The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-09-29
THE NOURMAHAL STRANDED.
JOHN JACOB ASToR,S STEAM YACHT
RUN ON A REEF IN THE HUDSON

| A Hole stove In Her Bottom-Tbs Vessel
Beached TO Prevent Her from Stalking
The Man at the wheel Mi.took the Red
Light on n Dock for the Fort Light of .
| Sailing Vessel and Changed HIS Course.
PouGHKEEpsIE. Sept. 2a-Mr. John Jacob
Astor's steam yacht Nourmahal struck the
New Hamburger reef about nine miles south
Of this city. shortly before 10 o'clock last night
while on her way up the Hudson River from
New York to Rhinebeck. A hole was stove In
her bottom amidshlrs and she took In
water SO rapidly that Capt W. A. DAILY
was forced to beach her near Van
| Rensselaer's Point where she now les
with heavy list to port. in about twelve feet
Of water. within stones throw Of tho New
York Central Railroad tracks. None OF the
| Astors was on board.
The Nourmahal left New York at 5 o'clock
yesterday afternoon in charge Of Capt. Daily
and crew OF forty eight men. all told.
The Captain. who Is an expert river pilot,
remained on tho bridge until long after dark.
and at about on o'clock turned the command
of the yacht over to Second Officer Johnson in
order to go below and get some supper. He
warned johnson OF the DANCE reefs In that
| part OF the river. and as the Nourmahal draws
| over fourteen feet OF water. he told him to keep
we'll in toward the west shore
! The yacht was then pas sing q spot known as
Dams hammer. A short distance above this
point the Poughkeepsie Transportation Com
pany's dock stretches out into the river from
the east shore. and at night red light marks
| tho end OF the pier.
The moon was shining brightly. and there
was no fog. and yet Second Oflcer johnson
| SAYS he mistook this red lantern for the port
| light on sailing vessel. and consequently put
| his holm hard down so as to pass on the right
This T change in her " course brouShs the Ncur.
mahal close to the eastern shore. and right on
81 the s NS sep.ps h S EhR ens sS
| over the rocks before she careened to star
board and of her own Roadway sheered OF
MI The t shock Of the Collision made the graceful
craft tremple from stem to stern. Every man
| happened The engineer reversed his engines
almost before the signal was rung from the
have occurred. was at his post on the deck in
There he found things in state OF con fusion.
the Vessel that She was taking, water. The
| went below to mako an investigation. They
found that there were alresdy between four
that i, was gaining rapidly on the pumps
Capt R.y felt that th e, only way to keep the
eastern shore. and with a few strokes Of the
engine her bow was driven deep into the mud
The tide swung the yachts stern up stream:
and tho vessel then settled heavily on tho soft
and her. deck leaning toward the shore at an
angle OF thirty degrees The crew PVT ont ut
When ali haa been do, done Ct that was possible
nard at work in charge Of the second officer
e. ss ing apsn nRoed
tho Msrrtt wTsstins conpaH1 IN new YORK
A. soon as NJ Astor learned the news new he he
learn what the damage was. But the lower
Mite viii be ' learned Of the Injuries she sus.
taiped until she gets Int dry h dock j., c.n,
ASGr into his sna
taik with them hem hJ9hpsoH acsn9wedged that
1t ss res an hS his
red light. Mr.. Aston was very angry and dis
missed the man from his service. A.
charged Capt Daily. Whether this Is SO H's or not.
e true that Mr.: Aston has taken command q
from the beach where she now lies.
a, At o'clock wresking tug j. ]; Merritt came
the boats bottom was lT made. and the offeers
OF the wrecking tug said they thought they
Sd h acRf VIII hs
in dry dock in the Erie Basin.
Mr.. Aston 10 very much disturbed over the
accident. as he expected to witness the COM
ing yacht races next week from the deck Of
the Nourmahal. and he had invited large
yaehf Was butt IN 1854 for Mr. William
Aston by Harlan Holingsworth. after de-
signs by G.. Hillman. She Is 233 feet long over
all and her water line measures POI feet. She
Is 80 feet beam and has dIauRht Of IA feet =
inches. with a tonnage OF 1880 The Nour-
mahal Is built OF iron. and at the time she was
launched she was the largest steam yacht In
the world.
QThe man who was on duty in the New York
Central Itailroad signal tower, near New
Hamburger. at the time of the accident. says
he saw the YACHT coming up stream and
watched her. He did not understand what
shore; and he says that II she bad not hit the
reef she must surely have run head on into the
Transportation Company's pier had johnson
perssvered In his attempt to pass inside the
red light at the end. The signal man says the
greatest excitement prevail ed aboard tho
yacht as soon as she struck. and he asserts
that the grating sound Of the keel on the rocks
ould be heard on shore.
few years ago the Captain Of the Hudson
River steamboat Thomas Cornell made SINH
lar mistake with n red light and ran his boat
into the sea wall Of the railroad.
The Steamer Thomts McManus STRANDED
RoNDoUT. Sept. 2S.-A dense fog prevailed
along the Hudson last night and interf cred
with navigation. A number OF boats were
forced to lie to until the fog lifted. The
steamer Thomas McManus ran hard aground |
on the flats near Hudson at about o clock |
this morning: At daylight the passengers |