St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-06-25

At LEAST TWENTY DROWNED.
A Little More Than Fifty Arc
Accounted For.
FISHING PA8TYs AWFUL FATE.

ID. Nichol, with sixty.three excursion.
lists and crew numbering ten or twelve,
sank at about o'clock this afternoon
some three miles off the Highlands.
Fifty-four of those ON board have been
accounted for; the rest were prob ably
drowned. The tug left Fifth street and
East river at 7:30 this morning, touched
at Pier No. 8, East river. and then went
On to the fishing grounds. She had, it
is said. license to carry fifty passen-
gers, but sixty-three tickets were sold.
There was bar and lunch counter on
board. whose attendants with the crew
brought the whole number on board Up
to seventy-6ve. The tug reached the
banks on time. but the fishing was poor
and the sea too rough for comfort, an d
about noon she started back. When
about three miles east of the Highlands,
aud about four miles south of Scotland
lightshID. the waves began to break
heavily over her starboard rail. To
dodge the water and wind the passen-
gers began TO run around to the port
side and to climb on top of the deck
house.
THE BOAT cAREEHED ALARMINGLY
to port, and the water swept in over
the rail. The terror stricken men
rushed back to starboard. and the tug
swung deeply down on that side. AT
the same moment three heavy breakers
struck the boat in quick succession.
The captain. William Hyatt, stuck to
his post. and sounded the W histle In
prolonged scream for help. Even as he
did SO the tug filed with water that
poured into her from both sides, aad
sauk out of sight in the water. She
went down like q stone, carrying many
of her passengers with her. The water
choked the cry of the whistle, but not
before it had been heard and needed.
The Clyde steamship Algonquin. a
mile away, heard it and swung around
to 60 back to the rescue. The tugs
Wallace B. Flint, h. j. Moran and Coy
ernor also hurried toward the spot.
From farther away came the C. E.
Eyarts, reaching the spot too late to be-
Of service. The Algonquin sent her
life boat with First Officer A.
ii. Rich and four sailors. They
picked up ten men. one of whom died a
few moments later. The tugs rescued
the others who remained afl0at. Some
few had life belts on. but most of them
were clinging to bits of wreckage. A
life raft supported dozen. and the top
of the pilot house as many more. The
unconscious man picked up by the AL
genquin was found in the Nichols life
boat. He was under the thwarts and
entangled
IN FISHING LINES.
The boat, practically unsinkabIe, was
Capt. s. G. Platt, Of the Algonquin, says
that while stiff breeze was blowing
there was no sudden squaIl. There was
big, short, sharp sea ON. The Algon-
Quin brought those she had picked up
to the city. The living dispersed to
their homes, and the dead body, W hich
has not yet been identified. was sent to
the morgue. All were people bearing
German names and living on the lower
east side of the city. The tug 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 others in
Brooklyn. Altogether fifty-four out of
the seyenty-fiye have been accounted
for, three OF them being dead. The
officers OF the Flint, for some unknown
reason, denied having rescued any OF
the men or knowing about the matter.
John Magele, who was rescued by the
AlgonQuin's boat, says he was caught
under the awning of the tug when il
sank. he managed to crawl out, and
seized a table, which kept him afloat.
Finding his chuln, Frank Kaiser. in the
water he let him have the table. which
would not support two, and started to
swim. Soou after he was picked up,bul
Kaiser has not been seen since. The
arrived at her dock at Pier
20. foot OF Roosevelt street. at about 5
O'Clock this evening. Sac had on
board
NINE OF THE SURVIVORS
Of the Nichol aud the body of one OF
tue YlctlmS. capt. Flatt, or the AlgOn-
quin. when interviewed concerning the
accident, said:
THE tug was about sinking when
first sighted. There was a heavy sea
on, and good deal of wind from the
northeast. My attention was first called
10 the tug by the blowing of its whistle.
She was then rolling from side to side,
and suddenly turned over and went
1own almost instantly. The passengers
appeared to be demoralized. and ran
about the deck wildly. and as the boat
'wayed to one side they rushed to the
,ther. The tug appeared to be top
leavy. as though she were overloaded.
ordered life boat lowered immedi.
ltely. and sent it, in charge of Chief
officer Rich, to the scene of the disaster.