The morning call., 1894-06-25
CROWDED BY ExCURsIoNIsTs
At Least a Dozen of the PaSsen-
gers Lost Their Lives.
FIFTY-FOUR WERE RESCUED.
Thrilling Story of Terrible Disaster
in Rough Weather at the
Fishing Banks.

d. Niehol, with sixty-three eXcursionists
and crew of ten or twelve. sank at about
l o'clock this afternoon, three miles of
the highlands. Fifty-four Of those OF
board have been accounted for; the rest
were probably drowned.
The tug left Fifth street and East River
at z 80 o'clock this morning for the fish
ing rounds She had, ii is said, license
to carry fifty passengers, but sixty-three
tickets were sold. There was bar and
| lunch-counter on board, whose attendants
with the crew made the total number on
board seventy-five. The tug reached the
banks on time, but fishing was poor and
the sea too rough for comfort and about
noon she started back. When about three
miles east of the highlands aud about four
! miles south of Scotland lightship the waves
! began to break heavily over her starboard
rail.
/ To dodge the water and wind the passen-
/ gers began to run around the port side and
/ to climb on top of the deckhouse. The
boat csreened alarmingly to port and
water swept over the rail. The terror
stricken men rushed back to star board and
| the tug swung deeply down on that side.
| AT the same moment heavy breakers
struck the boat ia quick succession.
The captain, William Hyatt. stuck
pluekily 10 his post, and sounded the
whistle in a prolonged scream for help.
/ Even as he did so the tug filled with water
! that poured into her from both sides, and
/ sank out of sight in the water. She went
| down ike stone, carrying many of the
passengers with her.
The water choked the CRY of the whistle,
! but not before it had been heard and
needed. The Clyde steamer Algonquin, a
mile away, heard il. and swung around 20
! 20 10 the rescue. The tugs Wallace B.
/ Flint, r j. Moran and Governor also hur-
ried toward the spot The Algonquin
/ picked up ten men, one OF whom died a
/ few minutes later. The tugs rescued
the others who remained shoat. Some few
! had lifebelts on, but most of them were
elingng to bits of wreekage. a llfersft
supported a dozen. and the top of the
1 pilot-house as many more.
Captain S. c. Platt of the Algonquin
said that. while. stiff breeze was blowing,
/ there was no sudden squall. There was a
/ big sea on.
The Algonquin brought those she had
1 picked up TO the city. The living dis
persed TO their homes. and the dead body,
which has not been identined. was sent to
/ the Morgue. ALI were people bearing
/ German names.
Some of the tugs, not wishing to come
/ TO the city, transferred the men they had
saved TO other tugs. The Sayres brought
/ up thirty-four survivors and landed them
on the east side. The c. E. Evarts brought
| up two bodies and several survivors. The
Governor Is supposed to have landed sew
eral in Brooklyn.
Altogether ffiy-four out of the seventy
FIVE have been accounted for. Three of
them were dead. The officers of the Flint
have for some unknown reason denied
having rescued any of the men or know
ing anything about the matter. John A.
Maggie. who was rescued by the Algon-
! Quin. says be was caught under the avn
ing of the tug when it sank. He managed
to crawl out and seize a table. which kept
him afoAt. Finding bis ehum, Frank
Gaiser, in the water lie let him have the
table, which would not support two, and
started 10 swim. Soon after he was picked
up. but Gaiser has not been seen since.
The Algonquin arrived at her dock at
! pier %. foot of Roosevelt street, about 3
o'clock. She had on board nine of the
! survivors of the Nicholas and the body of
one of the victims. Captain PIatt of the
Algonquin, when interviewed concerning
/ the accident. said:
"The tug was about sinking when first
sighted by the Algonquin. There was
heavy sea on ana a good deal of wind
! from the northeast. My attention was
! first called to the tug by the blowing of its
whistle. She was then rolling from side
to side and suddenly turned over and
| 81 IL s,s
| gers appeared to be demoralized and ran
about the deck wildly. and as the boat
/ swayed TO one side they rushed TO the
other The tug appeared topheavy and as
| though she was overloaded.
81 ordered liteboat lowered immedi-
ately and sent it in charge of Chief Oficer
Rich to the scene Of the disaster, but be-
1 fore it arrived the tug had sank out of
sight. Officer Ried succeeded in rescuing
nine of the survivors and also took on
board the lifeboat the body of a man
which he found in derelict boat belong
inc TO the tug. The dead man was all
tangled up with fshlnes, aud the boat
was full of water. though right side up
/ Soon the tugs Flint Moran, Govern or
! Sayres and Evarts arrived at the scene.
! They succeeded in picking up many of the
/ survivors as well as some of the dead
! bodies"
! The names Of those saved and landed
/ by the Algonquin are: Edward Cape,
/ Charles Duezinger, Charles George, E.
! Pitt, b. L. Wood, John Msgele, Charles
Eberhart. Jerome Curton and James Gil
more.
| A few hours after sinking the tug was
! pretty well broken up and the wreckage
! began to come ashore. Before dark the
entire beach was strewn with it. Forty
three lunch baskets were washed IN. No
bodies have come ashore.
Among those on board the boat who are
supposed to be drowned are: Andrew
Webster. Charles Wehling. John Dunn,
Frank McAleer. Thomas Willis, Emil
Wolf, Thomas Sehlessinger, George W.
Nagler. Gustav and William Ksrsner, Ed
ward Ray. William Schultz, Frederick
Vanderheid, James Hayes, Albert Pabst,
William Buckridge, William Moore, Her.
man Everhardt and Charles Graham.