The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-15

picking up those who were clinRing 10 lite
RATS and lfeboats and struggling In the water.
Soon after this the steamer was beached.
Then the Lawrence ran In as close as possible
and acted as a receiving ship.
While one OF the Lawrence's boats was
alongside the Nutmeg State.thos in her heard
cries coming from a portfolio In the berth
deck. Axes were brought out and the men be-
gan chopping away at the side Of the steamer.
Soon they could see four or five men.
They kept choppinR away until they were
driven of by the flames, which. they think,
must have cnveloped the men. Meanwhile
two boats from tho Kismst Joined the work Of
rescue. One Of the men picked up by one OF the
yachts bonts was Samuel Jaynes. the baggage
master He had remained on the burning
steamer as long as he could and then jumped
His head struck one OF the life rats and no
was picked up Just us he was sinking. He was
taken aboard the Kismet. whore he died a few
minutes later. His body was brought to this
city on the City OF Lawrence and sent to the
Morgue
On shore Samuel Travers. foreman on tho
farm OF the Van Wart brothers near Old Hen
Point. saw tho Nutmeg Stata coming down the
Sound. 1t was about O'Clock. and 1t was quito
light The steamboat was. as nearly as Travers
could make out. about a mile from the Long
Island shore. The flames were breaking out OF
her amidships and heavy train OF smoke was
trailing behind.
She seemed to be holding on her course
toward New York in spite OF the fire. she
passed Old Hen Point (which is about three
miles west OF Glen Covel. and seemed to be
heading for Sands Point.
While he was watching and wondering there
came volcano burst OF hame out of the ships
middle and great tongues OF fire ourled up
above the top OF the smokestack. Then. no
pnt IN IN " ha nj pA Ann ar
direction change. She turned back and
headed Dor 4 creek that comes out on Old Hen
Point.
Just after she had turned in toward shore her
whistle began to blow. Travers ran down to
tho beach. got out q rowboat and started for
tho burning steamer. Herman Burgi. fore
man In the Union Gas Companya works. who
ia spending his vacation in u sloop on the
Sound. beat Travers out to the steamer. As
Burgi approached he saw the captain standing
on the forward deck surrounded by crowd OF
passengers. A life raft was swinging Off tho
steamers bow and the captain was superin-
tending the lowering OF passengers down to
the life raft with a rope.
Somebody shouted to Burgi as he approached
to look out for life raft that was astern. Row
ing past the women and children on the life
raft on the bow. no found a raft loaded down
with flremen and men Of the steamers crew
about amidships. third life raft was under
the stern. drifting and empty. There were
passengers on the deck above. but
they had no way OF getting down
In safety. The fremen and crew. 1t was
learned later. had reached their raft from the
starboard gangway.
Burgi throw n line to the men on this raft
and rowed back to the bow There he took ak
women and two children from the raft into his
boat. One OF the women took the line from the
crews life raft and Burgi rowed the fota
into the creek. There his family took the
women to his sloop and did what they could
for them. One OF tho women who had come
ashore with Burgi had left a little girl on
board. She told him what the child looked like
and he went back for her He found tho
little girl standing high up on tho bow. with
somebody's baby in her arms The two were
lowered to him and with his dory loaded down
to the waters edge Burg took another load
ashore.
Meanwhile Travers. in his boat. had been
picked up by the tug East Chester. The East
Chester went straight up to the bow OF the
burning steamer. picking up people from the
water. Within a few minutes they were Joined
by the William +. Reed. another tug. The City
OF Lawrence's life boats came IN and took OF
tho passengers on the tugs and on shore. At
about o'clock Travers saw a mans arm wav-
ing from a port hole forward. As the tug
steamed up to the port hole mans face ap-
peared there.
Get me out. can't you" he yelled to them
His vote. was hoarse with shouting. His face
back OF the SCOT marks on It. was as white as
chalk.
Get back little" said Travers and wen
have you out In minute"
But 1 can't get back" the man moaned.
the fire 10 in here with me-"
a Faetnbeafar'a mi i'm I'd yor vw;kh
their axes They hacked and smashed at the
edges Of the portfolio. Before they thought
the hole was large enough the i'm prsoned man
thrust his head and one shoulder out, They
seized him and dragged him to tho top by
main force.
There are two men and boy back there"
he said. L" on the other side OF the bulkhead."
He pointed aft.
The fire was all the time gaining headway
and was climbing down the steamers sides
amidships. They had to make detour to
reach the portfolios OF the after cabin. There
again they saw mans hand waving from a
porthole. They attacked the portfolio but
there were iron straps on either side o. it
bolted through from the inner skin Of the ship
and they could mako no Roadway. Travers
and one OF the deckhands climbed to the deck
OF the burning steamer with axes,
while the Eastchesters mon and former
Corporation Counsel Albert G. Mcdonald
OF Brooklyn. who had como of in
n row boat from his summer place. played the
Eastchester's hose on them to keep the adj
vanclnC flames from setting fro to their cloth
ing The deck was double. 1t was ten min
utes before they cut through it. When they
made the first opening mans hand appeared
from below. clutchinC at the air. They heard
two or three voices shouting for help. Travers
put his face down to the deck and shouted:
Take your hand back Well cut a hole big
enough for you to climb through in a minute"
The hand was drawn back. Tho a1smen
worked like iendS. A piece OF the deck two
feet square was soon knocked through. Out
OF the hole came puffs OF smoke and now and
then q tongue OF flame. Travers's elimpses
into 1t showed nothing but steadily increas-
ing furnace-lke fire. There was nothing to bO
done. His own clothing. Notwithstanding the
constant spraying OF the EaStchester's hose,
was scorching. With his assistant he eli N bed
back to the Eastchsster.
Mr.. Maxwell had promised the Eastchester's