The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-03-19
THE FOG.
Trouble ON the Rtvers--Serfous Accident
on the Hobokcn Ferry lwo Boats De-
molished-In tho Streets and Along the

Trouble ON the Rtvers-Scrf0us Accident
ON the HobOkcn Ferry-1wo Boats De-
molished-In tho Streets and Along the
Quays.
The fact is that New York is making a serious
effort to rival London for logs that last and annoy
people. But what makes 1t more serious In our
case Is that, while In London tue logs only en-
danger the safety Of pedestrians ana vehicles,
with US large proportion OF our day population
are obliged for the purpose OF reaching their
homes, to cross rivers of no mean magnitude,
and the consequences are fearful to contemplate
This fact was pretty clearly shown forth yesterday
in the collision OF two ierrybOats OF the HobOKen
line and the endangering OF about 1000 lives.
The HobOken ferry has long and disagreeable
road to travel at all times, but when there Is fog
difficulties are added a thousandfold. Yesterday
morning the Chancellor Livingstone, plotted by
one J. Z. Lester had crossed to Hohoken safely
from this side, and had in TACT, returned to
within a few feet OF her slip. But these few
feet proved OF greater trouble than all the
rest OF the trip. The fog was dense, the
bells were ringing, out make hts slip the pilot
could not He headed for the shore, and backed out
again, only to repeat the man9uvre once more.
Each time lie came within few feet of 1t, but the
miss was as good as a mile This kind OF work
continued Tor some twenty minutes, to the great
annoyance OF the passengers and the rage and
despair OF the poor pilot. And yet the whole
crowd might have considered itself fortunate in
comparison with what was shortly to happen. It
appears that the pilot OF the Hoboken
% ns ms ov ead II qbe the
and, no doubt, considering the Livingstone had
had loads Of time In which TO complete ner landing
or passengers, had started for New YORK. Inc
HoDoken therefore came on under full Roadway
until unit within rev eet s,, OF the Sip. when
Ing out. 1t was too late to reverse the
engines. The crash was inevitable and the
two two doomed ferryDoats went plump into
boat would have been badly shaken up by the COLI.
sion but It Is well known that those OF the
HObOken line are not the most secure III the
world. The immediate consequence was that the
ladies' cabin OF the Livingstone was completely
while the gentiemen's cabin OF the Hoboken was
Knocked to pieces, ana the rudder was so smashed
that no Of The among
crowded with passengers, but they were mostly IN
the ladies' cabin and escaped comparatively
crushed about the legs The result would
have been much more terrible had not
er % Iae
were manly in the front cabin, so that only two
ladies received injuries which are pronounced
serlOus-One, q servant girl returning from st.
Patrick's Day festivities, very badly bruised,
and the other was severely confused. But all had
bad scare and were knocked about pretty badly,
T The company g accused ofnegigence IN not pro:
msRe SLIP
The fog was not responsible for any other acct
dents Of any consequence. On the East River the
boats steered clear OF each other, though the fog.
morning and evening. was very dense. About
eleven O'Clock the log had settled on the water,
ana only objects at an altitude OF more than nf-
teen feet could be seen. The little tugboats
were in constant danger, and many narrowly es-
capped being run down. There was much delay in
the departure OF the terry5Oats.
In the streets the fog was also quite dense at
times, and at one portion OF the day ooscured
the upper part Of Trinity and Grace church
steeples, and they looked as If they mad been cut
on IN the middle and the top mysteriously carried
away. Altogether it was q very disagreeable,
drizzly, murky, unsatisfactory, sickeningly warm
and ioggy day. and fortunate were those who had
no occasion TO promenade the streets.