, 1875-12-05


Corrtspondence Neu Pork Hera'd.
PoroHkEEps1E, Dec. 1.-The story Of the dis
aster to the steamer Eunnyside, near West Park.
at o'clock this morning. is best told by Capt.
Frank Lesson, OF the sunnyside, who has made
tue following statement to me:
We left Troy at o'clock Tuesday afternoon,
and. On reaching Albany, took the steamer
Golden Gate in tow astern to follow us down.
and proceeded as far as New Baltimore with
out encountering much ice. At the latter
place, the ice Was wedEed in fr2m there to
Undertook. when NE brought up in it On
account Of window across the chaunei. 4
barge, tro canal-boats, and four propelless lay
there aI1 blocked in. TIE worked aaead snd
back. and finally worked through, but parted our
hawser to the Golden Gate and mado up our
minds We could not get that vessel through, and
We came On and left her lying there. After
wards We didn't have very heavy ice. We worried
slowly all the way from there to West Park.
The ice was very heavy at the latter place n
spots. We used grea: caasion 30 - not to cut
our vessel The mate, Jacob Burhans, stood
watch with three others in the forward
cabin and forecastle to see that the
steamer made no water. / remained on
watch till we got down to Barrytown. Before
turned in said to the pilot, Mr. Whitaker,
.What do you think about the ice?' He replied
that he thought that ne were through tho heayl-
est OF it. So we1t to my room and went to
bed. This muat have been about u O'Clock. At
2 in the moraing was called up by orders from
the engineer, Mr.. Parfal Nho said the boat WAS
making water fast dressed myself and went
doau to the for ward cabin, and through into for
ward Of the bulkhead. and found the mate, Who
had torn the joiner work away to fud the leat.
The water was then running rapidly across the
forward cabin floor and thers vas about 2
feet OF water on the starbuard bllge
in tbs forward c.b:n. I went down
TO the engine and looked in between the kaelson
and found that tho water WIS nearly mp to the
top Of the ong,ne keelson. T made mp my mind
then that We couldn't saVs her; that she would
eiuk. sent one OF the walters TO wake up the
women 10 the ladies' saloon and tell them to
then went to the pllot-house- Watson butcher,
the pilot, was as this wheel. told him to put
The steamer ashore to the westward. He hova
his wheel hard port and put her ashore near
Russelie dock. At West Park. This WAS about
2:30 q. N. then ordered the mate to lower
away tho 1ifeboats.
Two OF the boats hung in = crane aft On the
quarter; also told him to run hawsar ashore
tue mate lowered the boat and rowed ashore. the
Ice being strong aud thick ail around us. Then
wo lay head on the f1ata and our engine was still
working; before he could row the. boat no the
beach the steamer filed with water aud slid of
the fats alongside the channel bank. Then he
pulled the lfe-boat up to the vessel and ORDER
ed al the passengers on the forw ard promenade
deck, myself aud one OF The ftanen helping
them up. Next passed three women into the
life-boat when quite a number Of men jumped
an.o tho boat also: tried 10 keep as maov back
as could, but they we're panic stricken. veil
cd to the mate to snoye the boat OF to tho
Bhore- All the time the steamer was settling fast,
and the water came up into the pi'ot-house. I
IN m hf1F.
ricane oeck. aa the vessel was going down bead
foremost All the crew aesiated mo in getting
the people OF. The mato had not got over IS
or 20 feet from the steamer, with tho fIfeooat
full Of people, before it capsized: terrible
scene eusued. There must have been eighteen
persons in the boat. The mate swan ashore
and the others that we're saved swan back to
the steamer. In all probability all that were lost
we're drowned from the capsizing Of the lifeboat.
Their shouts and cries for aid must have been
head for . long distance. As quickly as po-ss.
BILE l took the boat from the starboarl side, aud.
with our head waiter and deck hoy, tried to get
around to the people in tile water, but the heavy
ice prevented me. Tho cries for help con iuued
for about ten minutes. and then all Was still.
We launched the big boat from the upper
deck, when vas even With the water, the vessel
a. tho time being 200 feet from shore. I took
tho boat with tho second engineer, Jerry Deyo,
and finally reached the capsized boat She Was
bottom up and . man laid on her ON his back.
dead We took him on board the steamer, and
put him in the pilots room and covered him
With blaakets Then heard . ncise on the out
side Of our port wheelhouse. which WAS only 2
feet OUT Of waser. We worked tho boat through
the ice to the epot where the cries emanated
from, and found aa elderly lady groaning. She
Vas ling on the Ice feet from are the sa
holding her up. She Was still a1ive. With great
difficulty We got her INTO the boat, and took her
to The steamer and put her in the vhoeleman's
room and covered be: with blankets, but abe
died shout two hours after We then went to
work to construct rope ferry from the steamer
to the ehore. At this time sixty pers"ns we're
crowded together on the hurricane deck att. tho
wind blowing hard and the air bitter cold. We
got tho line ashore and succeeded in getting ali
o1 in safety. after they had been ca deck for
two hours. ctinging to rods and masts. We
placed them in the large boat and pulled the
boat along by the rope ferry 70 the shole. On
reaching the shore they cIambered up the rocks
md made their way to the farmhouses in the
vicinity, where every attention was given them.
BY tins time was nearly exhausted. and Was
honea naar hy From the tirne vas frat called