the Niagara left Sheboygan, Wis., bound for Port Washington,
30 miles to the south. After clearing Sheboygan, Captain
Fred S. Miller retired to his cabin for an afternoon nap.
He had not been sleeping long when cries of panic abruptly
woke him.
"Fire! Fire! The boat’s on
fire!"
Captain Miller immediately ordered one
of the engineers to rig a fire hose to the pumps to douse
the menacing flames. Next he rushed to the pilothouse and
ordered the ship turned toward shore. Several minutes later
the engine stopped, leaving the blazing vessel helpless
four or five miles off shore.
Like many other boats of the day, the
Niagara carried no life preservers. Captain Miller and a
mate began breaking off stateroom doors and casting them
into the water—then a standard procedure during steamer
fires. Working his way aft, Captain Miller continued throwing
doors and other buoyant items into the water until the flames
forced him overboard.
About three minutes into the fire,
the center portion of the boat was engulfed in flames and
communication between the bow and the stern became impossible.
With most crew members trapped forward, the frantic passengers
in the stern attempted to launch the lifeboats themselves.
The inexperienced passengers fumbled with the largest boat
and capsized it, rendering it useless.
 continued
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