The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-11-23
SINKING WITH THEIR TUG.
TIE MMAH0N GOES DOWN IN 4 JxFFY.
WITH FIVE MEN ON BOARD.
Exeltias Scenes that Followed a. Explosion
The Captain Comes 10 the Surface, bus
Stake Agaiu-Three Men Saved at Last.

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| Exeitias Scenes that Followed a. Explosion
The Captain Comes to the Surface, bus
Stake Asaiu-Three Men Saved At Last.
At2 o'clock on Friday afternoon tho tug
boat Mcmahon was ploughing along through the
Sound OF Sands Point. Only two empty canal
boats wero fastened behind by a long slack
rope. but tho tug pulled and blew and kicked
tho water from under her stern as though she
had tho whole island to drag. Five mon woro
aboard. Burr Hughes. the Captain. was taking
at the Wheel Henry Devlne. tho cook. was
taking nap. too. In his bunk In tho hold. and
John Lyons. tho ilromnn. and John ConrOy tho
engineer. were each attending to thoir depart
mon.s. Lyons was in tho ire room and Con-
roy in the engine room.
| On the canal boats everything was rs quiet
as Sunday. On each one man was sitting
laally on tho big rudder, enjoying tho breeze.
and keeping the boats in tho wake Of tho tug.
The rest of the crew wero lying at full length
on tho warm de *. with no Sound steamers in
sight to worry them. and nothing 10 do but bo
as comfortable as they could. -
| Nobody was busy but the fireman and en-
ginocr. Conroy hal on fifty pounds Of steam.
and called down to Lyons to 500 how tho Jour-
mai was. which had lus, been Babbitted.
shes all hunk. replied Lyons; smooth rs
Then .hc trimmed up his fires q little. and
started to go out on deck to tako the fresh air.
ribIe explosion shook the air. followed by tho
loud kissing Of steam. and tho men on the
filled with flying Fragments OF wood and iron
and the tug sinking out Of sight into the water.
tendency. The bottom OF the boat had been
blown out and the weight Of her machinery
Ea In ao%s W Esr'
~ The CAPTAIN OF tho foremost canal boat has
t,ly chopped OF the rope which bound him to
tho men should they come to tho surface. No
lie lines were aboard. Nooses were hastily
tho boats to their moorings. Tho impetus OF
tho boats had carried them to within n few foot
oa Th 6a iS Jug went n0wn ana the six men
bow. watching tho eldyng waters where the
b bon SINK. Part Of tho upper works. including
the wheel. had been torn away. and had risen
to tho surface. But mono OF the live men was
man fioated. face downward from under the
bow OF tho foremost canal boat. dozen will
ute he was hauled M. and two OF the men wcro
hm,y bringing him hask TO life. while the rest
work o. him to go and look for the 'i rest when
Devine staggered to tho bow with the rest.
and saw tho engineer iloating ton feet away.
moose over his head Ono Of them euccoeded.
and he was hauled in by the neck and ono arm.
lie was scnlded and nimost drowned. but the
had him conscious. but not in timo to see the
Captain aive again.
engines. and: much to every ones surprise.
struck out. for the floating wheel, house.
him and Blood was trick ing down his is lace S,,
from wound in his tomple. IIe reached tho
9nt h hdn o1 s hs to dT%w
right within reach Of his hand. But 'he was was
tho Hiosa House Nth his
men who wers trying to save him. him.
Two Of them started e swim to him, but It was
his $oi sank. and was sSSrisd ' away va ' By the
hut the mon had no. t. Ken to the water n
boat. another body noated UP beside them. 1t
was that Of John Lyons. the fireman. horribly
lifted upon the deck. but ali efforts to restore
him to conscionsness were vain.
the water as far as they could see, but nothing
was seen OF Burr HUGHES. the Cartain. who
bis brother, whose body had not risen At ali ali.
He was at the wheel when tho explosion took
place. and 1t Is thought that the force which
stantly.
Thirty minutes after tho accident the tug
boat W. II. Brazas steamed along from, Hart.
ford with two barges and n schooner. She do
serted them and wont carefully over tho scene
Of tho explosion. but without discovering any
the two canal boats with their wounded 10 her
tow and dragged all down to Port Morris ar
irving there at o'clock on Friday evening.
She left all the bonts there and steamed with
tho wounded men to Jersey City John Lyons
tho fireman. WAS taken to 81. Francis Hospital
and tho other two wounded men TO their homes
There Is but little hope OF Lyons's recovery.
Tho Mcmahon: which was n large Sound tug.
belonged to McWiliams h Brother Of Jersey
City. She had picked up tho two canal boats Mt
Norwalk. Conn. where they had boon turned
oyer to her by tho tug Burrows. Tho Nc
Mahon had been plying on tho Sound for ten
years. and she and her crew wero well known
among watermen.