Liberty Hose Co. No. 2 - On This Day...

On Saturday, June 30, 1900, there were four ships docked at the North German Lloyd piers on the Hudson River in Hoboken, New Jersey: The Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse - the largest and fastest ship in the world at that time - moored on the south side of Pier 1, the new steamer Main - moored on the north side of Pier 1, the steamer Saale - moored on the south side of Pier 2, and the steamer Bremen - moored on the north side of Pier 2. Shortly before 4 p.m., a watchman discovered fire on Pier 3. Crowded with merchandise of every description, the dock buildings, light wooden structures, burnt like tinder. Barrels of oil and spirits exploded and spread the fire to the ships. Everything at the piers was ablaze in the span of ten to twenty minutes. Many tugboats were came to rescue the great ships. The first of the ships to catch fire, the Saale, had started to drift away from the pier. The tugboats and other harbor boats rescued some of her crew who were seen hanging over the side of the ship or on the rudder. Some, who had grown exhausted, slipped away and drowned. Next, the Bremen caught fire, suffering a similar fate as that of the Saale, drifting slowly and ablaze. Then the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was next. It was decided that she should be rescued first, for her value as the flagship of the North German Lloyd Line, and because there were weekend tourists aboard, who had come to tour the ship. She started to be pulled backwards at about 4:10 p.m. Her bow had caught fire from a burning coal barge that was lashed to her as she was pulled into the middle of the Hudson River and there was also a small fire on her stern. Several tugboats were working with their fire hoses to put the fires out. The ships' officers and men had also quickly put out many smaller fires with their uniforms and by other means. Due to the actions of her disciplined crew and of the tugboats, no lives were lost on the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse. Her damage was minimal by comparison with the other ships. Over 200 feet of paint on the starboard side of her hull had been burned away, mostly from her bow area. The glass in many portholes had burst from the heat, and some items made of wood, such as deck planking and lifeboats, had been burned. The ship was towed upstream to about 46th street off of Manhattan and anchored. The Saale and Bremen were drifting and blazing uncontrollably. Many tug boats played their hoses upon the fire; some catching on fire briefly themselves. Many of the crew of both ships swamped the tugboats as they tried to escape. The tug Nettie Tice took off 104 people from the Bremen alone. Meanwhile, the Main, which was moored the farthest north, was unable to be freed from her pier. The tugs worked frantically but to no avail. Some forty-four of her crew died, unable to escape her burning hull. She eventually drifted free after her mooring lines burned. Many people could be seen through the portholes of the ships. In some cases, it took three hours for those trapped to die. There were so many watercrafts of various types on the river that 27 of them also caught fire as result of the floating and flaming wreckage. New York City even suffered some fire damage when the Bremen had drifted to the other side of the Hudson River and had started a small fire at Pier 18. The Thingvalla Line, which bordered the North German Lloyd piers on the north, also lost a pier to the blaze. The large Campbell's Stores and the Hoboken Warehouse, which was located on the North German Lloyd property area, were burned down. Some of the ships continued to burn for a few days or were so hot that they could not be boarded. The Main and Bremen had foundered on the Wheehawken Flats, where they were towed. They were half sunk, burned out, and keeled-over partially on their sides. At 11:00 p.m. that night, an amazing discovery was made when it was found that 15 crewmen were still alive in the Hull of the Main. Even with her hull plates glowing from the heat, a tug captain noticed a small oil lamp shining from the side of the ship. Upon investigating the tug's crew heard knocking from within, and the plates were soon cut into to reveal the men. They had been hiding in an empty coalbunker and had been trapped for eight hours. The Hoboken fire department had fought hard to save the piers. One fire wagon virtually disintegrated after it arrived at the scene and was immediately engulfed by flames. The fire was the largest fire loss in the United States in the year 1900. Insurance estimates of the damage was calculated at $4,627,000. Four ocean liners burned, three were seriously damaged, 27 barges, workboats, and harbor craft were lost. Warehouses, railroad cars, the three North German Lloyd piers, and one pier of the Thingvalla Line were totally lost. 173 people died on the piers. The total number of dead cannot be determined, but it is estimated that from 326 to 400 people died as a result of the fire.