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Show SHIP SAVED ' FROM FIRE Crew Fought Flames During a Period of . Six Days San Francisco. July 11. Blackened and charred, her derks warped by I a six days' fire which raged beneath them, tho British tramp steamer SL Nicholas sailed through '.he Golden l Gate last evenlDg irom Antwerp, from vl.ich port she sailed May 3 with a general cargo of 5,000 ton for San Francisco. Portland and Puget Sound petU. When 1300 miles off lh? South American coast' In latitude 14.51 south, longitude 96.59 vest, her commander. com-mander. Captain George Altken Just i at da break on the morning of June 23. discovered smoke pouring from the ventilators. When hatch No. 3 was opened smoke and flames shot up and it was discovered that the cargo car-go In the shelter deck, was a seething mass of fire which It seemed Impossible Impos-sible to combat. Chief Officer J. W. Dickinson, Second Sec-ond Officer Arthur Mnrriott and Third Officer Walter Chavner volunteered to go below -with the hose passed along by tho crew. With their mouths and nostrils muffled by wet cloths, the volunteers were alternately lowered. low-ered. Owing to the Intense heat and the suffocating ' smoke each man could remain below only a few moments. mo-ments. All that day and tho following fol-lowing night the fight to eave the ship continued In despair the captaia ordered the life-boats provisioned and ! trailed astern. Early on the morn- i Ing of June 24 tho fire in the shelter deck was 6eemlngly stamped out and i the crew sank exhausted on the decks for a brief rest. At 9 In the morning . fire was reported In lower hold No. 1 2. Two hundred tons of merchandise were thrown overboard before the fire could be reached. Then the steamplpeB were run below and after five days of fighting the flames were finally subdued. The vessel is owned by Rankin, Gilroore & Co.. of Liverpool. Liver-pool. The total . damage is estimated estimat-ed at half a million dollars, mostly covered by Insurance. |