1941 — Aug 18, fire, NY & Cuba Mail Steamship Co. piers, SS Panuco, Brooklyn, NY–34-35
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 9-23-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
— 35 Associated Press. “Skelton Is Found.” Kingston Daily Freeman, NY. 9-24-1941, p. 3.
— 35 Syracuse Herald Journal, NY. “35th Body Is Found on Ruins of Vessel,” 9-24-1941, p. 2.
— 34 Hayne. “Brooklyn, New York, Waterfront Fire.” Quarterly…NFPA, 35/2, Oct 1941, p. 121.
— 34 NFPA. “Fires Causing Large Loss of Life.” 1984 NFPA Handbook. 1983, p, 34.
— 34 NFPA Quarterly. “Large Loss Fires of 1941.” Vol. 35, N. 3, Jan 1942, p. 213.
Narrative Information
Hayne: “Fire originating in a quantity of sisal, August 18, 1941, spread in a comparatively few ‘minutes throughout Pier No. 27 at the foot of Baltic Street, Brooklyn, New York, and extended to the freighter Palma, berthed on the north side of the pier and to barges in the slips on both sides of the pier. Finally the fire spread northward to Pier No. 26 across the 100 ft. slip from Pier No, 27. Thirty-four men were killed by drowning or burning, and a number of men are still reported missing.
The first alarm was received by the fire department fifteen minutes before noon, and eye-witnesses stated that within twenty-five minutes practically the entire superstructure of the pier had collapsed. The Panuco and barges were involved almost immediately and Pier No. 26 was soon included in the fire area. Within a short time the superstructure of Pier No 27 and all the merchandise within it were beyond saving; the 3570-ton freighter Panuco had been towed from the pier, beached upon mud flats, and was ablaze from stem to stern; 17 barges, with the merchandise upon them, had been damaged; and the fire department was busily engaged in preventing the fire from spreading throughout the substructure and the roof of Pier No. 26. By afternoon, fires in the piers and barges were practically extinguished; but not until early Wednesday morning was the Panuco fire completely extinguished….
“After discharging a portion of its cargo, consisting of copper bars, at Perth Amboy, New jersey, the steamship Panuco proceeded to Brooklyn and docked on the north side of Pier No: 27, Sunday, August 17. The following morning at 8:00 A.M. it began unloading the remainder of its cargo upon Pier No. 27 and upon lighters alongside. During the morning, the cargo placed upon the pier was principally henequen, ixtle, and sisal twine in bales, while cotton was unloaded on at least one lighter. The sisal fiber was stacked along both sides of the pier in a number of piles, separated by other merchandise that was awaiting shipment. The largest pile of the fiber appears to have been about 100 ft. from the shore end of the pier, being about 50 ft. long, 20 ft. wide, and probably 15 ft. high. Other piles of the fiber were considerably smaller.
“At approximately a quarter to twelve the first alarm was received from box No, 507, located at Columbia and Baltic Streets, Brooklyn. Alarms from numerous other street boxes and special building signals were received almost at the same time. Fire that appears to have originated in the pile of fiber toward the shore end of the pier spread within a few moments’ time throughout the pier and to the superstructure and hold of the steamship Panuco. It then spread to the lighters and their contents, and to Pier No. 26. The spread of the fire was so rapid that many of the several score of men at work upon the pier and the Panuco were forced to leap into the water. A considerable number of these men either could not swim or were exhausted before help arrived, and they drowned. It is reported that because of the dense smoke rescuer’s were unable to see the men in the water. Other men were unable to leave the Panuco before they were burned to death. A total of 34 bodies have been recovered so far, with a number of men ‘still reported missing.
“Upon the arrival of the fire department the fire had already reached the proportions of a five-alarm fire, and consequently in rapid succession a second alarm was sounded at 11:50 A.M., a third at 11:51 A.M., a fourth at 11:52 A.M., and a fifth at 11:53 A.M., bringing a large portion of the land and marine forces of the fire department to the pier. Tugboats ‘succeeded in securing a line to the Panuco, which was then towed out into the channel and finally beached on mud flats in the lower bay, ablaze from stem to stern. The fire department then concentrated upon preventing the spread of the fire to Pier No. 26, where it had already ignited the roof covering, cornice and substructure. This pier was unoccupied, and consequently the fire department’s efforts were concerned entirely with the pier itself. The department was aided by the operation of fourteen sprinkler heads upon the pier, but some difficulty was experienced in extinguishing the fire in the cornice and in the substructure, which were without protection. The substructure fire was finally extinguished by a fireboat working in the 200 ft. slip, with the help of tugs and other small craft which could get up closer to the pier. The department was also forced to give considerable attention to the burning barges and their contents. Tugboats and other craft gave valuable assistance in extinguishing the fire in Pier No. 27 and on the barges. Fires in the piers and barges were quickly brought under control and practically extinguished by the afternoon.
“The fire in the Panuco was decidedly stubborn, and I was not until early Wednesday morning that a fireboat crew was able to explore the ship’s interior. Exploding oil drums on the pier caused the fire to burn spectacularly….”
NFPA. Quarterly NFPA. “Large Loss Fires of 1941.” Vol. 35, N. 3, Jan 1942, p. 213:
“Fire, originating in a quantity of sisal,[1] spread rapidly throughout Pier No. 27 and extended to the freighter Panuco and to barges in the slips on both sides of the pier. Finally the fire spread to Pier No. 26 across a 200-foot slip from Pier No. 27. Thirty-four men were killed by drowning or burning and about seventy suffered burns and other injuries.
“Pier No. 27 shed was one-story high of frame construction and was 725 feet long by 75 feet wide. The pier itself was of heavy wood construction on wood piles. The shed was equipped with standpipe and hose, water pails, and extinguishers. Pier No. 26 shed is of corrugated iron on metal frame construction and is equipped with a good dry-pipe system of automatic sprinklers. Standpipe system and roof monitors are also provided on this pier.
“The fire started from an unknown cause in a pile of sisal on the pier, having been discharged from the S.S. Panuco. It spread rapidly throughout the pier and superstructure and hold of the ship. Upon the arrival of the fire department the fire had already reached the proportions of a five-alarm fire. Within twenty-five minutes of the first alarm practically the entire superstructure of the pier had collapsed. The Panuco and barges were almost immediately involved, and Pier No. 26 was soon included in the fire area. Within a short time the superstructure of Pier No. 27 was beyond saving, the Panuco had been beached, blazing from stem to stern, seventeen barges and their cargoes had been damaged and the fire department was hard put to keep the fire from spreading throughout the substructure and roof of Pier No. 26. Fireboats and tugs were finally successful in extinguishing the fire in Pier No. 27 and on the barges. The operation of fourteen sprinkler heads on Pier No. 26 aided the fire department in their efforts on this sector, but some difficulty was encountered in extinguishing the fire in the cornice and in the substructure of this pier which were not protected. The fire in the Panuco was decidedly stubborn and smoldered for days.” (Quarterly NFPA. “Large Loss Fires of 1941.” Vol. 35, N. 3, Jan 1942, p. 213.)
Newspapers
Sep 23: “New York, Sept. 23….Nearly a score of human bodies have been found in the wreckage [Panuco], and the search still goes on.” (Driscoll. “New York Day By Day.” News-Palladium, Benton Harbor, MI, Sep 23, 1941, p. 2.)
Sep 24: “New York, Sept. 24 (AP). – Discovery of a charred skeleton yesterday in the hold of the hold of the former S.S. Panuco raised to 35 the death toll of the fire that swept the vessel and its $600,000 cargo last Aug. 18.” (Syracuse Herald Journal, NY. “35th Body Is Found on Ruins of Vessel,” 9-24-1941, p. 2.)
Sources
Associated Press. “Skelton Is Found [in SS Panuco, raising total deaths to 35].” Kingston Daily Freeman, NY. 9-24-1941, p. 3. Accessed 9-24-2024 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/kingston-daily-freeman-sep-24-1941-p-3/
Hayne, Wm. G. “Brooklyn, New York, Waterfront Fire.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 35, No. 2, Oct 1941, pp. 121-130.
National Fire Protection Association. “Fires Causing Large Loss of Life.” 1984 NFPA Handbook. 1983, p, 34.
National Fire Protection Association. Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association. “Large Loss Fires of 1941.” Vol. 35, N. 3, Jan 1942, p. 213.
Syracuse Herald Journal, NY. “35th Body Is Found on Ruins of Vessel,” 9-24-1941, p. 2. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=22910904
[1] “Sisal (Agave sisalana) is an agave that yields a stiff fiber traditionally used in making twine, rope and also dartboards.” (Wikipedia. “Sisal.”)