The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-10-15
SHIP BURNED TOWATERLINE.
Passengers Lose Lives in Holocaust Steam
er Beached on Long Island Part of
Grew Roasted Alive-Deck Hands
Snatch Boats By Force
Brooks Hero of Wreck.

I East Orange. N. J., had his wife and
four small children aboard the burn
| ing boat. He could not jump. With
the assistance of his wife, he lowered
the children into the launch of the
| Kismet and then, with the assistance
Of two other men, lowered his wife from
the boat. They were conveyed to the
City of Lawrence.
An unknown woman passenger, afraid
TO jump into the water, although pro-
vided with life belt, was seen to fall
back to the blazing deck and was roast
ed alive. A man passenger, who was
trying to keep himself af1oat on an oar,
became exhausted and was drowned.
| When it became apparent that the
! Nutmeg State was doomed to deStruc-
! ton, the dozen or so of her freight
handlers are said to have taken possess
sion of the first of the lifeboats
| launched. They fought back any of the
women or men who tried to get into the
boats, and refused to take the children.
1t was impossible for Capt. Brooks to
| control the rough. cowardly set of men,
and they were utterly oblivious to the
perils of the passengers. When the pas
sengers were forced from this hfeboat
it doubled the demands on a second
which was lowered, and wild scramble
| of the panic-stricken people ensued.
turned. 1t could not be righted, and the
men, women and children remained in
the chilly water clinging to the boat I'M
! til help arrived from the passing craft.
The tug Reed went forward and made
an effort to save the imprisoned men in
| the crews quarters The heat was so
| intense that it drove the tug away, and
| it again turned its attention to picking
| the people up from the water. 1t made
| OF or nd nf
men chopped away some woodwork at
| the bow of the Nutmeg State. Two of
| the flremen were saved, but the other
men of the crew. who probably were
exhausted from the smoke, were unable
to climb out of the hold before the Reed
was again forced away from the ship
on account of the spread of the flames.
1t is believed now that seven men of
| the Bridgeport boat, including Mate
Patrick Coffey, were burned to death in
their quarters below decks at the bow.
| Capt Brooks was the last to leave the
| Nutmeg State, and just a few seconds
before him Pilot Weatherwax and P. J..
Hurlburt of Bridgeport left the burning
decks.
The passengers and rescued members
from the burning ship were placed
aboard the City of Lawrence, and the
body of Baggageman Jaynes was also
/
| proceeded on her way to this city, and
arrived about 10 o'clock in the morning.
OF the 70 Of the rescued aboard the City
Of Lawrence, only four needed hospital
treatment. They were: Mrs. Joseph
Wilt Harry j. Wilt, her son, of Phila-
delphia: Mrs. Wilkes of Philadelphia
and Mrs H. Pudcell of New York city.
The other survivors suffered merely
from the chilly temperature of the
hn thew
were subjected to because of leaving
the burning ship before they could Sc
cure proper clothing. The Kismet took
I care of a number of the rescued.
The excitement was such at the time
of the abandonment of the burning yes
sci, that no positive statement as to
4 the exact number of persons who per-
lished can be obtained from the officers
of the boat or from any of the pas
sengers rescued. No record of those on
board was kept by Purser Phillips be-
cause the United States navigation
laws do not require coastwise craft,
making regular trips of less than 100
miles, to take a list of passengers.
! The Nutmeg State was wooden pro-
peller of little over 1000 tons, and for
several years had carried freight and
passengers between Connecticut towns
and this city. She carried large guam
tity of miscellaneous freight.
There was a large consignment of
cartridges in the hold and when the
flames reached them they began to eX
plode and continued firing for some
time. No estimate can be given as to
the value of her cargo. Purser d. Phil
lips of the Nutmeg State, when inter
viewed, said the boat was a little be-
hind time leaving Ansonia-
She should have left at midnight on
! Friday but ii was nearly 1 o'clock this
morning when she got under way The
cargo was very heavy and consisted
mainfSN of hardware and mechanical
instruments. The passengers numbered
between so and so. and the crew and
freight handlers make the total num-
Der aboard over 100
The bodies of two of the victims Of
| the disaster drifted ashore about noon
on the beach mile east of the blazing
wreck. One was the body of wo-
man about Is years old and the other
a sal of four years. Justice of the
Peafe Holland, who is acting coroner.
too- charge of the bodies and EXAM
ined the clothing. The child was clad
in three night gowns. They were
/ Scorched brown around the edges. The
woman had on three heavy skirts she
also wore two heavy jackets. and m
/ der these several shirt waists In her
stocking was found ST. There was no
indication of fire about the wonanis
clothing.
Capt. Charles NJ. Brooks Of the m
/ fated steamer said: Il don't know how
the fire started or how many people
were lost. l had been up all night as
| is usual with me when am on a trip
!