New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-05-19
SCENES ON THE BURNING STEAMER.

scene of a steamboat disaster oh 'i'0 ~ :,
river On the first occasion tho State OF New YORK;
NV 81 ,ho Hartford and Ncw-York Steam
boat Company. sunk in the river a'inoS'
o;to here and tho life OF one
of har crew was lost. THIS morning the Granite
state of the same lInc since reorganzcd as Inc
New.York aud Hartford Transportation company
vas bnrncd within sight of The town and an uh-
known number of lives were lost.
Tho Granite State was an old steamboat, but one
of the staunchcst of the line and her
sea-poing qualities were spoken or mghly
NV all sailors on the Sound. She lett
New.York at 4:15 D. H., on Thursday, with valu-
ablc cargo and between fifty and a hundred pas.
sengers, most of them bound for HARTFORD
At about twenty minutes before a. H. TO-
dav. while the whistle was sounding 1or
this landing. the baggage -lnaster, VINO was ABOUT
70 call the passengers who were to dsembark here
detected fire on the main deck forward OF the
boiler. A qaarter of an hour before the boat had
stonped at Uadlyme and discharged freight. Cap
tain Dbbell was IN the whCel-housc. Mate Ross was
ot his most: a dozen deck hands sat around TIE
boer' ON the main deck vet there was no suspicion
of troubc Most of the freight IN thc
forward part of the boat had been removed
on the aft er quarter stored barrels OF petroleum
and a large lot of fireworks, fine fuel Tor hre'
which unknown TO all was at that time eating lis
way out of the forward bulkhead.
Where the fire originated nobody knows to-day,
for time for investigation was not given when
the discovery was made the Granite State was
within two minutes Of her landing for which she
was kept headed For the next ten minutes a
scene of terrific excitement ensued. The mate
arose. rushed forward and summoning the
deek-hands. manned the hose and started
the steamers pumps. The baggage-master
alarmed tho chambernaid. Mrs. Lockwood,
who aroused the women passengers in the after
cabin Only few strokes of the powerful paddles
and the boat moved alongside of the wharf, but by
that time the wind had famed the flames into
furious blaze and filled the saeroom hall
with dense smoke Through this
frightened passengers came pouring on to
deck mingling there with party OF German imml-
grants who had been sleeping. Captain Dlbbell
and the deck-hands managed 30 get out line amid
ships and secured it to pile on the wharf. The
paddle-wheels came to n stop and the engineer
opened the valves foI the escape OF steam to AVOID
the danger of a boiler explosion, and the nhab-
itants of East Haddam came rushing down tue
high hanks TO offer succor to the distressed. Ebb-
tide was flowing strongly and the boat was un-
manageable Her bow swung out and 1T became
PLAIN that the passengers, huddled III
panic-strcken groups on the decK'
could not reach the wharf save from
the stern or by lcaping into the water BY this time
the flames were roaring all over the deck IRON the
paddle-bOxes to the stem score rushed ait aud
loaped on TO a small ierry-bO that bad becu cut
loose and swung into place. score more jumped
overheard aud were caught up from tne wharl ana
banks by villagers and fishermen. with the and OF
poles bOat-hoOks aud oars.
CRUSHED BY TERRIFIED HORSES.
The heat became intense. In great leaps the fire
took possession of the boats decks and III the
midst of the climax Of terror herd of horses broke
loose from the 1astenings on the forward deck ana
came dartlng among the panic-stricken passengers
and crew. One of the German women stood IN the
middle of the crowd clasping her baby. She went
down before the rush Of terrified animals. and was
pcked up and dragged off the burning boat with
her face crushed in by an ron-shod hoof. She
never saw her babe again. In three minutes tile
flames had enveloped all of the boat forward
of the wheel. house. The hawser which
held the boat to the wharf had parted, aud slowly
turning in the stream. the Granite State drfted
with the tide halt mile and grounded of Lords
Island. in ten feet of water. As she went down the
stream Richard Lane. strong-armed
fisherman. pushed out IN skih
and rOwed after her. Hearing cries from her bow
he rowed forward and found Charles Closson
wheelnan. cinging almost exhausted with stiff
fened fingers to the iron shea,hng around the stern
just above the water. lie drew him into the boat,
that was swimming up stream. Captain Dibbell and
some of the hands who had remained on
deck had also lowered boat and were also looking
for passengers in distress. Shouts from the whee;
house directed attention there, and they found
sitting high on the buckets, but drenchod
Clifford Gin L. Main, Of Sew.Have0, to whom
ened by grief at the loss of ore who had been a
wife to him for little more than day.. He was
taken into the boat, and the last rescue of the day
was accomnlished
Hardly had the boat pushed off from the wreck
when a steam pipe burst. blowing ont the panks
from the side of the vessel and almost Immediately
afterwards "a deaisnmg fusilade from within told
that the flames had reached the fireworks.
For hours the blazing wreck snouldered and
charIed beams, portions OF the warehouses, tho
smoke funnel and the walking beam, supported by
ITS roa frame and piston rods marred, IKE an ugly
skeleton, one of the most picturesque Spots KNOWN
on the Connecticut
THE LOSS OF LIFE UNKNOWN.
How many lives were lost cannot be stated
definitely tonight for there has been the
greatest carelessness concerning the rec
ords fhe register was burned with
with the boat, and 1t is not the custom OF the line
to leave duplicates at either terminus. The clerk
was aroused from his sleep by cries.
and jumped overheard after grasplng papers
% %mnicu ne thought contained names, but they
proved prove 10 be worthless. Neither captain, mate
n,oah t nor ehanibeimald will hazard guess at tue
nutnoei OF persons who took passage. There is GER
.an.y only asto the loss of three-tbe wife of the
young man who saved from the wheel the
been eS9Ssa sGUs eotore6 h man whose had not
and. tie d;.,na 1s ne was making has first trip.
wss pu.senseH ssse speak of a stout man who
re,ofe @ the accident and not after and the
d. aa.a auu passenger who stood ON the main
Geon assert that they heard piercing cries @ fop helm
staSeroom n baIl % stS%sn st,ss ,Ss coming from the
on All communication with the dect 7, nau Ia Gu.
anat several passengers were sphocated in the aim
Ind their bodies burned with the hull of the hoat
~ the Cases thus tar evidence of death b ooa.. I
been given by finding OF the bodies. Nd" only
About o'clock, graphing irons hayino , .
Ths men oegan " diag the bottom of the river
enc wharf sad 'he tide ran swiftly. An