The Portland daily press., 1894-06-25

Small Steamer at New York-Seventy
Four Were on Board Bound Home
from Fishing Trip-The Remainder
Were Rescued-A Sad Ending to the
Days Pleasure.
New York, June 24.-The tug James D.
Nicol, having on board the Herring Fish
ing club, of this city, seventy-four persons
in ALL foundered two miles off the High
lands at 1850 this afternoon. AS near as
can be learned fifty persons were saved by
the steamer Algonquin, and a tug which
happened to be in the vicinity at the time.
The remainder of the party were drowned.
The tug was probably overcrowded as be-
fore she went down she appeared to the
signal officer at the Highlands to be top
heavy and was rolling heavily.
Further Particulars.
New York, June 24.-As the steamship
Algonquin of the Clyde line, from Charles
ton and Jacksonville, was off Atlantic
Highlands, about four miles southeast of
Scotland lightship, at l2.45 this afternoon,
Capt Platt observed about mile away a
big tug rolling and pitching on the waves.
He saw the craft was crowded with people
and she was close to the point of founder
ing. Life boats were; lowered when the tug
careened to starboard, the smokestack al
most touching the crest of a passing wave.
Another big white cap struck the tug and
sent her over the other way. Thus the
waters played with her minute OF more
then she was sent to the bottom.
AS she sank out of sight the top Of the
wheel house with the raft and life boat re-
manned floating on the water. To every
particle of wreckage clung one or more of
the drowning throng. The Algonquin was
joined by three tugs and all these vessels
reached the drowning people at about the
same time. Together they commenced to
take the people from the water and from
the raft. In less than twenty minutes
those who had been on the foundered craft,
excepting those who had gone to the bot
tom, had been rescued. One tug rescued
thirty-four, and the Algonquin's crew Sc
cured ten. The other tugs got number.
The lost tugs lifeboat was found floating
aimlessly about by the Algonquin's crew.
1t was full of water and had evidently
been over turned many times. In the bot
tom, tangled in the ropes, was the body of a
man, his coat off and his shirt sleeves rolled
up to the shoulders. Efforts were made to
revive the spark of life at first thought still
within him, but they were unavailing. In
his pockets was found a quantity of lines
and hooks. From the survivors it was
learned the lost tug was the James D.
Nicol, owned by VIM. Reeves of New York
city. The people aboard were members of
an excursion party got up under the direc-
tion of the Herring Fishing club social
organization composed mostly of Germans,
ha wing haa0nnartarS aft First
was the tenth annualsexcursion ofsthe club.
and but few of the people We're acquainted
with each other. OF nine persons rescued
by the Algonquin, not one was able to
identify the body of the man found in the
lifeboat. Tickets were sold to persons who
probably never heard of the Herring Fish
ing club before. The Nicol with the party
on board, left the foot of Fifth street East
river, at 7.30 this morning and passed down
through the Narrows and moved over to the
fishing banks off the Highlands. Here
those on board tished until about noon,
when the start homeward was amade. AS
the tug proceeded toward the city the swind
freshened to some extent and the waves
rolled higher The Algonquin passed sthe
tug and the latter followed in the wa ke of
| the big steamer. At that time it appeared
nOJllnR dlD1SS OIL tu0 NlCOl. III ndlI an
| hour the waves became more. .boisterous and
| dashed up against the side of the tug,
| throwing the spray over the excursionists,
| who were on deck. Stories as to what next
| happened conflict. According to one &C.
| count the fishers to avoid getting wet moved
| around on the side of the vessel, where
| the waves did not strike with such force
| 1t is claimed by some that this action re-
| suited in the foundering of the tug. With
| increased weight on one side she toppled
| over and the water ran into her to such an
| extent that thereafter it was imp ossible tc
| navigate her. She struggled for a short dis
| tance and then as the water continued tt
roll sinto her she sank further and furth el
| into the swells and finally went down
| By others it is claimed that the shifting
of the passengers had nothing to do witt
| the accident. These allege that the tug was
| old and rotten, and that she was terribly
| overcrowded, and consequently. top heavy
and that when she got into heavy sea she
simply went over. AS near as can be as.
certained twenty-five people or thereabout.
were drowned. These figures are secured
by estimtes of the number of persons who
were aboard and the number who wer,
saved. When the crew from the Algonquin
picked up about all they could carry il
their metallic lifeboat, nine living and on,
dead, they put back to the vessel, which
in the meantime had put about and was no
far from the point where 1.-The accident oc
Cured 1t was far too rough to attempt t,
bring the rescued on board the ste amer s,
| line was swung to the lifeboat and sh,
was towed to the quarantine, where the,
were transferred to the deck of the AIgon
| quin.
/ BACCALAUREATE SERMONS.