Kingston, NY Schooners M J Leonard and George Hurst Wreck, Sept 1894

A SCHOONER SUNK OFF THE BATTERY

The Lighter M. J. Leonard Punched a Hole in the George Hurst.

The two-masted schooner George Hurst of Port Eaton, L. I., loaded with sand for Kingston, N. Y., was run into by the lighter M. J. Leonard yesterday noon, while rounding the Battery, and now lies in twelve feet of water about 100 yards from the Battery wall, with all sails set.

The Hurst was under tow on her way to the North River, and just after passing the South Ferry House she was struck by the Leonard's bow on her port side, and was badly stove in.

She immediately began to fill, and as she sunk her Captain and crew jumped to the deck of the lighter. The schooner's crew consisted of Capt. Hubert Caffrey, William Doherty, and James Conlin, all of Kingston, N. Y.

The force of the collision caused the Hurst's maintopmast to come down with a crash.

Neither the Captain nor any member of the crew had time to go below and save his personal belongings, so quickly did the schooner settle. The cargo of sand hold her in an upright postition, with the greater portion of her masts and sails out of the wter.

A great crowd of people gathered at the Battery to view the strange sight of a vessel's masts with all sail set standing upright out of the water, with no hull visible, and it provided a harvest for the Battery boatmen, who took hundreds of people out to the wreck for a proper consideration.

The vessel will be raised at once, as she is directly in the way of navigation.

The New York Times, New York, NY 13 Sept 1894
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Transcribed by Linda Horton. Thank you, Linda!