The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1894-06-25
TWENTY-FIVE LIVES LOST.
TaTEs sPoRTED NTH THE TUG
SICOL md SHE POUSDERED.
The Steamer Algonquin and Other Tugs
Rushed to the Rescue. But Succeeded In
Saving Only Thiriy-four Peopie-,iany
Did Not Know One Another.

Did Not Know One Another.
New York. June 2i-As the steamer
Algonquin OF the Clyde line from
Charleston and Jacksonville was Oft
the Atlantic highlands and about four
miles southeast OF the Scotland light
ship at l2;45 this afternoon on her way
to her pier in this city the scream OF n
whistle reached the ears OF Captain
Platt. who was standing on the bridge.
1t was a signal OF distress. The cap
tain observed about a mile away big
tug rolling and pitching on the waves.
With his glasses he saw that the craft
was crowded with people and that she
was close to the point Of laundering.
lie signalled the engine room,
A moment later the ship was in the
wind, rolling on She waves. The
screws had stopped. First Officer Rice
had been ordered to clear away and
man boat and the order was obeyed
in trice When the work of lowering
the boat was accomplished the people
VII lHe Nl6Dliihili ibONNN pN'A bhN "oNNA
TO where they had seen the tug. AS
they did so the little vessel careened
way over to starboard, her smokestack
almost touching the crest Of a passing
wave.
Just at this time, however, 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 two and then
she went to the bottom.
AS she sank out of sight, the top OF
the wheel-house, together with a raft
and lifeboat, remained floating on the
water. To every particle of wreck
clung one or more of the drowning
throng. The liferaft was the most
sought for and those who were so for
tunate as to make it were saved.
When the Algonquin reached the
scene of the accident and commenced
labor by three tugs-the Governor, the
Wallace B. Flint and the r. ]. Moran.
All of these vessels had been cruising
in the vicinity and had responded to
the whistle of distress and reached the
drowning people at about the same
time as did the Algonquin's crew. To-
gether they commenced to take the
people from the water and from the
raft. Everyone was cool and collected,
and in twenty minutes from the time
the rescuers arrived, those who had
been on the foundered craft, excepting
those who had gone to the bottom, had
been rescued. ....---s.. ...+.. .....
The Moran confined itself to the raft.
These with the few picked up from the
water numbered thirty-four. The AL
gonquin's crew secured ten, while the
Governor and the Flint also got num-
ber on board their respective boats
The lost tugs lifeboat was found
floating aimlessly about by the Algon-
quin's crew. 1t was full Of water and
had evidently been overturned many
times. In the bottom of it, however.
tangled in ropes was found the body Of
man. The man had probably prepared
for a plunge into the sea. His coat
was off and his shirt sleeves were
rolled rp to his shoulders. Efforts
We're made to revive the spark Of life
that was at first thought to be in him.
but they were unavailing. In his pock-
cts was found a quantity of lines and
hooks. -
From the survivors 1t was learned
that the lost tug was James D. Nicol
and that she was owned by William
Reeves of New York city. The people
who were aboard We're members of an
excursion party, which was got up un-
der the direction of the Herring Fishing
club, social organization composed
mostly of Germans, and having head
quartersat No. s. First avenue. 1t was
the tenth annual excursion of the club.
A strange feature Of the disaster ap-
pears to be that but few Of the people
were acquainted with one another.
For instance of the nine persons res
cued by the Algonquin, not one of them
was able to identify the body found in
the boat. Tickets, it appears, We're
sold to persons who had probably never
heard of the Herring Fishing club.
The Nicol left the foot of First street,
East River. at 7:30 this morning. She
passed down through the Narrows and
then moved over to the Fishing Banks.
off the Highlands, not far from Sea-
bright, N. j., Here the passengers
fished until noon, when the homeward
start was made. AS the tug proceeded
homeward the wind freshened and the
waves rolled higher.
The Algonquin passed the tug and
the latter followed in the wake Of the
big steamer. At the time there ap-
peared to be nothing aniss on the
Nicol. But in half an hour the situa-
ton was completely changed. The
waves became more boisterous and
dashed up against the side Of the tug,
throwing spray over the excursionists
who were on the deck. The stories as
to what next happened conflict. Ac-
cording to one account 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 resulted in the
laundering. With the increased weight
on one side she toppled over and the
water ran into her to such an extent
that 1t was thereafter impossible to
navigate. She struggled for short
distance, and then, as the water con-
tinued to roll over her, she sank further
and further into the swells and finally
went down. BY others 1t is claimed
that the passengers had nothing to do
with the accident. These allege that
the tug was old and rotten, that she
was terribly overcrowded and conse-
quently topheavy, and that when she
got into the heavy sea she simply went
over.
AS near as can be ascertained TWEEN
ty-five people or .thereabouts were
drowned. These figures are secured by
estimates Of the number of persons who