New-York tribune., 1880-06-29
SAVING FORTY LIVES.
THE EXPERIENCE OF aKoRGE CHASE. WHO Wis
ITED THE SCENE OF THE DISASTER IN a SMALL


ITED THE SCENE OF THE DISASTER IN a SMALL
YACHT
George Chase, member Of the firm of Boyd g.
Chase, manufacturers of oil stores at the foot Of
Observation-Disclosures on tie East River.
saved nearly forty lives. lie tod his story to a
TRIBUNE reporter, about o'clock last evening, as
follows:
"Mr. Boyd and myself have private yacht,
named the James VI. Boyd. which we keep at the
foot of Observation-Disclosures. II is a smaR
yacht 40 feet long and will carry easily about forty
people, This afternoon, u few minutes after 8. with
a party of friends went up to williamsburg to see
the finish of yacht race Of the williamsburg
Club. We got up there just In time to see the end
of the race. and moOring the yacht TO the
wharf, all went up to q neghborinR hotel. came
back In few minutes TO look after my boat. Just
ash came OIL the wharf.my engineer shouted: Look.
there's steamboat OF fire. l jumped on board
and blew the whistle twice to let my friends know
something had happened In minute crowd Of
men came running down from tho hotel, led by
boating man, Henry Smith. They got oil board the
yacht and ordered them off. One OF two OF them
had to put of. / knew they couldn't help me any,
and that would need all the -Oom had.
"The Seawanbaka was about two miles distant
when we started for her. Besides myself the engi-
neer Of the yatch was on board, and my father and
friend Of mine, William II. Nichols. resident of
Harlem. We reached the Seawanhaka In about IF
teen minutes 1 was steering and could not see tho
steamer until we came very near her, on
account OF an awning on the yacht to pro-
tect the helmsman. The flames had at that
time completely envelOped her, and all the passen-
gers had jumped of. The water was filled with
men and women We passed two men on the water
drowned. One of them had life preserver on.
Aahad him onE Of the water. and I did RO I
thought noticed some signs of vitality present
laid him on his back, and began to try and bring
him back to life. After had worked for few
minutes had to leave him to help some drowning
woman, and when returned he was cold and stiff
1--WE pulled out of the water three men and a
woman. very large proportion of these had or
life preseTvers. When we first reached the Sea-
wanhaka there were only few row boats near.
They kept coming rapidly, however, from all di-
rections, and by the time we went away there were
fully forty there. / saw the occupants Of some Of
these do what trust shall never have to witness
again. There were some men there who were no
better than river thieves, and the object of their
coming must have been the hope of plunder. In n
number of cases saw them ask the drowning men
in the water how much they would give II they
would save them. One of the dead men in my yacht
had on a gold watch and chain, and one of these
sharks had the impudcnce TO come mp and offer to
carry his body to Randalps Island. You may be
sure kept watch Of that body until gave 1t into
the charge OF policeman. Those whom saved,
and who were on board the yacht, acted nearly as
badly as these river thieves. The women begged
me to put them on land, and that while there wcre
passengers struggling In the water nearby. The
men were nearly as bad.
II saw one man who was in the water burned to
death. He was only two or three feet from the
steamer and, as he was apparently not a good swim
mer. and the tide was running very strongly, he
was literally roasted to death In the water. ran
as near TO him as l could, but could not reach
him, as was afraid CT running my yacht ashore
and having her catch FIRE. called out to several
small boats to come and get him, but they were
too much occupied in saving people at
90 much q head to pay any attention.
We did not leave the SeawauhRka until all the pas
sengers and dead bodies were ished out OF the
water. We then went over to my boat house at
One-hundred- -and- -seventh-st The rescued persons
stayed there until they felt strong enough to 90 t.
their homes anu their friends. As soon as had
given the two dead bodies had to the police.
went back 70 see II could do anything more 90