Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-15
SOUND STEAMBOAT BURNS
Ten Persons on Steamer Nutmeg State Lose
Their Lives,
BOAT RUN ON THE BEACH BY III: CAPTAIN
Passing Vessel Picks Up the Rcmnin-
ing Members of Its Passengers
ana Crcw-Stcnmer
Total Loss.

NEW YORK, Oct. 14.-The Bridgeport
Line steamer Nutmeg State was burned
in Long Island Sound and Sands Point, l.. l.,
at sunrise this morning and ten persons were
burned to death or drowned. The dead are.
SAMUEL JAYNES, Bridgeport, baggage
master of Nutmeg State, body at New York
morgue.
NILS NILSSON, member Of crew of burned
steamer, body not recovered from wreck.
CHARLEY ANDERSON, watchman on
boat body in wreck.
PATRICK COFFEY, mate. body in wreck
BERNARD HENDRY, otler, body in
wreck
THOMAS MURPHY, member of crew.
body in wreck.
JOHN CONNORs, member of crew, body
in wreck
UNKNOWN WOMAN, passenger, 2S years
old, body recovered.
UNKNOWN MAN, passenger, drowned
body not recovered.
UNKNOWN GIRL, years old body re-
covered.
Most of the passengers who escaped suf-
fered nothing more than the shock from
immersion in the chilly water and only four
persons were sent to the hospitals.
The vessel was run on the beach and
burned to the waters edge. The bodies
of two victims of the disaster drfted ashore
about noon mile east of the blazing wreck
One was the body OF woman about %
years of age and girl aged 4.
The woman had on three heavy skirts,
one black, another brown and the third gray.
She also wore two heavy jackets. one gray
and one red, and under these several shirt
waists Of different materials and colors.
In her stocking was found 81. She had
also bill from Hartman Brewing company
dated June l 1899, made out to s. w Davis
1r. There was no indication of fire about
the woman's clothing.
The Nutmeg State, with over 100 persons
on board, bound from Connecticut towns
to New York. was discovered on fire about
$50 a. M, when it was within a few miles
OF Sands Point, n. Y. The flames were
IN the bow OF the boat. The fire was on the
main deck and seemed to be a small affair,
SO Captain c. NJ Brooks, not wishing to
needlessly alarm the passengers, ordered
the crew called to work as quickly as pos
sible with buckets and hose.
For about twenty minutes the flames did
not seem to be dangerous and the men ap-
peared to have them in control. Suddenly it
burst into a furious blaze amidship. Bag
gageman Samuel Jaynes was detached from
the re-fighters and sent to alarm the pas
sengers and the crew in the front part of
the boat.
Lifeborts Surrounded by Fire.
The passengers in various Htages of frenzy
rushed from the state rooms to the upper
deck. Life preservers were given them and
many Of the men assisted in putting them
on tha women and children. BY this time
the middle section of the Nutmeg State was
burning tiercely and the people forward
were cut off from these on the after part of
the boat. This left the people on the after
decks in perilous situation as the lifeboats
on the amidship davits were surrounded by
flames and there We're few of the crew in
this section.
The boat was started for the beach at full
speed. The drift sent the fire toward the
rear OF the boat. The passengers in that
part OF the boat went as far back as possible
but We're enveloped with black smoke and
the flames were leaping toward them, threat
ening in a few minutes to roast them alive
| They huddled close to the rear rail in fear
waiting for the steamer to strike the beach
| With shock the Nutmeg State struck
the rocky bottom, and the people seemed
to shoot from every part of It. They tried
to reach the lifeboats, which had been
| launched from the forward part of the YES
| sci. All of the passengers were in the
water in few moments, but many mem
bers of the crew had been imprisoned in
the forward part Of the ship by the flames.
| There was no outlet In the thick sides of
the boat except the small portfolios, through
which no man could squeeze.
| The first man to leave the burning steamer
was Baggagemaster Jaynes, who gave the
alarm. When the smoke and flames forced
him from amidship, he made leap for the
1 Ian Tn 1ni CO In ct nrIy l. hoo pt,,e.
the guard rail and was stunned, falling into
| the water helpless. A launch from the
steam yacht Klsmet picked him up and car
rled him to the Ksmet, where the brave
fellow died shortly after being taken aboard.
The Nutmeg State had hardly struck the
| beach when several passing craft came to
its rescue, sent out lifeboats and picked up
the passengers struggling in the water.
| Fight Back Men and Women.
When it became apparent that the Nut
| meg State was doomed to destruction the
dozen or so of it's freight handlers are said
to have taken possession of the first lifeboat
launced They fought back any of the men
! or women who tried to get into the boat
and refused to take any of the children on
| the boat.
When the passengers could not get this
i
| boat which was lowered, and a wild scram-
| BILE of the panlc-stricken people ensued.
| This beat was overloaded and overturned.
1t could not be righted and the men, women
| and children remained in the chilly water,
clinging to the boat until help arrived from
| the passing craft.
| The tug boat Reed ran under the stern OF
| the Nutmeg State and number of pas
| sengers jumped from the burning boat to
its decks. Then the tug went forward and
made an attempt to save the imprisoned men
in the crew quarters. The heat was so in
tense that it drove the tug away and it
turned its attention again to picking the
|! people from the water. 1t made another
attempt forward and the men chopped away
some of the woodwork at the bow of the
| burning boat. Two fremen were saved,
but the balance of the crew were probably
suffocated and could not crawl out of the
hole. 1t is now believed seven men on
the Bridgeport boat were burned to death
below in their quarters forward.
The passengers and remains from the boats
were placed on the City of Lawrence and
the body OF Baggagemaster Jaynes was con-
veyed to the Hartford liner, which pro-
ceeded on its way TO this city.
The excitement was such at the time of
the abandonment OF the burning vessel that