The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-07-31
CITY INTELLIGENCE.
.FoR ADDITIoNAL LOCAL ITnAm SEE INSIDE rAaEs.
d TERRIBLE CATASTROPHE.

Tho CRving In Of WhRrf-Three Lives
Lost - Several Persons Injured, and
Property Damaged TO the Amount OF
$4,000, Etc.
Yesterday afternoon terrible aoG,deh5 ,SI h SS Sb
CURED in the southern part of the oitylDy W WnieH
three men lost their lives ana a IaI 70 20 an arS
OF property was damaged, d dne re rom gthe foot
of Mead alley, between Almond ana SaIna,Iiinle ne
streets was the scene OF Ihe Sbags ~ o ratber
was, about $50 feet in length, ana varying from
30 TO 40 feet in width About o. ieet d from e Ine
80 feet from the shore end, thus virtually max
ing wharf resting bTask nPRRe PRe force Of the wase
rushing against the piers, being supposed To be
more substantial than the other parts, by fill
The wharf is owned and occupied by 8. & w.
Welsh. wellknown business nrm on the river
front and was at the time Of the accident well
stored with hogsheads of sugar. The greater
portion Of this sugar was placed upon the north
tial part, while the southern end was shaky
and considered unsafe Placed directly upon
the sluice-way nearest the river were one hun
dred hogsheads of sugar, upon which q number
of workmen were engaged in making repairs.
Instantly, without any warning, and with
resounding crash, the whole mass was preclpi-
tated into the river. BY this disastrous occur
renee three men went down with the crumbling
ruin, and were lost to sight Captain Merri.
man, of the brig j. d. Lincoln; Mr.. Charles
Edwards, master cooper; and John Cunning
ham were either crushed to death amid the
crashing barrels and beams, or found q watery
Captain Merriman was engaged in conversa-
tion with the mate of the brig, relative to the
business in which they were engaged-that OF
turned TO go on board the brig, and the Captain
started along the wharf At this critical
thirty seconds, took place. The mate felt the
whaf moving. He sprang to a log, which he
succeeded in getting hold of, and the next
moment he was aboard the vessel. Upon turn
ing around he saw the Captain, with uplifted
arms, going down among the hogsheads and
Another man who happened 10 be on the
wharf lew er,I ieet West & oI the place that gave
after great difficulty, and found to be much
bruised about his body, besides haying received
mans arms and hands were observed sticking
above the surface of the ruins He was also
rescued, and IL was ascertained that he had re-
ceived a lacerated wound on his head, supposed
to have been made by the chime Of hogshead.
The brig ]. D. Lincoln and thTee-masted
schooner were lying at the end of the outer pier
The Russian barque Czarina was In the dock
the bow inWards or towards the bulkhead
When the caving in occurred, the rush Of the
was partly drawn into the crevasse, and the
mighty flow Of the water through the demoio
ished sluice tore smaller vessel near by from
Like wiId-fre the news of the catastrophe
spread around, and everybody rushed to the
scene, which was one of intense excitement
Every body who had 8 relative working upon
that ill-fated pier, or on the Delaware front
hastened to the scene. In short time several
thousand people were there. The shipping
close by was crowded with spectators, many Of
whom seemed to suffer intense mental anguish,
or brothers had peris6ed. Every available spot
that formed q foothold from which a sight
could be obtained of the chasm had its occupant.
Police officers Of Frank Hampton's division
were speedily in attendance, and set them
selves to work to keep the increasing crowd
OF the one hundred hogsheads precipitated
into the river, not one can be found.
1t Is certainly aScertalned that three men
were killed almost Instant while many others
were more or less injured.
is q married man, and leaves a wife and three
children TO mourn his loss. They reside in q
little street running into w harton, above Third.
John Cunningham, aged As, is also married,
and leaves wife and six children, the eldest
Towards nightfall five Custom House officers
arrived at the scene Of destruction and took
in removing the hogsheads from the still stand
ing portions of the wharf which gave symp-
ioosened loose @ to the extent Of 10 feet ''O--ON' anu
barque Czarina, from Sagua, "; She had 9O0
weighs at least 1000 pounds, making the total
loss of sugar 100000 pounds. which at II cents
eighteen Thousand dollars.
70 repair the wharf will require an expendi-
ture of about $4,000 and additional damages
sustained will make the whole loss by the catas-
trophe about S25 900.
were William Barnes, whose collar-bone was
fractured, and a boy named Porter, who was
severely injured about the head and breast by
being jammed among the boards and beams.
This morning II was ascertatned that Cap
tain Merriman'S residence was In q llttle town
near Portland, Me. He leaves wife and child.
All the vessels along the river front, and near
where the sad casualty happened. displayed
their flags at half mast this morning.
The sluice was sixteen feet in width, but the
Ohasm made by the rushing waters has widened
1t to seventy feet. The sinking of the wharf was
noticed yesterday afternoon, before the break.
ing away, but no thoughts were entertained
that so sudden a collapse would occur. The
wharf was then examined, and pro-
nounced perfectly safe, and one of the builders,
Mr. Leisenby, said that by means OF boat the
sluice could be examined, and If any repairs
seemed necessary, they should be made at once
Too late, however, for soon after that part so re-
Gently pronounced substantial and safe was
The wharf was built about ten months ago
The water around 1t is forty feet in depth. A
gang Of men are at work now In removing the
debris, There is q rumor that two little boys
who had been seen about the hogsheads just be
fore their descent into the river; had fallen into
the water and were drowned; but we have re-
ceiVed word from the wharf master that the
two boys mentioned were driven from the
wharf before the catastrophe happened None
of the bodies OF the three unfortunate men have
as yet been recovered.
How THEY COMMENCED 1.-TWO chivalriC
Celts, named Andrew and Patrick Corney re-
speotively, and peculiarly characterized by
Titanic forms, determined 10 visit the country
Yestt rdAy they started for certain rural re-
treat, and when at Seventh street and Column
bia avenue were infatuated with the idea thai
70 pound policeman's head, as q preliminary
measure, would cause a right setting out fol
their individual happiness: so they attacked
Policeman Kimball, and struggle for the mas
terry ensued which beggars description. AS
Just retItbution for his olubbings about th'
sconces of the trate bellgerents, the ott1cer ha(
his clothes almost entirely torn OF. FINALLY
Officers Moore and johnson arrived to his res
nd 6aA In fiNgV hn hrs1