The New York herald., 1878-08-14
TURNED BOTTOM UP.
Scow No. 20 Run Down by the
Steamer Providence.
THREE CHILDREN DROWNED.
A Mothers Desperate Attempts to Save
One of Them.

an humoae Amy IN tho early hours OF yesterday The
tine yacht Mohawk capseod In hasbor on . summer
afternoon, and scow No. 20 turned bottom upward ia
tho East River instances OF kindred disaster
strixing in very diGsrcnt dircctions Both were ap.
panaiy sudden and both brought bitter bereavement
Michael Rahl, the master OF seow No. 90 is one oi
the early toilers OF the community. He has wiie
and, until death bereft him yesterday, had three
children. The scow OF which he has charge
has been for sometime engaged in carrying
earth and various kinds Of debris from the
Brooklyn Bridge towers to Harlem, ana was being %
used yesterday morning She was one OF TOW Of
Iour scows, which were being towed up the river b.
the tusboAt Chief Two were Iashod alongside the
tug ana tho others. OF which RAbps was one were
bong towsd as,ern, No. 20, being the New York
shore.
UNCONSCIOUS OF DANGER.
Rahl's vito aud family lived on board the scow,
and rs II was Yet early In the morning they had
left the cabin. II appears, however, that Mra Rahl
ana the eldest child, John Rahl, who
not quito seven years Of age, were up,
but tho other two children, Margaret, two audsa
half years old, and Ellen, aged eighteen months.
still sleeping In their bed II was about six O'Clock,
and the tow was proceeding up the river the food
t,de, und Keeping close TO the New York shore.
hen nearly opposite Fty-fourth street the steamer
Providence was deserted coming down on her usual
p i,e% Ss River na Sss TOO was kksSas BY The
words 70 :As Sl.sxS.lis @ Island SIDE '''st q
aud In obediencs to It began or the Black
wells Island snorc Her movement carried her.
self and the two scows which she had gsida out
Of rer, but thp danger 10 the other at became
imminent. Nearer came the huge steamer, hut her
Tor consideration IL was no DOUBT supposed i6a, au
accident might be avoided by very narrow marRin.
presumed that the danger had been iiaed over and
that the scow had been cleared Tor the paddles
again turned ahead FER
This was the fatal momout
Ego witnesses describe tho disastsr that followed
us terribly rapid and startling The immense paddle
whosl iu one OF .s powerful revolutions struck the
scow, winch was now nearly opposite Sixtetn street,
ripping the quarter entirely out OF her she Imme..
diasey died and turned bottom upward Al tne near
approach OF danger poor Rahls 1rst anxiety was for
his wife and children, and he rushed toward the
cabin. But the smiling disaster quicker he,
and he was dashed back by the rushing water and
went under the scow as II iurned over. In this OF.
say 'n.. hs was '' as long org /" s1i .nr.s s''p'; .;
four minutes under water, period, no
pense and anxiety oil tue moment be that as il may
when ho came 10 the surface he Was picked up and
b.: own n sao.y assured. Ba. the poor fellow cared
vile and little ones lay buried bepeath The eapszed
scow
A woxDsayuL RESCUE.
And yet severely as he had been stricken his Of
misery was not 30 full as he himself had supposed.
Ninety eighth street ana 10 the presses Of doing this
a most marvellous rosSae was snootsd. 10 order tue
better 70 tow tb: scow is was deemed desirable q
axe was procured and the work was promptly pro.
cecded with. While the blows OF the axe were yet
Bers chance oi stin rescnieg Mrs Rahl and tho
men went 10 work with renewed energy. soon SUI
Mrs Raul was discovered In a drsadiuiiy exhausted
condition. Between tho water level ard tue bottom Of
ior her head The water c,rcisa round her n:cs Sas
In oil ihe terrible anxiety and suspense hee
maternal solicituds had shown itself dos
no hope Of rescue, and thus face TO iace
with q dreadful death, she persstenuy hold the child
above the level oil TIE water But all her efforts were
bnava,lirg. Exhaustion crept on apace and the boy
slipped IRON her arms For nearly threequartors Of
when saaIunsd herself from The very Jaws Of death
first pquiry Was for her little boz. She taken
70 another scow and all The kind otees Of her hum:
was great aud loo recent 70 be assuagsd by shsr
kindly consoiations tt'arafl Fllr
the scow was next taken up 10 tho loot OF Ninety
eighth street and bsachsd aud whom tho tide Tell .
n.
In their sleep. rhey had iulleu from their bed, bus
their faces woro the appearances iot oAm aud psaesa
made sIuagie before hls is Life shus terribly went
OUT Amer the fading 81 the bodies the matter was
placed the hands oi the Coroner whe Vim sesuse
Witnesses ana due tme hold an inqassl ...s.,
A largo crowd was assembled oil yesssrday amer.
the dosk where tho scow 10 bsaehed sad their
cur,esIty received Addltouai sumaius iron ths
fact that the mows oi cat, which lhc Raul family
kept board. Indicated there was stitl living thing
beneath tho wrecked scoW fi.ph h -isfA9-
TaE cArrAls's srArsxsxr. ~ 80
CipnIn George Cox, OF the tugDoat Chief gave ths
porter yesterday aitsrnoon :"ws were gsins up the
East River thus morning between six and seven
and two ss.srn When In tno ne,gnborhood OF Fifty.
iourth street, between New York and Bisckwslys
l.laua, We saw Tho s.sA%So.' rrSv,Ssoes coming
TO 20 10 the right answered with one
whistle and pa. my ssim hard apor.
10 put on all ,hs sseau, be could TO get out oi tho
way o; the Provideucc The latter slowed up aid
ss uo n 70 ~.
went ahead again before reaching tho scows which
we .owing astern. Their wheels turned ana the
Providence right over the aitsr port corner Of
one OF tho scows known as Dsrss No. 20 forcing the
scow down uuder water. probably tearing away psrs
The wafer ran through the cabin doors
ana tho barge niicd Immediately. II was
40 street Inc captain Of the barge was
Michael RAM As as be saw that u colisioa was
inevitable he ran 10 get to tho caoin, where ma
door the boat went down and he thrown 10 the
water and si,erward picked up. While the barge wss
being towed bo.tom upward 70 Ninety eighth street
soms one tug he heard inside the
barge An axe was procured and the panks IN the
was found in an almost exnausisd couditou THIS was
least three quarters OF an hour after the collision
occurred. Tue three children ars believed TO have
perlsned. Mrs. Rail held ON 10 ono oi lhsm ~ long
Is abe Abo, but ansily had 10 lot 60 her hold"
wHERg Tns FAULT LAY.
Captain Cox claims that The Provdence should
have passed him the LETT instsad Of the right,
between his vessel and Blaekwsrs Island. In
stead OF attempting 10 20 nearer tho New
York /snorc The Chief was very close "a
the Now Yosk shore there being more
than three times m much water on the Biaokwslf
ls aud side AZ on the other Naturally, therefore,
tbo Providsncc should have chosen that side. Be-
sides, she had always been in The habit 81 pesslne
them the LETT side Instead Of ths right Tne
steamer Massachusetts, whlcn came dowo tns river
Just before, also passed between Blackwehs Island
aud the tug The Prov,dsncs snouh have blown two
Whistles TO 10 10 the loft instead Of enc. Had THIS
been done Captain Cox thinks there would have bseA
collision.