Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-06-06

New YORK, May 31.-Ihe novelty of
crossing East River on the great bridge
has received an appalling check. Up to
4 o'clock yesterday afternoon the living
current that had been daily pouring
over the structure from both sides of the
river was providentially controlled with
out accident At that hour Death took
occasion TO call the attention Of the au-
thorities to the opportunity they had
given him to extinguish life in the flood
tide of pleasure. Thousands of people
were on the bridge, full of activity in the
clear, bracing, upper stratum OF air;
there was no thought of danger-only
the pleasurable thrill of aerial pedes-
trianism. Suddenly there was check
in the tide flowing toward New York. A
halt had occurred at the short
fight of steps leading downward from
the bridge proper TO the concrete
roadway, on the New York side. As the
crowd approached the short flight of
steps, those in front pushed back for
fear they would be precipitated over the
steps, a distance of about six feet.
These people, in drawing back from the
steps, made the nucleus of the jam, for
thousands behind them pushed on I'M
needing. Almost instantly people began
to shout, ''Stand back" and "Give us
room" Meanwhile the Gro wd from New
York, which was at the foot of the stairs
got blocked. The men at the head of
the New York crowd fought their way
back, leaving clearing space at the foot
OF the steps. The shouting and crowd
ing from the Brooklyn side increased.
People In the advance guard were pushed
III spite of themselves toward the steps.
They seemed to have horror of going over
the steps, although the fight is only five
or six feet high. They locked arms and
pushed furiously back against the thou
sands coming steadily over from Brook
En. In a few minutes, at a point just
above the steps, there was a slow yield
ing to the frightful pressure from be-
hind, and the front of the crowd was
forced nearer and nearer to the edge of
the steps. Women and children were
screaming for help and men were shout
ing confusedly, umbrellas, parcels and
canes were thrown over the rails at the
side, by people who needed their hands
to fight their way out Of the desperate
crowd. At last with a shrek, young
girl, losing her footing on the perilous
edge, fell headlong. She struck the
pathway at the foot of the steps; she
raised herself on her hands and en-
deavored to escape, but In another mo-
ment she was buried four deep
under the bodies of others who
fell over the steps after her. She was dead
when they got her out more than half
an hour afterward. The men sprang up
on the rails at the side and waved the
crowds back from both the New York
and Brooklyn sides, but people cOntin-
ued to crowd on toward the steps, No
police were In sight. Every minute the
excitement was becoming worse. Men
III the crowd lifted children above their
heads to save them from the crush.
People were still paying their pennies at
both gates and swarmlng in. To relieve
the jam, the bridge officials removed
some of the iron paling a few feet from
the stairway on the New York side,
when, of course, those unfortunate
enough to be near the opening, weak and
fainting as they were, Immediately fell
to the Jagged, gravelly road beneath.
Scores were trampled upon instantly,
and to stumble was death. The road
way on either side of the walk was
strewn with the dead and dying.
At last the people at the New York
end Of the bridge understood what was
happening. The gates were closed and
word was sent to Brooklyn to close the
gates there. Messengers were sent to
the police station on Oak Street, but be-
fore any outside help came to the bridge,
the police, assisted by citizens, pressed
two grocers' wagons into the ambulance
service. They were loaded with dead
and dying, ard driven off the bridge to
the hospitals, followed by crowds of dis
tracted men and women. When the APP
preach was cleared at last it was literal
~ covered with articles of clothing and
personal property, abandoned In the
struggle. They were viewed with amaze
ment by the people coming over from
Brooklyn, who had not heard of the dis
aster. In the excitement of the crush,
VIM. Oxford, aged 40, drunken man,
deliberately jumped from the bridge ap-
proach into William Street and received
internal injuries and external bruises.
The dead number twelve. About fifty
persons were more or less injured II the
terrible Jam. A number are supposed
to be mortaly hurt.
Within an hour after the accident the
gates were reopened, the toll-takers
threw up their windows, and traffic was
resumed on the bridge. Foot passen-
gers were admitted by the usual route,
but halfway up the anchorage they en-
countered squad of policemen, who
directed them to continue their journey
on the roadway for carriages bound for
Brooklyn. A section of the iron fence
had been removed, and from the top
of the stone parapet at the
side of the railroad track steps had been
laid to the roadway. By scrambling
over the iron railing on the top of the
parapet, and stumbling down the three
wooden steps, the roadway was gained
without serious risk Of life or limb. The
promenade was reserved hencefOrth ex-
clusively for those who came over from
the Brooklyn end. There was steady
throng passing upon the bridge through
out the evening.
a