The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-10-15


met death in the torture of flames or
by drowning in the disaster which oc-
CURED to the Bridgeport line steam
boat, the Nutmeg State, off Sands
Point, L. L, at sunrise this morning
The list of injured is very short, as
most of the passengers who escaped
suffered nothing more than shock from
submerslon in the chilly water, and
only four persons were sent to the hos
pital The steamer was run to the
beach at the outbreak of the flames
and burned to the waters edge.
Samuel Jaynes, baggage master of
the steamer, picked out of the water by
the yacht Kismet; died on board
Barney Hendry, oiler.
Unidentified woman.
Patrick Coffey, first mate.
Terence Brady of New York, cabin
boy.
Charles Anderson of crew.
Thomas Murphy of crew.
John Corners Of crew.
Some of the injured are: Henry j.
Wilt, Philadelphia, and his mother
sent to Hudson street hospital; Mrs. ii.
Purcell of New York city, went to her
home.
The Nutmeg State, with over hun
6red psrsons On board. and bound from
Connecticut towns to New York, was
discovered afire about $50 this morn
ing, when she was within few miles
Of Sands Point, L.
Just how the fire started will never
be known. Chief Cook Brown first saw
smoke at $50 o'clock, and Immediately
reported to Capt. Y. M. Brooks, who
had just gone to his state room. Capt.
Brooks Immediately made an invest1ga-
ton, and the flames were located in
the bow of the boat, between the for
ward cabin and the donkey engine
room.
The fire was on the main deck and
seemed to be a small affair, so Capt.
Brooks, not wishing to alarm the pas
sengers, ordered the men called to
work as quickly and as quietly as pos
sible with buckets and hose. For about
20 minutes the flames did not seem to
be dangerous, and the men appeared to
have them in control Suddenly the
flames burst out amidships. Baggage
man Samuel Jaynes was detached from
the fire fighters and sent to alarm the
passengers and all the members of the
crew, who were in the forward part of
the boat
He ran through the passageways on
the several decks, shouting to the pas
sengers and sleeping crew. He re-
until he was forced by the flames and
sitting smoke to jump overheard. The
passengers, in various stages of frenzy,
rushed from the staterooms to the up
per deck. Life preservers were given
them, and many of the men assisted in
putting them on the women and chill
dren.
BY this time the entire middle sec
ton of the Nutmeg state was burning
fiercely, and the people forward were
completely cut off from communica-
ton with those in the after part of the
boat. This left the people on the rear
decks in a Derilous situation, as the
lifeboats on the amidships davit were
surrounded by flames, and there were
but few of the crew in the rear to give
aid AS the flames continued to
spread, both foreward and aft, Pilot
Weatherwax headed the steamboat at
full speed for the beach \at Sands
Point.
The draft swept the fire towards the
rear of the boat The passengers in
that part of the boat went SIS far back
on the rear deck as possible, but were
enyeloped in black smoke and the
flames were leaping towards them,
threatening in q few moments to roast
them alive. They huddled close to the
rear rail in fear, waiting for the steam
err to strike the beach. With a shock,
the Nutmeg DtdlS Slluth Tie IuChy U0l-
tom, and people seemed to shoot from
all parts of her like shot from sling
They jumped into the water and tried
to reach the lifeboats, which had been
launched from the foreward part of the
vessel. All the passengers were in the
water in but a few minutes after, but
many of the members of the crew had
become imprisoned in the forward part
of the ship below decks, by the flames.
There was no outlet in the thick sides
of the steamboat except the small port
holes. through which no man could
squeeze.
The first person to leave the burning
steamer was Baggageman Jaynes, who
gave the alarm to the sleeping passen-
gers. When the smoke and flames
forced him from amidshiDs, he, almost
exhausted made a leap for the sea.
In doing So he struck his head against
the guard rail and was stunned, falling
into the water HELPLESS. The launch
from r. Roger Maxwell's steam yacht
Kismet picked him up and carried him
"a the Kismet, where the brave fellow
died shortly after being taken aboard.
The Nutmeg state had hardly struck
the beach when several passing craft
came TO her rescue. The tugboat w.
F. Reed ana The Kismet were first on
tho spot, and after these came the
Hartford liner City Of Lawrence. The
latter had followed the Nutmeg State
down the Sound, several miles in her
wake. and when she arrived on the
scene, put out six lifeboats which We're
suficient to save all the people who
were in the water. Sidney Mather of