The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1894-06-27
FOUND WATERY GRAVES.
Fatal Ending to a New York
Pleasure Party.
A Fishing Tug, Loaded with Excursionists,
Goes Down in n Heavy Sea on the
Highlands Near New York City
AT Least Twenty-Five Per-
sons Lose Their Lives.

NEW YORK, June 25.-The tug James
d. Nichols, owned by William Reeves.
OF this city, foundered off the Atlantic
highlands shortly before o'clock Sum
day afternoon. The Nichols had on
board party Of excursionists number
ing sixty-eight persons and also carried
crew Of five men. AS near as can be
learned at this writing forty-eight per-
sons were rescued by the steamer AL
gonquin, Of the Clyde line, and the tugs
Governor, Wallace B. Flint and r. J.
Morgan. This leaves twenty-five per-
sons unaccounted for and these have
probably been drowned.
All the victims were residents Of this
city and Brooklyn.
The tug Nichols was chartered by an
association known as the Herring Fish
ing club, whose headquarters are in
this city. The tug, with the party ON
board, left the foot of Fifth street,
East river, at 7:3O o'clock yesterday
morning. The Nichols passed on down
through the Narrows and then moved
over TO the fishing banks. She arrived
there about $3.50. Here the excursion
lists fished until about noon, when the
start for the homeward journey was
made.
The steamer Algonquin, Of the Clyde
line, passed the tug, and the latter fol-
lowed in the wake of the big steamer.
AT that time there appeared to be moth
Ing amiss on the Nichols. But in a
half hour the situation was completely
changed. The big waves became more
boisterous and dashed up against the
sides Of the tug, throwing spray over
the excursionists who were on the deck.
When the accident occurred, the Al
gonquin, which was headed north for
New York on her journey from jack
sonville and Charleston, had reached q
point about four miles southeast of the
Scotland lightship, when the scream Of
n whistle given in such a way as TO de-
note distress came over the sea. IL
reached the ears Of Capt. Samuel
Platt who was standing on the bridge.
The captain observed the big tug roll
ing and pitching on the waves. With
the aid Of his glasses he saw the craft
was crowded with people and that she
was on the point Of laundering. He
signalled the engine room. Before the
screws of the ship had ceased their
revolutions an order had been issued 10
lower and man the lifeboat. The COM
mand was quickly executed.
When the work Of lowering the boat
was accomplished the people on the
Algonquin looked over to where they
had seen the tug. As they did so the
little vessel careened away over to the
starboard and her smokestack almost
touched the crest of wave. Just az
this time another big whitecap came
rolling along, and striking the tug sent
her over the other way. Thus the
waters played with her for a minute or
more and then she went TO the bottom.
As she sank out Of sight the top of the
wheelhouse, together with raft and q
lifeboat remained floating ON the water.
To every particle of the wreckage clunE
/ one or more of the drowning throng.
When the Algonquin's boat reached
menced the work OF rescue she was
Joined In her labor by three tugs. To
gether they commenced TO take the
people from the water and from the
raft. Every one was cool and collected
and in less than twenty minutes from
the time the rescuers arrived those whs
remained anoat had reached havens OF
safety.