The Irish standard., 1899-10-21
TWELVE LIVES LOST.
Terrible Result OF the Burning OF the
Atlantic Coast Steamer
Nutmeg State.

New York, Oct. 16.-The Bridgeport
line steamer Nutmeg State was burned
in Long Island sound, Off Sands point,
l.. L., AT sunrise Saturday morning, and
twelve persons were burned to death or
drowned. The dead are: Samuel
Jaynes, baggage master; Nils Nilsen,
Charles Anderson, Patrick Coffee,
Bernard Hendry, Thomas Murphy and
John Connors, members of the crew,
and five unknown passengers.
The burning of the steamer was re-
plcte with horror, heroism, brutality
and self-sacritice. Few if any lives
would have been lost had not Il swarm
Of maddened freight handlers dartcd
up from the furnace below decks and
swept women and children into the
water in their mad rush for safety.
These men, great, rough, brawny fell
lows, whose stock in trade was their
strength, spared nobody. They fought
their way 10 the steamers bow, which
was not on fire, and swept into the hud-
died crowd there, pushing many over
the side into the sea. Until their ad-
vent the crew had behaved fairly we'll,
the captains orders were bcn" obcycd
and the boats were being filled with
women and children. But the rush of
the freight handlers upse all plans.
The origin of the fire is unknown. 1t
started nmidships, and was discovered
by the chief cook when he left his cabin
at $50 o'clock in the morning. lie i'm
mcdiatcly gave the alarm. and then
went to work waking the passengers.
AT first everything was done in perfect
order. The captain ordered his crew to
quarters. They responded with fire
buckets and hose, and for IS minutes
fought the fire, but the Nutmeg State
was tinder box. The painted wood
work fed the flames, and every moment
saw the volume of smoke greater. by
this time the passengers had been
aroused. and most of them were on
deck. Soon the captain realized that
the ship could not be saved, and he d
rected Pilot WeatherwaN to run the
boat ashore. AT full speed the doomed
craft sped toward the rocks of Sands
point. One by one the engineers and
the 1ircmen staggered up, driven from
their posts by the flames, but before the
fire had stopped the engines the ship
was hard aground.
1t was during this race for the shore
that the most agonzing incidents oc-
Cured. The first boat lowered WAS full
of women and children, when it was
seized by the freight handlers, and the
people in it were spilled out. In the
water they fought each other for their
lives. They tried to crawl over one an
other as they clung to the boats sides,
to oars, life prcscrvcrs, steamer chairs
or anything else that tloatcd. Those
who had hold of the boat tried to beat
back those who struggled to reach it.
Men who had placed their women and
children iu the boat divcd from the
steamer into the tanglc and sought to
save them. Thirty or 40 persons were
struggling i'll the water when boats
from the steamer City of Lawrence
picked them up.
The City of Lawrence, the yacht Kis-
met and the tugs Chester and M. II,
Reed chased the burning ship as she
fled toward The shore. She struck with
crash, and almost Immediately an
other boat dropped into the water. 1t
was fcarfully ovcrcrowdcd, but it was
fairly launched and every soul in it
could have been saved had not three
men, apparently members of the crew
jumped from the upper deck of the Nut
meg State right on the heads of the
women, who constituted the greater
part of the lifeEont's freight. The i'm
pact drove the boat under the water
Over it went and there was again 4
frantic struggle in the water. Other
bouts were launched, men sprang past
the Gordon of officers and passenger.
who sought to keep the right of way
for women and children, and clambercd
down the falls into the boats and onto
the life RATS.
Capt. Brooks and the Pilot stayed as
long as they thought anybody else was
left on the ship. They escaped to one
of the bo;AS. The passengers and res
cued members from the burning shin
were placed aboard the City of Law
renee, and the body of Eaggagcmastcr
Jaynes was also conveyed to the Hart
ford liner, which proceeded on her way
to this city. OF the 20 of the rescued
aboard only four needed hospital treat
ment. They were: Mrs. Joseph Wilt
and Harry j. Wilt, her son, Philadel-
phia; Mrs. Wilkes. of York street, Phil
ndclphia, and Mrs. III. Purcell, New York
city.