Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1923-07-27
EXCURS|ON|STS
SAFELY BACK
"Sirius" Completes Trip to
Palisades After Running
Aground

None the worse for their expert
ence nearly 900 excursionisti;,
guests of the Lyceum Athletic CLUB,
returned to this city about 1850
last night. A large crowd of rela-
ives awaited the boat aand any fears
of accident to their loved ones were
quickly dispelled as they saw them
romping off the vessel. The boat
"Sirius," which went aground at
11:15 in the morning off Mt. Lo-
retto, Staten Island, returned to this
city with the excursionists. Contra ry
to reports from New York, the pas
sengers on the Sirius were not
transferred to the Pegasus" an
other boat of the Iron Steamboat
Line, which had received word of
the accident.
The first word of the occurrence
yesterday morning was known to the
police of New York City, who fear
ing a catastrophe, sent two police
boats, the Manhattan" and the one
formerly called the Mayor Hylan".
On board these were a large squad
of men from the safety bureau
under the leadership of Police
Lieutenant O'Grady. Upon his ar
rival with the two boats he attempt
ed to pull out the vessel but it re-
fused to bulge and he stated that he
would not allow the transferring of
the passengers on account of the
danger and that they would have
to walt for high water. Several motor
boats in the immediate vicinity at
tempted to haul out the boat from
it's snug position in the sandbar, but
it was to no avail.
The assistance of another tug was
secured by the police and all three
began to fasten line to the Iron
steamboat. Several times the thick
ropes snapped as though they were
cut by knife. All during the day
the boat Pegasus stood by. 1t
was not until nearly o'clock in the
afternoon that the boat was able to
get out and continue to Palisades
Park, it's destination, which was
reached at o'clock. The return
to this city was undertaken at about
8 o'clock.
Michael Stolz, a member of the
Lyceum Athletic Club and on the
boat at the time of the stranding,
told the following story of the hap
pening;
1--WE had just gone out of this city
an hour behind schedule and when
getting around the horn, near Mt.
Loretta the boat seemed to be
going too far off shore. All Of a
sudden crash was heard and the
passengers, fearing some collision
rushed to the sides. The captain of
the Sirius tried to get out of the
sand-har but the more steam he
put on the further he would get
stuck in the mud.
1.-THE captain saw that he would
have to wait for high tide. Some
one on shore called police head
quarters in New York and the COM
panys office there. While waiting
for aid the attention of a tug was
attracted to the scene but when it
attempted to haul out the boat, the
lines snapped. Where we were at
there was only about four feet of
water and when the craft was float
ed there was only near twenty feet
of water.
"The crowd was very orderly and
no commotion was raised. Bill
Seiboth's orchestra played continu-
ally anQ that kept up the spirits OF
the crowd. At first those on the
boat were down-hearted but after a
little while, all saw the situation and
a jolly time was held on the boat
while they were trying to get 1t
off the bar"
The two safety bureau boats and
third tug. the Robert Robertson of
Perth Amboy, came alongside the
nearly marooned craft and tried to
wef%se out the steamer. With the aid
of the incoming tide they succeeded
in floating the boat and it continued
on its interrupted voyage to the Pal
isades.