The sun., 1893-08-05
NINE PERSONS DROWNED.
ACCIDENT 10A PLEASURE
PARTY ON LAKE GEORGE

APPALLING ACCIDENT IOA PLEASURE
| PARTY ON LAKE GEORGE
| A steam Yacht Filled with Summer Guests
on Their Way 10 n Dance Strikes n
suuken Pier and Sinks IN Few Seconds
seven Girl. and Mother and Her Son
Drowned-The hoy Loses Hi. Life Toying
TO Save His Mother-A Daughter of L.
r. BENEDICT Of this city Among the Vic.
| tims-A Brothor's Effort TO save Her Life.
FoRT WILLIAM HENRY. LAKE GEORGE. Aug L.
The steam yacht Rachel sank last night with
twenty mine summer guests on board. OF
whom were drowned. eight women and q lad
| Of 10.
| At o O'Clock last night Mr.. Hannibal Allen.
| proprietor Of the Kenesaw House on Fourteen
| Mile Island. sent over to Pearl Point asking
Manager Phillips II he could charter the steam
yacht Rachel to carry q party Of his guests to
| the Hundred Island House dance. Mr.. Phil
| lips replied that his pilot was Ill and ho was
| afraid to let the boat go out. An
| other message was received from the
| pleasure seekers saying they would consider
It n great accommodation. and. against his
better judgment Mr.. Allen despatched the
boat in charge OF Claude Granger. an employee
| OF the house. Granger had been In tho en-
DlOy OF the owner OF fehTt IOlnt. MT. u w.
| Sherman, for two or three years. and while he
! had some knowledge Of the lake was not
| competent pilot. The night was dark. and It
| would have been hard for the best pilot on
| Lake George to have found his way along the
| shore.
Twenty-seven persons. including Mr. and Mrs.
| Hannibal Allen. stepped aboard the Rachel at
| Fourteen Mile Island. laughing and singing.
Fourteen Mile Island Hundred island House.
and Pearl Point are but few rods apart. Be-
| tween Fourteen Mile Island and Hundred Is
| land House there is stretch OF lake, and the
distance across is not over quarter OF mile.
Running out In the lake from in front Of the
Hundred Island House grove is the old sunken
pier.
Tho Rachel swept along in the darkness.
Suddenly the riot discovered that he was too
close to the shore. He put his wheel over. but
1t was too late.
One OF the gentlemen said. In telling the
story OF the wreck. that the Rachel struck
hard against the sunken timbers Of the pier.
pitched Off and then settled back on an even
keel, filling and sinking almost Immediately.
In few seconds the steam yacht was q
wreck and lying on her side with hole stove
In her port bow and seven feet OF water above
her smokestnck. Twenty nine persons. en-
cumbered with their lnery. were struggling In
the dark waters Of the lake for their lives
The men in the party did their best to save
the women. Mr.. Hannibal Allen had narrow
escape. and was rescued with difficulty.
The guests at the Hundred Island House
stopped In the midst Of their dancing and in
clouds OF summer drapery hurried to the pier
1t seemed hours to those In the waters Of the
lake. but 1t was only two or three minutes be-
fore dozen men IN boats were at the scene OF
disaster.
IaI ali nd
and guests rushed to the scene. It was re-
ported at first that only three were missing:
then the number was increased to five. then to
eight and finally to nine. Some OF the women
were caught under the shade dock and sank
with the boat. although whom their bodies were
found they were several feet away from It,
1t seems strange that SO many lives should
be lost at such an hour and within speaking
distance Of the land. where stood two large
hotels. 1t can only be accounted for by the
fact that the night was dark and that the boat
sank at once after striking the pier
Young Mr.. Benedict son OF Mr. Z. P. Bene-
dict. the wealthy jeweller OF Ill Broadway
New York. who was on board with his father,
mother. and sister. and who Is considered an
expert swimmer. dived for his sister. caught
her by the hand and brought her to the
surface.
He tried to disencumber himself OF his
trousers. which had fallen around his feet and
It was only through the efforts OF others that he
was saved His sister sank to the bottom. and
did not rise again.
Frank Mitchell. only 10 years old. tried like
a brave boy to savo his mother. but both were
drowned.
Robert Sims OF Glens Falls persevered in
the work OF searching for tho dead until the
nine missing ones had been brought to the
shore. The names Of the drowned are:
Miss HATTIE L. HALL. Brooklyn NY.
Miss EDITH HARDING, Hoboken. Nj
Miss BERTHA BEsEpIcr Nontclar. N j.
Miss HENRIETTA ~ BARTON. Jersey City
Mrs. II. MIrcHKL- burlington Vt
FRANK G. A1cmxLL. 10 years old son OF Ms Mitchell
Miss LzzIK CoRLEr OF Burlington. Vt
Miss CLARA BLACK of Burlington. Vt
Miss LIZZIE CLARK OF Bridgeport. Conn.
The scene as the dead were laid out In the
grove was pitiful and heartrending. Women
were sobblng for their dead. and men who had
shown their bravery in tho time OF peril gazod
with fearful eyes upon the nearly half a score
OF forms lying cold and silent on mattresses
hastily snatchsd from the beds In Hundred
Island House. Seven lovely girls. fond Of lie
and pleasure, with evening costumes cineing
about them. were In row. The rescued ones
were taken to the hotels and put to bed.
Tho namos OF those on board the Rachel at
the time OF tho accident are: Mrs. M. T. Hall,
Miss NJ. E Hall. and Miss Hattie l.. Hall OF
Brooklyn; Mr.. and Mrs. Z p. Bene-
diat. Harding Benedict. and Miss Ber-
tina Benedict Of Montcair. N. j.: Miss
Maude Brown and Frank Brown OF Albany;
Miss Edith Harding OF Hoboken. Miss Henri
eta NJ. Barton Of Jersey City. Mr.. and Mrs. J.
II. Mitchell. Frank Mitchell. F. NJ. Whltcomb.
Samuel A. Munson. and William Manson Of
Burlington. VT: Paul A. Manson. John A.
Manson, and NJ. Manson OF New York city;
Miss Lizzie Corley and Miss Clara Black Of
Burlington. VT. and Miss Lizzie Clark OF
Bridgeport, Conn.
The three last named arrived at Fourteen
Mile Island on Friday night on board the
steamer TiconderoQa from BURLINGTON Miss |