LINER MOMUS AFIRE; PASSENGERS SAFE

Wireless Brings Sister Ship Comes to Her Aid Off the Florida Coast.

TRANSFERRED IN OPEN BOATS

Men and Women Taken Off by the Comes with Perfect Order---Momus Proceeds on Voyage.

Special to The New York Times.

CHARLESTON, SO. CO., July 23.---The steamship Momus of the Southern Pacific line, according to messages intercepted by the wireless station of the navy yard here, was discovered to be afire yesterday afternoon off Cape Canaveral, on the east coast of Florida.

The steamship Comes of the same line was summoned by wireless, and hurrying to the rescue, stood by. The Captain of the Momus, as soon as the fire was found, turned out of his course and steamed at full speed for the shore and anchored in twelve fathoms of water.

The fire was noticed first in the after hold yesterday about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and the coast was reached by midnight. The passengers behaved splendidly. There was no panic, and they accepted the assurances of the officers that there was no immediate danger.

Fortunately the sea was calm and the weather still, and as soon as the Comus arrived the passengers were transferred to her in open boats with perfect order. The fire proved stubborn and was hard to extinguished. However, it has not been gaining headway, and the Momus reported: "Everything is working well."

A late message from the Momus stated that the Propus of the same line would also go to her assistance, and that she had been ordered to keep under way and fight the fire as she headed for New Orleans.

WIRELESS BRINGS NEWS HERE.

Officials Confident That Fire Will Be Subdued---List of Passengers.

The first news that the Southern Pacific steamship Momus was afire at sea reached the local office of the line early yesterday morning. It was a message from Capt. J. S. Boyd to C. W. Jungen, manager of the line, via the wireless station at Charleston. It read:

Momus on fire 2 o'clock yesterday. Anchored in twelve fathoms of water. Fire in after lower hold. Passengers transferred safely to Comus. Comus standing by to give any aid required. No excitement on board. Fire under control. Everything working well. -CAPT. BOYD.

Another message from Capt. C. P. Maxson of the Comus was received later, stating that the passengers of the Momus were on board his vessel and he was standing by.

The Momus sailed from here on Wednesday for New Orleans. She carried a general cargo and, according to her printed list, eighty-one first and five second cabin passengers. The fire was discovered Friday afternoon, when the vessel was in the vicinity of Cape Canaveral, on the East Coast of Florida. Nothing is known here regarding the transfer of her passengers to the Comus but the company officials say that the weather was good and the sea calm, and they believe it was attended by little trouble and less excitement.

The Comus is bound to this port from New Orleans, and as the vessels of the line generally pass between Cape Jupiter and Canaveral Light, Mr. Jungen, the local manager, presumes that Capt. Boyd, on the discovery of fire, ran his ship near shore, anchored her in twelve fathoms of water, and sent a message to the Comus that he was in need of help, and she came in response to his call.

The rescued passengers from the Momus will not be brought all the way to New York, according to Mr. Jungen. If it is found the fire makes it impracticable for hem to return to the Momus and continue their interrupted voyage, they will be brought north on the Comus. She will pass the steamship Proteus, which sailed from here to-day. Her extra passengers will then be transferred to the Proteus and be taken south again.

"I do not believe the fire has done much damage." said Mr. Jungen. "The Momus carried very little of an inflammable nature. Stowed in her hold is principally cement had structural iron. It is not unlikely that late reports will show that the vessel will be able to proceed on her way without much delay. The Momus, I understand, is anchored about thirty miles north of Jupiter Light and near Capt[sic] Canaveral."

Jupiter Light is 921 miles from New Orleans and 1,036 from New York.

The passengers who sailed from here on the Momus are:

First Cabin--- J. M. Alexander, Jackson, Miss.
W. Allen, New Orleans;
M. E. Alling, Springfield, Mo.;
William Anderson, Brooklyn;
Mr. and Mrs. M. B. Ayers and Miss Ayers, Philadelphia;
Miss S. L. Bartholomew, New York;
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Berge;
J. Bernard, and Mrs. J. Birba, New Orleans;
Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Blount, New York;
Paul Brown, Medidian; Mass.;
Miss H. C. Brown, Philadelphia;
A. Clement, Springfield, Mo.;
J. Connoly, Brooklyn;
Mr. and Mrs. H. N. Comwell and P. Daynes, New Orleans;
H. B. Dendy, T. Duval, J. Faick, and M. Feibelman, New York;
W. P. Flower, New Orleans;
L. H. Funk, T. Goodman, L. Haas, and the Rev. T. R. Halpin, New York;
Walter J Hanrahan, Brooklyn;
W. Hansulet, H. T. Hughes, and Mrs. P. H. Jones, New York;
J. Levy, New Orleans;
Mrs. K. McKenzie, W. McKenzie, and J. KcMenzie[sic], New York;
Mr. and Mrs. T. S. Mayben, Richmond, Va.;
Miss Agnes C. Merriam, Arlington, Mass.;
G. Meyer, Mr. and Mrs. R. Midence, and Miss C. Midence, New York;
G. A. Mitchell, Memphis, Tenn.;
B. Moss, New York.
Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Moss, San Antonio, Texas;
Mrs. H. E. Newhaus and E. E. Prevost, New York;
Mr. and Mrs. G. R. Rea, Bay St. Louis,
Miss R. E. Rea and Miss Kate Rea, Wesson,
Miss E. Rose, Penn Yan, N. Y.;
Mr. and Mrs. I. B. Runnion, Long Beach, Cal.;
J. T. Ryan, New York;
A. Siegal, Opeiousas, La.;
F. L. Shapiro, New York;
Mrs. L. F. Shorey, Boston, Mass.;
Miss S. Sishbein, New York;
T. Smith, New Orleans;
Miss M. Spence and Miss L. Spence, Dallas, Texas;
L. H. Squier, Philadelphia;
F. Thompson, Jackson, Miss.;
Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Vernol, Philadelphia;
H. Wazhowski, H. J. Werbe, and J. S. Withingon, New Orleans;
Mr. and Mrs. G. Witte, New York;
W. H. Wynne, New Orleans,
and H. L. Whitaker, Dallas, Texas.

Second Cabin---Mr. and Mrs. K. Jerome, New York;
Mr. and Mrs. T. J. Sheridan, Malden, Mass.;
and Miss S. Washowitz, New York.

The Momus was put in the service of the line in 1906. She was built by William Cramp & Sons of Philadelphia. She was me of the three boats---the Momus, Creole, and Antilles---built at a cost of $1,250,000 each. She is of steel and designed not only for a modern and well-appointed passenger vessel but as a cargo vessel.

The three vessels are of the same general dimensions, and the models and internal arrangements of all are identical: length, 440 feet; beam, 53 feet; depth, 37 feet; load draught, 26 feet; dead weight capacity, 4,500 gross tons; displacement, [ineligible]0,600 gross tons.

The New York Times, New York, NY 14 Jul 1910
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Transcribed by Linda Horton. Thank you, Linda!