The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-15
Ten People Lost Their Lives in
a Fire on a Bridgeport
Line Steamer.
THEYWERE ROAST TED ALIVE
Cowardly Brutes Fought Back the
Women and Children Who Were Try
ing to Got Into ths Boats-Several OF
the Crew Were Imprisoned Below
Deck by the Flames ana MeS q
Fright.ul Death.

| New York, Oct. 14-The Bridgeport
| line steamer Nutmeg State was burned
in Long Island sound. or Sands Point
L. T., at sunrise this morning and 10
persons were burned to death or
drowned. The dead are:
SAMUEL JAYNEs, Bridgeport, bag,
gageman Of the Nutmeg State.
NILS NILSSON, member Of crew.
CHARLES ANDERSON, Waterman
| on board.
PATRICK COFFEY. mate
BERNARD HENDRY, oiler.
THOMAS MURPHY, member of
| crew. u. wv"
/ JOHN CONNORS. member Of crew
UNKNOWN WOMAN, passenger, 2S
4 years Of age.
UNKNOWN MAN, drowned, body
not recovered.
UNKNOWN GIRL, four years old.
Most of the passengers who escaped
! suffered nothing more than shock
from immersion in the chilly water,
and only four persons We're sent to the
| hospital The steamer was run
| aground al the outbreak of the flames
and burned to the waters edge The
| bodies Of two victims Of the disaster
drifted ashore about noon on the beach
| mile east Of the blazing wreck. One
| was the body of a woman about IS
| years of age and the other girl of
| four years.
The Nutmeg State with over 100 per-
sons on board. bound from Connecticut
towns to New York WAS discovered to
!, s7be on fire about half past five, when
/ She was within a few miles of Sands
Point. l.. I. The flames were in the
bow Of the boat, between the forward
\ cabin and the donkey -engine room.
The fire was on the main deck and
seemed to be a small affair, SO Cap
4 tain Brooks, not wishing to needlessly
alarm the passengers, ordered the crew
called to work as quickly as possible
with buckets and hose. For about 20
minutes the flames did not seem to be
| dangerous and the men appeared to
have them in check. Suddenly the
flames burst out amidship.
BaEgageman Samuel Jaynes was de-
tached 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 sew
eral decks shouting to the passengers
| and the sleeping crew. He remained
amidships crying out warnings until he
was forced by the flames to jump over
| board
The passengers, in various stages of
frenzy, rushed from the state rooms
to the upper deck Life preservers were
| given them and many Of the men as
sisted in putting them on the women
and children.
BY this time the entire middle section
of the Nutmeg State was burning
E~,@ avid
completely cut off from communication
| with those on the after part of the boat.
This left the people on the rear decks
| in a perilous situation, as the lifeboats
We're amidships, the davits of which
were surrounded by flames, and there
We're few of the crew in the rear to give
| aid.
AS the flames continued to spread
both forward and aft, the pilot headed
| the steamboat at full speed for the
beach at Sands Point
The draft swept the fire toward the
rear OF the boat. The passengers IN
| that part Of the boat went as far back
on the rear deck as possible, but were
enveloped with black smoke and the
| flames were heaving toward them,
threatening in a few moments to roast
them alive. They huddled close to the
rear rail in fear, waiting for the steamer
to strike the beach. The Nutmeg State
struck the rocky bottom and people
seemed to shoot from all parts Of her
like shot from a sling. They Jumped
in the water and tried to reach the life
boats which had been launched from the
| forward part of the vessel. All the pas
sengers were in the water in but a few
moments. but many of the members of
the crew had become imprisoned in the
! forward part of the ship below deck
by the flames. There was no outlet in
the thick sides of the steamboat except
the small portfolios. 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 amidship, he was al
most exhausted and made leap for
| the sea. In doing so he struck his head
| against the guard rail and was stun
| ned, falling into the water helpless. A
launch from the steam yacht Kismet
picked him up and carried him to 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, sent out lifeboats
and picked up the passengers strug-
Cling in the water.
An unknown woman passenger, al
though provided with a life-belt, was
seen to fall backward. A man passen-
ger who was trying to keep himself
af1oat on an oar became exhausted and
was drowned. When it became appar-
ent that the Nutmeg State was doomed
to destruction the dozen or so of freight
| handlers are said to have taken pos
session 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 chill
drnyo