Year: 1875

PoUGHKEEPsIE Dec l, 1876.
You have already received brief intelligence relative
TO the disaster to the steamer Sunnysde, West
Park, at two o'clock this morning The story of the
heart rending affair IS best told by Captain Frank
Lesson OF the sunnyside who has made the following
statement to me-


ave left Troy at two O'Clock Tuesday afternoon and
reaching Albany took the steamer Golden Gate in
tow astern TO follow down. and proceeded as far
New Baltimore without encountering much ice. At
the latter place the wedged in from there to
Kindernook when we brought up in
account OF windrow the chan
mel A barge, two canal boats and four
pIopellors lay there all blocked In We worked ahead
and back and finally worked through, but parted
hawser to the Golden Gate and made up minds
could not get that vessel through, and came
and left her lying there. Afterward didn't have
very heavy ice We worked slowly all the way from
there to West Park The ice was very heavy at the
latter place in spots We used great caution not
TO vessel The mate Jacob Burhans stood
watch with three others in the forward cabin and FORE
castle TO that the steamer made water re-
maned watch till got down to Barrytown. Before
turned in said to the pilot, Mr.. Whitaker 'what
do you think about the ice 2 He replied that thought
that through the heaviest of It, SO went to
my room and went to bed This must have been about
Twelve O'Clock At two in the morning was called up
by orders from the engineer, Mr. Parsall who said
The boat


MAKING WATER


dressed mysef and went down to the forward cabin
and through into forward Of the bulkhead and found
The mate who had the Joiner work away to nd the
leak The then running rapidly the for
ward cabin floor and there about two feet of water
he starboard bilge IL the forward cabin went down
70 the engine and looked in, between the keelson and
ound that the water nearly up to the top of the
Engine keelson | made up my mind then that we
couldn't her; that she would sink. sent of
lhe walters to wake up the womon in the ladies'
saloon and tell them come up into the stateroom
hall forward then went to the pilot house. Watson
butcher, the pilot the wheel told him to put
the steamer ashore to the westward. He hove his
wheel hard port and put her ashore Russeps
dock at West Park. This was about 2:3o A. NJ. then
ordered the mate to


LOWER AWAY THE BOATS.


Two OF the boats hung in crane aft on the quarter
also told him to hawser ashore; the lowered
the boat and rowed ashore, the ice being strong and
hick all around us. Then we lay head the fats and
our engine still working before he could the
boat up the beach the filed with water and
Slid off the Oats alongside the channel bank. Then he
pulled the life boat up the vessel and ordered all
ihe passengers the forward promenade deck myself
and Of the lremen helping them up. Next passed
Ihree women INTO the neDoak Wnen quite numDer OF
jumped into the boat also; tried to keep many
back / could, but they panic stricken.
{ yelled to the mate to shove the boat
pn the shore All this time the settling
last, and the water up into the pilot house.
shouted everybody to so away aft the hurricane
deck, as the vessel going down head foremost All
The crew assisted me in getting the people of The
had got fifteen or twenty feet from the
Iteamer with his lfeboat full OF people, before it cap
yized. terrible scene ensued There must have
been eighteen persons in the boat The mate swan
ashore. and the others that saved swan back TO
The steamer In all probability all that lost
crowned from the capsizing OF the lifeboat Their
shouts and cries for aid must have been heard for
long distance As quickly possible took boat
from the starboard side, and with head
icck boy, tried get around to the people in the
:er, but the heavy ice prevented me. The cries for
help continued for about ten minutes, and then


STILL.


We launched the big boat from the upper deck,
which with the water the vessel at that time
being 200 feet from shore | took the boat with the
second engineer Jerry Deyo and finally reached the
Sapsized boat. She bottom up and laid on
her his back with his feet in the and Ice and
yearly dead We took him on board the steamer, and
put him in the pilots room and covered him with
blankets Then | heard noise the outside of our



We worked the boat through the the spot where
the cries emanated FROM and found an elderly lady
groanng she was lying the ice hve feet from the
wheelhouse Her body was in the water partly, her
arms holding her up She still alive With great
difficulty got her into the boat and took her to the
steamer and put her in the wheesman's room and
covered her with blankets, but she died about
hours after We then went to work to construct





from the steamer to the shore AT this time sixty
persons were crowded together the hurricane deck
aft the wind blowing hard and the air bitter cold. We
got the line ashore and succeeded in getting all of in
safety, after they had been on deck for two hours
clingng to rods and masts. We placed them in the
large boat and pulled boat along by the rope ferry
TO the shore on reaching the shore they clambered
up the rocks and made their way to the farmhouses
the vicinity where every attention was given them
BY this time | was nearly exhausted and was
attacked with cramps and had to be as
sisted to a house near by. From the time
j was first called till the steamer sunk
fifteen minutes time consumed We saw a
tow going down the shore and tried to make
them hear us but failed Our bell was kept tolling
whistle kept blowing till the water quenched the
fires and shut on the steam and sixty persons were
shouting as loud they could, but attention
paid to us Then We sighted steamer Walter Brett
coming north on the east shore. She landed at Hyde
Park dock, and again signalled loud in every way
for aid but after lying at the dock ten or fifteen min
utes she passed without noticing us. She must
have heard us. While we constructing the rope
ferry young man, named Walter Dumont OF West
Park, approached with small boat and worked
heroically He took twelve persons from the
wreck and landed them in safety. He was the only
person who succeeded reaching us from the shore,
though many trying TO do don't think that
over eleven persons drowned, and


LIST,


s far as we get at it, is as follows:-


Sarah Butler and Susan Rex, Of New York colored),
shambermaids


John Howard, OF New York coored), officers waiter.
Samuel Rutcdgc, Of New York lcoorcd


Matthew Johnson tcolored), waiter, Albany