The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-07-11
EZCURS[ONISIS DROWNED
4 TUG FOUNDERS WITH A
BOATLOAD OF FISHERMEN.

The Nicol With Scores OF Pleasure
Seekers From New York and Vi
cinity Goes Down OFF Seabright,
n. j. - Conflicting Reports as to
the Cause of the Disaster.
Tsas loss of life by the disaster to the fish
ing tug James D. Nicol, of Seabright, N. J.,
was increased by particulars gathered on the
dap dter the tragedy. Till then the narra-
tives of the survivors were so conflicting
that no one could say, with any degree
OF accuracy, how many persons were on
the tug when she ioundered, much less
give any definite idea of the number OF
the missing. A sitting Of the recita!s
and the finding of the homes OF all
of them proved that there were at least
ninety-two persons. including the crew OF
five, on board when the Nicol went over and
down. OF that number torty-seven were
saved. and seven bodies recovered, leaving
thirty-eieht to be accounted for. as none OF
the missing returned home or sent word to
their grieving kin Ired on the day following
the calamity, It was considered pretty safeto
presume that they were all drowned. Had
any of them been picked up alive along
shore 1t was thought that the fact would
have been reported.
Following we're the victims whose bodies
were recovered Immediately after the boat
upset: Walter J. Buckridge. No. 9S2 Halsey
street, Brooklyn, leaves wife and two chill
dren John Dunn, No. S74 Eighth avenue,
New York City, leaves wife and one child !;
Herman Everard, No. 4O2 East Eighty-fourth
street, New York City; William Keyser, resi-
dence unknown: Thomas Massen, No. 157
DeGraw street, Brooklyn Frank McAleer,
No. 95 Washington street, New York City |;
unknown man. believed to be Louis Hoche-
rim. fireman of the tug Nicol.
The attendants at the Morgue, Police Head
quarters, and the various police stations
throughout New York City had busy time
of It attending to the dozens OF people who
kept coming in to report friends supposed to
have been lost with the Nicol, or to inquire II
missing friends had been heard from. Police
Headquarters was probably the busiest place
OF all. At the Bureau of Information there
we're women In search OF husbands and sons,
fathers in search OF sons, one son looking for
q father, and any number OF weeping girls
whose brothers went out on the excursion OF
the Herring Fishing Club, who had chartered
the Nlcol, and had not come back. 1t was
with difficulty that some Of the people could
be handled.
Jersey beachmen say they were not sur
prised at the accident. It had been COM
mon remark with them that more than nine
tenths Of the tugs which come down on
SUNDAYS to fish off the Cholera Banks are
overloaded. These boats plunge along with
almost as big loads as side-wheeler would
carry, and they run risks which the bigger
boats would shrink from.
The opinion along the beach Is the Nicol
had very little coal, and az result stood
we'll out of the water. The higher she stood
the more top heavy she became. The waves
obtained better chance. too. to wash under
her counter and lift her. Had there been
plenty of coal aboard she would have lain
low and the coal would have kept her on
even keel through much worse storm.
It was impossible on the day after to de-
termine where rested the responsibility for
the disaster, owing to countless assertions
and denials made by passengers and captain
and members OF the tugs crew. Captain
HYDE. who Is smooth faced and ruddy
checked, and says no is twenty-five years
old, though he appears to be only
nineteen, asserted that II all
the excursionists had heen sober
no accident would have resulted. III was
heavy sea- he said, "but the Nicol was a
good little tug and we could have come In
number Of the passengers. They shouted
and yelled and climbed all over the tug,
even up to the pilot house. If the
crowd had been distributed all would
have been we'll. But what they did was to
crowd on the port side like flock OF sheep,
and when the big waves struck the tug sae
went over. I saw them coming and tied the
whistle down hard to blow for help. The
story that 7 had been drinking Is lie.
drank nothing until after being rescued, and
had swallowed so much salt water that 1
had to-"
Captain Hyde's official report to United
States Local Inspector OF Steamboats, FAIR
child is as follows g.:
.I offer the following report OF the found
ering of the tug James D. Nicol, on Sunday,
June "a. 1894, about six miles on Atlantic
Highlands. east OF north:
IT left Fifth street, East River, with the
Herring Fishing Club at quarter to seven,
and made q stop at Pier 8. Eas. River. for
bait and refreshments. and left Pier 8, East
River, at quarter past seven and proceeded
direct to the Fishing Banks, whera we ar
rived at half-past ten and anchored, the
weather at the fine being fine and the sea
smooth. About half an hour after we had
anchored the wind breezed up lightly from
about east. We laid still until about
quarter past twelve p. m, and noticed the
wind began to rise and the sea increase, and
Immediately got under way to get inside
the Hook. headed up about north-north-
east and proceeded cautiously as possible,
the sea and wind still increasing to hurri-
cane violence as got up off the Highlands.
"They were bearing about west by south.
The boat did not make any water and there
was no water shipped other than the spray,
until those two heavy seas struck us that
sent her down. When saw them coming.
quite ways of, T ported my helm, and
sha took them head on, the passengers
being on the port side. She had quite
heavy list, causing the water to rush down
the port side, careening her over. and
she filed. I tied the whistle rope down to
keep It blowing as she was above water for
assistance, and then I climbed out OF the
window on the starboard side and assisted ID
cutting the life raft and boat as much as pos
sible, and shouted to the people to sayethem-
selves, as the boat was going down.
In about five minutes she had found
cred. AS near as I could tell 1t was
about fifteen or twenty minutes after when
the tug Robert Sayres came to our rescue,
followed by the tugs Sammie and Q. E.
Evarts and steamship Algonquin, which lat
ter sent out lifeboats to our assistance.
These picked up all the passengers, as far as
T could tell, and brought us to the city.
"JoHN HYDE"
A number Of those who were saved are e4-
ceedinsIy indignant at Captain Hyde, OF the
Nicol, and assert that he deliberately ran his
tug in the trough of the sea in order to
"give bath" to the managers OF the excur-
sior, who had made him shift the tug half
dozen times In order to get good fishing.