Tour Boat Overturns in Adirondack NY Lake; Numerous Fatalities Reported

Fox News ^ | October 2, 2005 | Fox News

[CedarDave]

Fox News reporting a tour boat named the "Ethan Allen" has overturned in a lake in northern New York state. 46-50 persons were on board and rescues are on going. Searching for an AP link...

[andyandval]

19 killed in Lake George capsizing

By PAT DOWD

Updated: 10/2/2005 5:33:37 PM

 

Online editor, dowd@poststar.com

Nineteen people were killed in a tour boat accident on Lake George today, according to Warren County Sheriff Larry Cleveland.

The Ethan Allen, a small cruise boat on the lake, was carrying 47 passengers this afternoon when the accident happened about 3 p.m. today.

According to Cleveland, the wake from the Mohican, a boat owned by Lake George Steamboat Company, swamped and flipped the glass-enclosed Ethan Allen.

The Ethan Allen sank in the lake, according to witnesses.

As of 5 p.m., all of the passengers had been accounted for, the sheriff said.

The passengers were part of a senior citizen's cruise on the lake. The boat is owned by Shoreline Cruises.

The boat was on the west side of the lake near Cramer Point -- near Hearthstone State Campgrounds.

More information when it becomes available.

According to Glens Falls Hospital, they are on "Code Yellow" disaster alert, taking the injured passengers.

 

[xcamel]

Nope - no CG, only SP's and Warren County Sherriff. They usually stop patrols after labor day.

[Sam Cree]

"From a legal standpoint, which boat is responsible?"

Ramius probably knows the answer to that one.

I do know that a boat operator is always responsible for damage done by his wake, but who knows what went on in this case that we don't know yet?

Ramius, do you have to have a USCG Master's license to run a tour boat on Lake George? I think it used to be called Inland Operator?

All the boat crews were professionals, it seems.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Shutup. There isn't any humor in the drowning deaths of a couple of dozen senior citizens.

A real shame that some without any self-control swarm to threads about a tragedy to spam their stale jokes, which lost any humor after being posted 1,000 times. You aren't witty, just trashy, and didn't take the hint the first couple of times you were alerted to the inappropriateness of your posts. Grow up and move on to another thread that isn't so sad and serious.

[alisasny]

All our family and friends go to LG at least every other summer. We took the Mohican in 2004 for a great cruise.

Something had to have gone very drastically wrong for this tragedy to have happened.

BTW to those who said they should have been wearing life vests..PLEASE. You pay to take a little shore cruise. You dont wear vests to do so.

This is such a beautiful vast CALM lake.

I am getting chills just wondering what went wrong.

This lake hosts parasailing water skiing those water trampolines. All going on at same time.

TRAGIC.

[HoHoeHeaux]

Amen to that. Is that the mantra on every damn post here? It seems like people could hold back on the wisecracks until we see how serious things are. Thanks for expressing my sentiment.

This isn't a humorous situation at all.

[alisasny]

The Ethan Allan and the Mohican cross paths constantly.


The Minnie HAHA steamboat is also owned by the Mohican people and I'm telling you safty is a huge concern and has always been.

I have no idea what went wrong but this is just tragic.

[Texas Termite]

The picture of that boat and with 47 passengers and a crew of ?? looks like an accident waiting to happen to me! It wouldn't take much rocking to cause a real problem .. my opinion.

Sad to hear about the deaths of so many on what should have been a happy experience.

Nana

[CedarDave]

Unedited video shows numerous bodies covered with sheets. Reporter says they had no life jackets. Passengers were clinging to the sides as it went down.

[RDTF]

I just saw that - awful

[RDTF]

they were senior citizens (per Fox)

[silentknight]

Yeah the FEMA jokes are getting old...but whatever. Sounds bad up there.

[alisasny]

They didn't have time to access life jackets is my best guess.

That is possible.

You dont go on a little shoreline cruise that holds 50 people and don life vests.

This is so sad. But accidents do happen. I would hate to see Lake George get bad press over this.

[TXnMA]

They should have been wearing them [life jackets]. I wonder if those who died were injured or got trapped under the boat.

Although it is not obvious from the pictures posted here, in Repy # 16, the boat is described thusly: "The 40-foot, glass-enclosed Ethan Allen".

If the glass enclosure was in place, in could have been quite difficult to exit the capsized vessel -- even (especially) if wearing a life preserver.

Prayers for all those involved -- and their families...

[OldFriend]

Doesn't the COAST GUARD mean it's on the COAST?

[OldFriend]

Please??????When is it okay to go out on a boat without a life vest?

[F-117A]

Fox just reported 47 on board, 19 dead!

[areafiftyone]

NOT GOOD AT ALL 19 PEOPLE DEAD!

LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. (AP) - A tour boat carrying about 50 people overturned Sunday on a lake in upstate New York, killing 19 people on a senior citizens' cruise, according to a newspaper report.

The boat capsized when another tour boat passed near it, swamping the first vessel and sinking it, Warren County Sheriff Larry Cleveland told the Glens Falls Post Star.

The 40-foot, glass-enclosed Ethan Allen capsized shortly before 4 p.m. on Lake George about 50 miles north of Albany in the Adirondack Mountains.

By 5 p.m., all passengers had been accounted for, Cleveland said.

The weather was clear, calm and in the 70s Sunday afternoon.

Representatives of Shoreline Cruises, which operates the boat, could not immediately be reached for comment.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Oh no, that's too bad. Sorry to hear that. Jefferson County (my County) is north of Warren County.

[Cboldt]

Doesn't the COAST GUARD mean it's on the COAST?

Well, "coast" covers lots of ground. CG operates on the Great Lakes, for example, as well as larger navigable rivers.

http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/aton/offices.htm

"Waters of Juristriction" "Coast Guard" <- I haven't googled it, but would expect some fruit.