Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1894-06-25
A SCORE DROWNED.
A Tug Goes to the Bottom
in New York Bay.
CARRIED A PLEASURE PARTY
or Seventy-Five Persons on Board but
Fifty.F Four Are Accounted For.

NEW YORK, June % 5-Tug James Nichol,
owned by William Reeves Of this city.
was sunk 10 the harbor yesterday. The
people who were aboard Of her were mem
bers Of an excursion party. which was got
ten up under the direction Of the Herring
Fis.dng club. q social organization com.
possd mostly OF Germans. and having
headquarters at 50 First avenue. II was
the 10th annual excursion Of the club.
The tug left Fifth street and East nvsr
at Tl80 O'Clock In the morning. touched
at pier 3, East river. and then went on to
the fishing grounds. She had, It Is said.
a license to carry 90 passengers, but %
tickets were sold. There was q bar and
lunch counter on board. whose attend
ants, with the crew, brought the whole
number On board up to sbout7 70 OF these.
but 81 are accounted for.
The tug reached the banks on time, but
the fishing was poor and the sea too
rough for comfort, and about noon she
started back. When about three miles
east oil the Highlands and about four
miles south of Scotland lightship. the
waves began to break heavily over her
starboard rail.
To dodge the water aud wind the
passengers began to run around to the
port side and to climb upon top Of the
deckhouse. The boat carsensd alarm
ingly to port, and the water swept In
over the rail. Terror stricken men rushed
back to starboard, and the tug swung
deeply down on that side. Al the same
moment three heavy breakers struck the
boat In quick succession.
Captain Hyatt stuck pluckily to his
post and sounded the whistle In pro-
longed scream for help. Even as he did
80, the tug filled with the water that
poured into her from both sides, and sunk
out of sight in the water. She went
down like stone. carrying many Of her
passengers with her.
Tugs to the Rescus.
The water choked the cry Of the whistle,
but not before IL had been heard and
needed. The Clyde steamship Algonquin,
a mile away, heard IL and swung round
to 10 back to the rescue. The tugs Wal
lace b. Flint, II. ]. Moran and Governor,
also hurried toward the spot. From fur
ther away came the G. T. Evarts, reach
ing the spot too late to be Of service.
The Algonquin sent her lifeboat with
First officer Rich and four sailors They
picked up 10 men, one OF whom, however.
died few moments later The tugs res
cusd the others who remained afoat.
Some few had lifebelts, but many of
them wsrs clinginR to bits Of wrsokage.
A liferaft supported dozen, and the top
Of the pilot house as many more. The
unconscious man picked up by the Al
gonquin was found In the Nichols boat.
He was under the thwarts and entangled
In fishing lines
The boat. practically unsuitable, was
floating right side up. but was full Of
water. Captain Platt Of the Algonquin
says that while a stiff breese was blow
ing there was no sudden sQuall. There
was big, short, sharp sea on.
A few hours after sinking the tug was
pretty we'll broken up, and the wreokage
began to come ashore. Before dark the
entire beach was strewn with It. Forty
three lunch baskets were washed up.
None Of the bodies have come ashore as
yet