The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1880-07-07
Terrible steamboat Disaster.

bvtweea NV York and Glen Cove, L l.
| stopping al intermediate ports, caught IRE 10
tae Hast river bstWeen Wards Island and
/ Astoria and in i've miautes vas burning All
/ over. At the tine between 40 aud oOV pas
srngers were on board, many OF them beng
New Workers who live during the summer al
/ tlwns on Long Island sound. Thedtscovery OF
the Ore create 81 panic, and many persons IN
the confusion jumped overheard and were
| , roWned IL l. estimated that between t"rty
i aud nifty lives we're lost, some persons having
/ been drowned and a lew burned 10 death.
| The SeawAnhaks ,teamed out iron her pier,
| "A East river at four O'Clock in the al ernoon.
IN her decks were many passeng, ~ bound Tor
| Sea Gill, Sand Point, Glen Cove, Roslyn and
| other points on Long STAND. She touched at
toe loot OF East Thirty third street, where she
received olhsr passengers. She is licensed
TO carry l, 800 passengers, but il is not thought
| that when she left the loot OF Thirty-third
/ street. she had on board more than 100,
/ Among them were macy merchants and
/ uther business men goiny to their summer
residences on Long Island. Many OF these
persons had Their families with them.
| glatce at tie passenLe is showed that they
were, Tor the most part, well-to-do city or
| c0upiry people. Among them were several
| gentlemen prominent in bu-iness cncles or in
their pr LESSONS.
ter sought the forward p IT OF the boat to
catch The breeze. That Iley did SO proved to
| be a very fortunate circums auce. The boat
ran pc sanily up past Backwells Island.
just rs she pts ell Hallett's PUint-made
m-muahlI oy Gen. Newton's explosion OF its
submerged reel several years agO-there was
II no'in Hlion OF danger that is variously de-
Sc iOei by the passengers. Some say there
was an explosion whicn they distinctly felt
and heard. Others say that there was
strange lifting OF the deck as II by a getle
pless ne, lrll wed by a kissing noise, as If
steam were escaping. All agree, however,
that Il few moments arUrwnrd fumes were
$ rn IN thu ncighhorhoOd OF the engine-room.
| there flames arose like magic, and quickly
| tMmel an imp sable barrier bGtw cen the lore
AM ai;cr paris OF the boat. 1t is known that
| the eng neer WIS seen in the pIo;-huuse
| short time after the acci lent, whittier, IL is
sppus, a, lie went 10 report TO the captain
trat c could moi stay in the gine-room.
| Whatever may h ave been the cause OF the eN-
piusi H. il there was one, 1t is certain that the
boll,rs remained iutlct, Tor the wheels kept
| mo, ing. Tie ca ain, Cnarl' Z. Smith, de-
cidcd at O c.. that il would be useless to try
tu ti.IHtRe iiame-. He did not even quit the
plI use to make an inspection OF the dam
Ler Ap arcnlly he relied on the report OF
| his engineer. About him the shores OF
He'll Gate were guarded with surken
rocks and bounded BY abrupt banks. Less
than half mile ahead oil him was low
wing mar-hy island called Sunken Meadows.
Captain Smith believe he could rely on his
unattended boilers aud engines to push him
forward upon this island. lie kept the boat
headed to the near, st poin of the m 'rsh.
The flames were early under him. lie heard
the s reks OF his pa, suug 5, but TO his mind
| lint pf
on board, aud he could leave the wheel 10 no
one else 1t was n critical race witD the
progre.s Of the fire, and the fire was gaining.
! The advance oil the boat drove heat, flames,
and smoke aft. This forced most Of those in
the alter part OF the boat to leap into the
water Some OF these swan to Ward
Island, which is nearly opposite but little
above Hallett's Point. those who were in
the tore part OF the boat we're able to remain
| longer and most OF these did not leap into The
wafer until the PROV of thu burning vessel
was driven forty feet up on to Sunken
Meadows, Then Captain Smith, terribly
burned, hurried from the pilot-house, and as
sisted women and children down to the land,
and aided others who had leaped into the
water to reach tie shore. Mr.. Charles A.
| Dana editor of the New York ST. and Mr..
! S. L. n. Barlow have country places Mt Glen
Cove on the Sound, aud 20 up every even
ing NJ the Seawauhaka. Both were on board
togct, er with DR.. VIM. II. Draper, OF East
| Ihirty-srventh street, Mr. Danas son.in-
law, and Mr. Thomas Huchco k. All were
saved unhurt. Mr. Dana remained on bAard
the Seawanhaks until she was near the shore,
and then jumped overheard aud swan to the
island.
Brave Rescuers.
One of the bravest and most daring rescuars
at the burning OF the SeawRnhaka was John
Henry Bush, OF No. 24l East lllth street,
New York. He was out in n small boat with
his wife and five children. He saw the Sea-
wanhaka coming up and "a she neaIed He'll
Gate ne said to his vile: "1'hat boa looks 10
me as though she is on fire." Mrs. Bush
said, e. think she is." At that moment the
smoke and flames seemed to envelop the boat.
Mr.. Bush WAS then opposite Randalls Island,
tie headed his boat Tor shore and laUding his
family on the island ~ quickly AS possible
hoisted his sail and plying the oars struck GU,
for the burning vessel. When he came within
one hundred yards OF her (she was then past
Hell Gate) the water was full Of struggling
eople. He rescued eight-nen, women and
children and quickly landing Them on Ram
dali Island put back again a. d pulled cl sc
under the stern OF the bat. The vessel WAS
then mass of flames, and Mr. Bash took
nine persons from the stern, some OF whom
were on fire and had to be thrown overheard
to extinguish the flames. This load was
quickly land and the uTave man pushed out
once more toward the vessel which Vas at
that time a sEeet OF fame. He saw q woman
on the stern OF the boat whose clothing was
blazlng up fiercely. She was holding "A little
gIrl abo t TOUR years OF age by one arm over
the guard rail, ready to drop it into the water
Its clothing hat just gnited a. the chtld was
screaming loudly. MIR. Bush caught tie
chi by its leg, snatched il from i'll
mothers grasp, and dashing it into the
water quenched the flames and dragged
ii back into the boat. He then looked
Tor the mother, but she had sunk down on IN,
deck, literally roasted alive Her body wa
burn to a crisp. In raising the child Mr.
Bush severely burned both his hands. I'm
able to save the mother, and his own clothing
being on fire, he threw himself into the water
aud extlnguishing the flames, pulled out aInon
the struggling people again. The first h
came to was a babe about three months old
whom he lonk into the boat, and alter q dea
OF hald work resusctated it. He was the
near the shore, and he landed the two chill
rem and pulled Tor the Drowned Meadow
there he picked up two women, alb nut thirt
years old each, dressed in black and we,lrin
gold watches and chains. He tried to resusci
tate them, but they died b, fore he reache
shore. Mr.. Bush's hands here became per
iectiy useless, and he was Obliged to give u
the brave work he had commenced. He de
scribes the scene as Learl-sickening. Tn
cries tor help and the screams and groaus
; agony were simply appalling. lie ttrung)
condemns the conduct Ut a number OF steam
boats Which stood off and offered no succo,
He says that the Dell, the Sylvan Glen an
several other vessels were in the vicinity an
could have run up bow on under the SeaW at
haka's stern and saved great many peopl
without the least danger to themselves
George W. Bush, who was out with Capital
Bills and some OF The member, OF No. 8
Engine Company, saved three men who's
names he did not get One of the ladi,