The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-06-07
DEATH AT THE BRIDGE.
A Scene of Horror at the New East
River Structure

~
catastrophe occurred on the East
river bridge this afternoon, by which
"a large number of people LOST
their lives. The narrowness oil
the footway for passengers is
the cause of the horror. A majority
of the dead are not yet identified
About o'clock long line of people
on foot, IN the centre walk of the
structure, going from and coming to
this city, thickened, SWelled and stOpp-
ed IN its motion just at the stairs lead
ing up from the concrete road
way to the bridge proper.
Strong men and feeble women,
manhood and infancy were wedged
together in that jam by the fearful
pressure of the crowd which extended
for miles, one might say, on either
end OF the line. 1t was remorseI eSs,
fearful, stupid force that held its vic
tins as lmmoyable as the stone
foundations of the bridge itself.
The stoppage lasted nearly
an hour, during which time scores of
people tainted. To relieve the lam
the ridge officials removed some of
the iron palings few feet from the
stairway on the New York side.
when, of course, those unfortunate
enough to be near the opening, weak
and fainting to death as
they were, Immediately fell
heller SHELTER, heels over head
down on the ragged, gravelly road
beneath, a mass of bruised, discolored
human flesh. Scores were trampled
upon instantly, and to stumble was
death. Men were dragged out of that
heap OF helpless humanity with faces
blue as indigo, and the life blood
trucking out of their nostrils:
children and women, pale dishevelled
and dead. The roadway on either
side OF the walk was streWn with the
dead and dying, pitiable sight; and
| yet 1T is said no efforts were made by
the bridge officials to stop the people
from coming on the bridge. The
dead and dying were car
rled off in wagons, carts,
etc., improvised on the moment for
service, and it was long time before
the police arrived and anything like
| order restored or an ambulance APP
peared. In the meanwhile. teams
were rushing both ways at full gallop
over the rOadWays, why no one
could tell, threatening the limbs
and lives of those on foot
who We're attempting to assist the
unfortunate victims. Police shouting
themselves hOarse, "Clear the way"
wagons rafting over Thorough stones
and women crying in all directions
made it a bedIam indeed. A
party of men in uniform did
immense service at the spot as
volunteer police to check the vulgar
and curious. AT the Chambers street
hospital there are lying thirteen dead
Six unknown men and six unknown
women, and George Smith, of 42
Water street. The Office was filled
with people making frantic inquiries
for missing friends. and with hyster-
ical women. Two more of the
dead-one boy of fifteen and
the other a young woman
are lying at the city hall police station |
unidentified. The following is par
tial list of the wounded: Frank Bar
rett, 10 Mott street, legs and left arm
and his mother was with |
him. Otto Beschoff, 619 |
East Six street, leg broken
and body injured internally; Andrew
Dougherty, six years old, No. 152 |
Pearl street; ChaS. Eberwia, 1874 East |
Forty fifth street, leg crushed; L. M. |
Ebert, a mulatto; Barbara Ottiager,
young lady, internally injured and |
right eye badly crushed; Thos Reiden,
thirteen years old, SO Montgomery |
street, injured about the head; Bern |
hard Richers, cigar maker, 1886 Delany
street, severely; Nina Schmidt, sos
Houston street; Mrs. Zering, 213 st.
Marks Place, slightly injured in the |
chest: Lizzie Turner, aged eighteen.
st. Marks avenue, injured abont
the body; Lester Pequez, severely in
jured; John Keller, Westfarms, miss
ing; Ignacio Anthara, 282 Seventeenth !
avenue, bruised; Annie Goldstein, 50 I
East Broadway, head badly injured; /
Sarah Gartner, young girl, q Suffolk
street, bruised on head, arms
and legsi AlbeRsaao Bahnet,
I39 Dawson treet, last seen to fall
with her baby in her arms, when the
crowd rushed over her baby found
but mother missing. The scene in the
city hall police station was simply
terrible. Women screaming and
wringing their hands, men with torn
clothing and bleeding faces and all
around forms of the wounded, most /
of them unconscious, lying beside the |
walls. Every now and then a frantic
mother would rush il inquiring for
some one lost, but there were
none to answer her, for
the revival of the in
sensible occupied all thoughts.
The jangle of ambulance bells added to
the confusion as wagon after wagon
ore up to the door and surgeons de- !
scended. A perfect stream of I'M
conscious forms Was horne into the
station on stretchers. 81 was walk
ing along the bridge toward the New
York entrance" said man who
held by the hand young girl, who
was crying bitterly, when 1 heard
shouting and screaming suddenly |
arise in front of me- Then l saw hats, |
sticks and hands stretched aloft, and |
with one scream the whole dense mass
surged and swayed towards the gates
suppose the people thought the |
bridge was coming DOWN. Anyway /
they fought, screamed and yelled like /
demoas. Children and women were |
knocked down and trampled upon,
and was borne irresistably out of |
the entrance. Then | found this
little girl. who had lost her /
friends, and here we are, safe, thank
God" The little girl, between her
sobs, said her name was Flora Davis !
of go Lewis street. 81 went on the |
bridge" said Charles nligh, of SO |
Third street, Brooklyn, lat about four |
o'clock, and as l was approaching |
the river span 1 found myself unable |
to move either backward or forward. |
Women and children commenced
screaming. Hundreds of men climbed |
with great difficulty onto the beams
running over head, and made
their way to the carriage
| way. Many let themselves drop
through between the beams and
were caught by those beneath. A
number of women escaped in this
way. 1 escaped in this way myself.
The police and Others helped to pull
out the dead and dying, and they
were laid on the roadway until ambu-
lances came. The shrieks of children
on the pathway were blood-curdling.
They cried 'Helpi helpl save me for
Gods sakeP but nothing could be
DONE" Superintendent Martin, of
the bridge, was seen by a reporter for
| few minutes after the accident. He
said: Five minutes before word
| came to my Office about
the catastrophe | received word
in answer to my inquiry that every
thing was going on smoothly on the
bridge, and that pedestrians were
| L., Il =.