The New York herald., 1879-07-05
A STEAMBOAT UPSET.
Sad Disaster on Lake Quinsiga-
mond, Massachusetts,.
SEVERAL EXCURSlOnlSTS DROWNED.
Heated Crowds OVerpoWer the
Vessels Officers.
OVERLOOKING THE STEAMER
Giving Way OF a Deck with a
Hundred People on 1t.
WHO is RESPONSIBLE?
[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD. !

By TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD
WORCESTER. Mass July 4. 1S70
At half past two p. M to-day the steamer Colonel
Isaac Davis. pleasure boat plying on Lake Quinsig
amond. was upset while lying at her moorings. at
Lincoln Park and about a hundred persons were
precipitated the water. OF these five nave been
taken out dead and about thi irty were injured.
THE KILLED.
The following is the corrected list of the killed
PATRICK CAHILL. grocer. No. 7s Shrewsbury
street. aged fifty.
MARY CAHILL, daughter of Patrick. aged four.
ANNIE CAHILL. also daughter Of Patrick, aged
LOUIS LACHAPELLE, shoe cutter. at Merrilrs
factory, aged thirty-one
MAGGIE SHUCROw Bridge street. aged eighteen.
INJURED.
The following severely wounded -
EMMA HEMENwAY badly bruised about the head
and body-sent to City Hospital.
J. McKENNA. Cherry Valley. bad scalp wound
sent home.
JEREMIAH DEAN, Benefit street. bruised in the
breast and head.
ELLEN DEAN. wife of the above. hurt in left hip.
SAMUEL GILBERT. of Clinton injured in the
head
removed at once in the guage train and sent
to their homes before the police arrived
MISSING.
Edward Coture.
S. De Shol
Lewis Powers.
The boat was new. having been launched on May l.
She built at the lake. Her length 63 feet.
and width % the guards She registered
about fifty tons. fiat bottomed. apd drew less
than three feet when loaded She had two passenger
decks. Her upper deck raised supports
about ten feet above the main deck. and
with the gunwale. Her engine rated at twenty
fve.horse power.
RUSHING THE SCENE.
The news reached the city about three o'clock and
spread like wildfre The first report placed the
number of killed at thirty Those who stayed
in the city to celebrate the Fourth
Immediately started for the lake. and every
train and carriage packed
with an excited crowd. The roads became impass-
able from teams and pedestrians. Into the enclo
sure around the steamers pier the immense throng
poured faster than the police could take of them
The steamer dismantled. She might be termed a
wreck. except that her boiler and other machinery
still intact. The space in front of her slip
covered with boats filled with men who eagerly
and yet carefully piled their doleful
taken out before the HERALD correspondent reached
the scene More still beneath. that
tain. and the worked patiently. The crowd of
weeping and waling and stern. sober look
ing men stood around
DRAGGING FOR BODIES.
The hook had caught something. The men
dragged carefully. pulled very gently and a girls
form was brought out-a girl Of about eighteen.
The spectators stepped aside and the body
was taken to the pier. 1t was that of
Maggie shucrow. The bodies of Patrick
Cahil q grocer. and his two little girls had been
taken out and removed to town. Another was dis
covered, that of Louis La Chapee. Frenchman,
about thirty. The wounded were removed to their
homes to the hospital and the dead turned
over to the undertakers. The crush of women
and men. of girls and boys. search of
relatives or children became about this time ter
rife. A severe rain storm. accompanied by vivid
flashes Of lightning and deafenng peals of thunder
sprang up and drove away those who were not
deeply interested in the work. which went steadily
about the pier. Reports from all quarters of
persons missing. and the search was kept up. but
without avail. No more bodies could be found. The
lightning cavorted among the trees and across the
lake, the thunder roarcd and crashed and reverber
ated among the neighboring hills; but little needed
the anxious throng of inquirers after missing mem.
bers of their homes.
WHAT OFFICER THE BOAT SAYS.
How did the disaster occurT' asked the HERALD
correspondent of man who stood on the end Of the
pier evidently distressed in mind He WAS an officer
of the boat.
''wcll. SIR" he said, cit plainly the fault of
the people themselves. You see we had just
come from trip down the lake.
We had about three hundred people ON
board. We had been making excursions
during the day since about six o'clock in the morn
ing The boat was fast to her pier and prepara-
tions were making to land the passengers. There
we're about one thousand people on the shore,
most OF them waiting 10 get on board
TO go down the lake to Quinsigamond Park,
where the horse and foot races fwere
beng held. Before we could got out the gangpiank
the crowd began to swarm the side OF the boat
and to take places the hurricane deck regardless
Of the protests of the captain and other officers of
the boat The dtck became crowded that n strain
on its powers grew visible swaying motion was
soon noticed, and the crowd thickened ON the
deck the motion became decidedly unpleasant. The
edge of the deck during the rocking struck the end
Of the pier, and the sound well
the shock created panic. The passengers rushed
to one side. the hurricane deck slipped from its
fastenings, and, with its load of human freight.
awnings and smokestack, slid into the water That
is . true story of the accident
QUESTION THE RESPONSIBILITY.
While tho telling the story several per-
sons drew around to listen to the conversation
al was walking down to the pier" said a very re-
specially dressed young man who was in the party,
when tie boats deck gave way heard the crash
and the screams of the poor people who
were sent, many of them, to watery grave.
I shall never forget the scene. There were
probably one hundred and Atty persons. men
and children struggling in the for their
lives, for the water at that point is ten feet deep
could not swim stroke and could, of
course, render assistance except on shore,
but my tingled with a desire to plunge
in and try to some lives. one little child