Morning journal and courier., 1880-06-29
News by Telegraph FROM ALL QUARTERS. A FRESH HORROR. Flames Burst Out on a
 Crowded Steamer. PANIC AMONG THE PASSENGERS. Terrified Men and Women Leap-
 ing Overheard. VICTIMS OF THE DISASTER. Sad Havoc of the Fire and
 Water.
NEW YORK.

' NEW YORK, June 29.-Another terribl
 steamboat disaster occurred this afternoon
 near Hell Gate, by which it is feared tha
 between thirty and forty lives were lost Tn
 steamboat Sewanhaka, which runs from Peel
 Slip to College Point, and makes several land ! ings on the Sound, left her dock in this cit, ! shortly before p. m. with between thre hundred and four hundred passengers or 1 board, two-thirds of whom were women anS children, who were bound for some countr,
 resort on the Sound. Nothing unusual oc
 cured until the steamer was passing throug gl Hell Gate, when suddenly cry of ssFire! ?
 from below sent thrill of terror through tht passengers, who almost immediately becam. panic stricken and rushed about almost wild Every effort was made by the officers to ex tinguish the flames, but without avail, and il less than five minutes after the alarm wal 1 given the flames shot up from the cabin abaf I the paddle boxes. The scene on board at 1 this time baffies all description. Womer l with children in their arms jumped over I board and were lost Men, in attempting to escape, fell into the river and were 1 carried away by the current while others who were in the cabin, being unable to escape were burned to death. When all hope o1 saving the vessel had been abandoned she ! was beached near Wards Island, where she continued to burn to the waters edge. Cap I tain Smith, who had charge of the ill-fated boat, with his officers, tried all in his power 1 to save the lives of passengers, ard he was badly burned before leaving the vessel.
 Nothing definite to the cause of the
 disaster can be learned from any source, but | nearly every one agrees that the fire origina ' ted from the furnaces and spread in aH di- | rections. Capt. Smith states that he made every effort to run the boat ashore as soon as he found that the flames were beyond con. trol. He also states that a signal of distress was responded to by the Sylvan Glen, the Morris and other steamers. A large number of rowboats also came to her assistance from the New York and Long Island shores, and took large number of passengers of the vessel, the majority of whom were taken to their homes. After every one had been re- moved from the vessel search was begun for the dead. Several bodies were taken from the vessel almost burned to a crisp, and at least a dozen were taken from the water drowned. Among the dead are: Two children. drowned, one woman and child, burned beyond recognition, young woman burned | to death, two women terribly burned man badly burned Mary Reed drowned, Mr. George H. Colton, 1, $50 Pacific street. Brook lyn, drowned; MT. DeBowes, 392 Pacific ! street, Brooklyn, drowned; two men found drowned, child drowned, large man with one leg burned off, and A. P. Sl1idmore ot the Coleman House. All these bodies were taken to the morgue. Several other bodies were picked up and taken to Randall's and l Wards Islands.
 Another account says the Seawanhaka left her wharf at 3:3O p. m. on her regular daily ! trip, with about 25O passengers. She stopped of 1i1~1 eff ohO1,S 1 fifty more. About the time she left the latter pier, which was at AIS, she fell in with the Harlem steamer Sylvan Dell, which is very fast vessel. Both boats went up the river close together at high rate of speed, and it seemed apparent that they were engaged in a determined race. The Seawanhaka had the reputation of being the fastest boat on the river, and was not accustomed to allowing anything to pass her. The captain admitted tonight that when the disaster occurred she was steaming at the rate of fifteen or sixteen knots an hour against an ebb tide. Whether racing not it is evident that the engines, boiler and even the smokestack grew red hot, and when passing through Hell Gate her smokestack sent forth volumes of black | smoke, which looked as if of burning greasy material. The passengers were on the upper decks famed by the breeze. Capt. Smith held the wheel in the pilot house assisted by Ste phen Vernon. The regular pilot of the vessel was absent in charge of sister boat on the Hudson. Edward ks, chief engineer was at his post assisted by Frank Weeks. The vessel not being bound on trip distant
 one hundred miles from the city was not
 obliged by law to keep a passenger list, but
 if she had one it undoubtedly shared the fate of the Narragansett's. A number of well known
 business men having country seats on the Sound usually travel on this boat,
 and among them to-day were Charles A. Dana of the Sun, s. l.. M Barlow of the Erie rail way, Colonel William B. Sipes of Sea Cliff, James M Hicks of Hicks & Bell James Ward of Wall street, W. R. Grace of Great Neck a well known city merchant, E. l.. Crabb, Ben, c. Kirk and Benjamin G. Stein. While round ing Hallet's Point low rumbling noise was heard. The captain sent Vernon back to order the men to work the fire apparatus and buckets The or der was never executed. The flames spread with the rapidity of lightning. Those who maintained presence of mind say the imagination cannot picture the manner in which destruction came down on the swift steamer. The fire was everywhere, on port and starboard, forward and aft, aloft and below. The fire apparatus was as useless as if none was aboard. It was a scramble for life, but without life preservers it was no easy matter for even a swimmer to contend against the treacherous eddies of Hell Gate. The yes sel was licensed to carry $50 passengers, and 1t is stated that there were over that number of life preservers aboard, but in the whir1ing flames it was almost impossible to reach them. A few secured preservers and jumped overheard, and several jumped of without them. It was fortunate matter that the disaster occurred so near. the shore. Had it happened in the Sound few would now be alive. The captain saw in a moment that the vessel was doomed He was opposite Nigger Head when he first saw the flames. He signaled to the engineer to put on all the steam possible and then put his helm hard astarboard for Ward Island in the direction of the salt meadows at the mouth of Little Hell Gate.
 The Strike of the Horse Car Drivers.
 NEW YORK, June 2s.-Up to noon to-day only forty cars were out on the Second ave- nue surface road They were manned by conductors, stablemen and green hands. About 6 o'clock this morning the strikers congregated between Thirty-sixth and Forty second streets and made the drivers of six or eight cars going down town jump the track and go back to the stables. A committee representing the strikers waited upon MT. Thorne, the president, who offered to reinstate the men discharged and the strikers, but
 
 would not grant the advance demanded. One conductor who drove car down town re- turned with his eye blackened and a bandage about his head. It is said in police circles that, owing to the strike now in progress and that contemplated on the Third avenue road, the proposed parade of the police depart ment on Wednesday next will be abandoned. It has been deemed advisable to keep the men on reserve at the different station houses, the aspect of the strike being such that 6 serious disturbance might arise at any moment. All leaves of absence issued have been cancelled
 Rochester's Treasurer Commits Suicide.
 RooHEsTER, June 2s.-G. D. Williams, city treasurer of Rochester, committed suicide at Irondequoit Bay, six miles from town, some time between Sunday night and this noon, when his body was found. He had diyested himself of his clothes, cut a deep gash in one wrist, severing an artery, and then probably jumped into the bay. Williams was 38years old last spring, and was elected for third