Chesapeake bay last night, James A. Wilder, chief sea scout of the Boy Scouts of America, one of the survivors, sur-vivors, declared today. Mr. Wilder was taken aboard the steamship Florida. j It was fortunate, Mt. Wilder said, ! that the fire broke out at a time when ; the Virginia was due to meet Chcsa-tpeakc Chcsa-tpeakc boats bound in the opposite direction. direc-tion. Mr. Wilder said men from the Florida and other vessels saved the entire en-tire company aboard the Virginia, with i the possible exception of several fire- men. The Virginia's officers and crew, i he declared, exhibited great presence ! of mind and the passengers were calm, j A large group of naval officers and men dul brilliant work assisting in the ; rescues. Mr. Wilder said. |