New-York tribune., 1911-12-05
& ALL NIGHT IN BOAT
NEAR DEATH IN STORM
Members of Harlem Fishing Club
Drift Ashore, Suffering
from Exposure.
THOUGHT SAFE BY FRIENDS
Seven Taken from Launch by
Smack Believed Others Would
Be Rescued-Af1oat Many
Hours Without Food.

The holiday outing of fifteen members
of the Harlem Fishing Club, who started
nm the Sound bright and early on sun
dav morning on pleasure bent. ended in
Tho chilly winter dusk of lasC evening,
when eight of the party, half dead from
exhaustion and the cold. drifted ashore
AZ Throg's Neck. in Pelham Bay, after
having foated around in the snow and
wind for nearly thirty-siX hours in IS
foot open launch. The other members
of the party had been taken off the
launch on Sunday night by clam dig
gers.
.'he men who were found on the beach
lat night huddled together for warmth
and too tired and weak to more than tie
their boat up. were Joseph Connor, of
12Srh street and Third avenue; Edward
Trctter Of No. $50 East 13Sth street;
Charles Hahn, No. 430 East 152d street;
John Sweeney. No. 3jT East 124th street;
Tony Zwiegert. No East 1J2d street;
Thomas Hayes, No. 24S Second avenue;
Georce Schultz. No. 162 East 121th
street, and Frederick Malsky. of j3lst
street and the Harlem River They
we're helped ashore by fisherman liv-
ing near the grove, and revived suffi-
cientlv 10 be taken home.
The members of the fishing expedition
started for the Sound at 7:30 Sunday
morning. In charge of the big launch
were Schulz. who acted as captain. and
Malsky. the engineer. They went down
the river and ont into the Sound. running
w as far as Stepping Stones Light before
they dropped anchor for the days sport.
The light is nineteen miles from the Bat
terry. The party noated about this point
until dark.
Engine Refuses TO Work.
With the darkness came a heavy swell.
The launch was in Cow Bay and headed
for home. but only a few miles had been
covered when the motor began TO act
badly AS the craft plunged its nose
into the icy waves the propellers would
churn free of the water and the engine
alternately choked and ran wild"
After about five miles of sckening
plunges through the heavy seas in the
face of increasing wind the motor re-
fused 10 do any more work.
The launch was fitted with a small
cabin which would accommodate not more
than half Of the party at one time. In
the crowd was the twelve-year-old son
Of Gus" Martin, one of the party, who
lives IN st. AIMS avenue. The boy and
some of the others retired into the cab
in leaving the remainder 10 take hand
Al fussing with tho engine and scoOping
out the water that piled aboard with
every big sea.
II was now pitch dark. and some Of
the crew lighted lanterns and hoisted
them on poles. while Schulz. the captain,
blew 4 whistle. The men in the cabin
rad found some rockets and passed them
out These were lighted and shot aloft
into the darkness. In addition TO the
hCaviug seas and the biting wind snow
began 20 fall and add to the discomfort
of the men who were keeping the dis
tress signals going.
At o'clock some clam diggers saw the
signals and put out to the launch I'm a
smack. They found that there were too
many aboard 10 take off all at once, 50
seven of :he party got into the smack
They were taken TO Fort Schuyler. They
understood that the smack would go
b1ck for the others, and took train
for home
Starts Police on Search.
William Leistner. one of the men who
mad been rescued, appeared at the 126th
street police station carly yesterday
morning and told the lieutenant on the
desk about the previous days cruise and
said he had just found out that his
friends whom he had left aboard had
not arrived home. He said that when he
was taken off tho launch was shipping
water badly and that there was nothing
aboard to eat and that he had begun
70 worry for the safety Of the party.
Sergeant Farrell and four men were
sent cut from Harbor station in n
launch They crused down around
Throgs Neck. Fort Schuyler and Cow
Bay and of Port Washington, on the
Long Island shore. They saw nothing Of
The launch and returned At > o'clock in
the afternoon another message was re-
Coiyed 90 Harbor Il station that men on
Long Island had seen a boat off the
.horc I'M distress. TWO hours later Ser
.aaut Mccarthy and four men sighted
the launch as it drifted inshore aud
helped the fishermen on the beach get the
almost lifcless men out on land.
Tne men who were rescued said that
after their companions had been taken
of they drifted around all night. Al
though they could see the lights Of pass
ing vessels occasionally through the
driving snow, they were never able TO
attract the attention Of one. The lights