New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1894-06-27
NICOL DISASTER.
Thirty-six Persons Supposed to Have
Lost Their Lives Off
Sandy Hook.
The Whole List Will Probably Never
Be KnOWn-Seven. Bodies
Recovered.
The Captain Of the Boat Places the
Blame On the Passengers
Themselves.

New YORK, June 26.-How many
epersons were drowned by, the capsizing
of the tug James d. Nicol, off Sandy
Hook, is not yet known. The excursion
lists were from all over the east side,
from College Point, from Brooklyn,
and even from lHoboken, and it is
probable that some of those" drowned
will never be reported or heard from
i: again. -
The catastrophe ,is rendered more
narrowing by theafact that most of the
men were married and leave large
families. The highest estimates in last
nights dispatches were probably with
in the mark, for today it is thought
that not less than:36 persisted. So far,
however, only seven bodies have been
recovered.
The;Captainss Story.
Captain John Hyde, commander of
the illfated tug, was seen at the Office
of the owner of the tug. He is young
man, % years of age, and says that he
has had a masters license for the past
four years. For. the first time Captain
Hyde told the story af the disaster:
81 could count but So passengers on
the tug when she left the second stop
ping place at pier 3, East river. There
were five men in the crew, making 81
all told. We had been lying off Sea-
bright at anchor, whenthe wind began to
freshen. We soon raised anchor, in
tending to leave. We were about three
quarters of an hour from the shore. TIE
sea, when we started, Was not very
heavy and hardly any spray came on
board. The passengers, thinking that
they might get wet, all crowded to the
port side. 1 asked them to divide up
and part take the starboard side, but
no attention was paid to my request.
The sea was somewhat choppy, but not
what would have been called heavy.
Outside, some distance from shore,
it appeared much calmer than in shore.
l thought if we ran for some
distance, we would make better
weather. We were in no apparent dan
ger, except for the people crowding to
the port side of the boat. suddenly
saw heavy swell bearing down on US,
closely followed by second one. I
called out to the passengers to take the
starboard side Of the boat, but it was
not done. The first sea boarded US
clean over the bow, and rushed aft.
The second followed closely, also
boarding us over the bow, and washed
down the port side. This was caused
by the heavy list on the boat.
When the first wave hit us, I cried.
For Gods sake get over to the other
side.' I pulled the whistle rope, too, as
signal of distress, and seeing the
great danger, tied it down. It kept
blowing until the Nicol went down.
After the boat had careened under the
second swell, AL Hammond, deck
hand, and myself climbed through, the
.starboard windows of the pilot house,
and went overheard. There were
number of people struggling in the
water, all around. The life raft was
near the spot where the tug
sank, and I made for it. There
were a number of passengers on it.
hanging to it, and their struggles car-
Sized it. AS it went over, I was struck
by it and went down. When arse
to the surface, I managed to grasp it
again. The members of the crew of
the boat, Pilot Raymond Kelly, En-
:gineer John Farrell, Fireman Louis
Hockie, AL Hammond and Steward
James Fleming, were all picked up by
the tug Sayre.
II was at the wheel from the time
we left the dock, until the accident
occurred, except a short time while at
anchor, when went below for dinner.
It has been stated that I was intoxi-
Gated. am not drinking man, and
touched no liquor whatever. I do not
think the boat was overcrowded, and
had the passengers acted as I told them,
we would have come through all right"