The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-06-30
Many More Severely Burned About
Their Bodies.
Thirty of the Victims Taken From the
Wreck.
A Scene That Beggars All Description.
Full Particulars Of the Sad Affair as De
tailed by Those on Board.
A TERRIBLE CALAMITY.

TERRIBLE CALAMITY.
On East River Yesterday Afternoon-A
Steamer Burns, and With Her Fifty
People,
NEW YORK, June 2s.-The steamboat Sea
wohanka, which ran from Peck Slip up the
Sound to Glen Cove, Long Island, took fire at
AGO this afternoon while off Randalls Island,
East River. The fire was occasioned by an
explosion in the engine ROOM and the middle
of the steamboat was soon in flames. The
pilot, Charles Smith. remained at his post I'M
Ill he was
NEARLY BURNED TO DEATH,
and succeeded in bleaching the vessel on a
persons sprang overheard and were drowned.
Man. other in the stern of the vessel could
not set of and were burned 10 death.
OF the 500 persons supposed to be on board
FIFTY ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE PERIsHED.
The bodies of about thirty dead persons have
been recovered, and only Those of Or. Beb-
boise, wealthy gentleman, residence un-
known, and OF Mary Reed, young woman,
were identified. Among the saved are Charles
A. Dana, editor OF the Sun; :. i. NJ. Barlow,
treasurer of the western Union Teiegrsph
Company. The vessel burned to the waters
edge.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT
by passenger says there were about $50 on
board. All went well until Hell Gate was
passed, when
THE FIRE ALARM
rang out, and the flames were discovered
bursting through the pilot house. The officers
and crew assured the passengers that there
was no danger, and heated the boat for Ran
dall's Island, She grounded on bar, about
200 feet from shore. The steamer Granite
time, picked up thirteen passengers, aud one
dead body, which were landed at WhitestOne.
The steamer Ossean rescued majority of the
passengers, and proceeded with them to Col
lege Point. Those without life preSerYers
saved themselves by cllnging to the guards,
cha OF
BOAT. The body of Abe sizidmore,
of a weIi-known Long Island family.
was recovered, and is now at the Coleman
House, this city. The Seawohanks leaves
this city each afternoon after the close of
resort along the Sound. and many well known
citizens sailed in her every day for their sum-
mer residences
THE STORY OF A FIREMAN.
Charles Abel, one of the hremen of the boat,
slip. from which the Seawohank a went this
afternoon. He said he made our
Landing at the foot ,C OF Thirty-third
was about fifteen minutes later when we
reached Little He'll Gate. was sitting in a
wing part of the gangway, after having
started the bilge pump, when heard noise,
and on looking around
.rar SAW FIRE
pouring out of the fire room. I got up and
tried to make my way into the fire room but
the flames were too much for me. We were
ust OF Randall's Island, and running forward
yelled to the Captain, who was at the wheel,
hack that we could not then ran into cab
ems forward and urged the steward and pas
sengers to save themselves. They did not
flame was blown in that direction. at
that time the wood work OF the vessel
the names We're msking t6eir waV toward
both ends of the boat. There were probably SEQ
persons on board. Men Jumped from the hurri-
cane deck into the water, and a large number
of terrified women and children were huddled
near the stern of the boot. climbed over the
rail near the bow and several men almost
jumped upon me before 1 took to water to
save myself found life srererver
floating near me. and was going
knowing could swim, and thinking he could
not, let him have IL and swan forward TO
then helped to man a boat, and assisted
In picking up passengers in the water The
dall's Island, but soon burnt to the waters
edge. Captain Chas. z. Smith was at the
wheel, and
STUCK TO HIS POST
to the last. His face and body were badly
burned. Small boats came to the rescue from
every direction. The steam boats Granite State,
bound for Hartford. the Osseo, MlnnehannOck
and the Sylvan Gen had boats manned and
sent to our assistance. The clothing of many
of the children on board took fire and some of
them were badly burned.
Engineer Weeks put on a full head of steam,
am told in response to signal from the Cap
tain, and then climbed up among the machin-
cry, and was seen standing on the upper
so tina. ry he steam cS9d Escape AND
an explosion be avoided. We never carried
over thirty -four pounds of steam. The only
members of the crew l understand are
missing Joseph Hasbrouck, the cook,
and his grandson Charles Hasbrouck, who
was employed on the boat. We had crew OF
four deck hands,. one deck boy, an engineer,
two hremen, Captain. Clerk. Superintendent,
Wheelman, superintendent clerk, porter,
steward and cook.
cprm nm Tuurp nr-Tv
Ike men, and few of them lost their presence
OF mind. You can imagine how cool they
were when the Clerk, who was collecting fares,
soon as he Esalized the o boat was
secured all the money he had left there
Among our passengers were Charles A. Dana,
Richard O'Gorman, s. l.. NJ. Barlow ono or two
other gentlemen whose names not
recOllect, bat who are in the habit of going to
their homes along Long Island shore by our
boat. All of the gentlemen have named
understood escaped
THE VESSEL BURNED LIKE POWDER,
after once the flames started. and it a ter
rfble scene ShrieKing women aud children
were huddled aft until their clothes caught
fire, and those on the forward part OF the boat
ton with going to the rescue of their
female relatives and friends by the flames,
which burnt fercest about the center OF the
boat Mr. Mo5ss o9F visa ssw oin enid 10
jump overheard to save it, when
frantic woman clutched his
rn aaa dTe sro2g boaTd a1 For
Gods sake, help me-" The porter left the child
to itself, and believed, saved the woman. The
only one of the Seawanahakas boats got
canvass fastened over it. After
the canvass was got on, the body OF child
about two years old was found lying In the