The Portland daily press., 1875-12-03
THE SUNNYsIDE DISASTER.
The Captains Statement Criminal Sc
6shness which unset the Lifeboat

The Captains Statement Criminal Sell
fshness which upset the Lifeboat
New YORK, Dec. 2.-The statement Of the
captain of the sunken steamer Sunnyside,
shows that the life-boat was put alongside by
the mate, and the captain says
81 ordered all passengers on the forward
promenade deck, and one of the fremen helped
them up. NextI passed three women into the
life-toat, when quite a number of men jumped
into the boat also. / tried to keep them back,
but they were panic stricken. then yelled to
the mate to shove the boat to the Shore All
this time the steamer was settling fast. and the
water came up to the pilot house.
The mate had not got over 20 feet from the
steamer with the life.boat full of people, before
it capsized. A terrible scene ensued. There
must have been IS persons in the boat The
mate swan ashore and the others that were
saved swan back to the steamer. Probably all
that were lost were drowned by the capsizing
of the lite-boat. Their shouts and cries for help
must have been heard a long distance. As
quickly as possible took boat from the star
board side and tried to get around to the people
in the water, but the heavy ice prevented. The
cries for help continued about ten minutes and
all was still.
We finally launched the big boat from the
upper deck which was even with the water, and
reached the capsized boat. She was bottom up,
and a man lay on the bottom with his feet in
the water, and nearly dead. We took him on
board the steamer and covered him with blank.
cts in the pilots room. Then heard a noise
ON the outside of our port wheel-house, which
was only two feet out of water. We worked
the boat to the spot and found an elderly lady
groaning. She was lying on the ice five feet
from the wheel-house, her body partly in the
water. 1t was with the greatest difficulty we
got her into the boat, took her to the steamer,
put her into the wheel-man's room and covered
her with blankets She died about two hours
after. We then constructed rope ferry from
the steamer to the shore, about 200 feet distant
At this time sixty persons were crowded to-
gether on the hurricane deck aft, the wind
blowing and the air bitter cold. We succeeded
in getting all off in safety, by placing them in
the large boat and pulling it along by the rope
ferry to the shore.
On reaching the shore they clambered up the
rocks and made their way to the farm houses
in the vicinity, where every attention was given
them. By this time I was nearly exhausted
and was attacked with cramps and had to be
assisted to a house near by. From the time
was first called till the steamer sank fifteen
minutes time was no. consumed.
A despotch from the scene of the wreck says
the whole blame of upsetting the lfe-boat is
cast or the three men who jumped into 1t. One
was burly German passenger, who even when
safely housed continued to cry out, "Oh, am
going to die! and lose all my silver spoons,
tooT The rescued people are loud in their
praises of the kindness and hospitality of the
farmers in the vicinity of the disaster. They
threw open their doors to them, gave them food
and shelter, and set apart their own private
rooms for the sufferers.