Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 June 1894 — MANY LIVES LOST. [ARTICLE]

MANY LIVES LOST.

New York Excursion Steamer Goes to the liottoixk 6f the Ocean. The tug James D. Nichol, with sixtythree excursionists and a crew numbering ten or twelve, was swamped at 1 o'clock Sunday afternoon, some three miles off the Highlands, New York. Fifty-four of th< S 3 on board have been accounted for. The rest were probab y drowned. The tug left Fifth street and East River at 7:30 o’clock in the morning, touched at pier 3, East River, and then went on to the fishing grounds. She had, it is said, a license to carry fifty passengers, but sixtythree tickets were sold. There was a bar and a lunch counter on board, whose attendants, with the crew, brought the whole number on board up to about seventy-five. The tug reached the banks on time, but the fishing was poor and the sea too rough for comfort, and at noon she started back. When three miles east of the Highlands and about south of Scotland lightship the waves began to break heavily over her starboard rail. To dodge the water and wind the passengers began to run around to the port side and to climb on t>p of the deckhpuse- The boat careened alarmingly to port and the water swept in over the rail. The terror-stricken men rushed back to starboard anl the tug swung deeply down on that side. At the same moment three heavy waves struck the boat in quick succession. The captain, William H. Platt, stuc-c pluckily to his post and sounded the whistle in a prolonged scream for help. Even as he did so IJie tug filled with the water that poured into her from both sides and sank out of sight in the water. She went down like a stone, carrying many of her passengers with her.