New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-08-29
DETAILS OF THE DISASTER.

c,rsePoF THE EXPosIoN NOT APPARENT
'A' : NO WARNING GIVEN.
The Riyerdale, which has been plying oaliy
i ~, the simmer between New-York and
u.~arstraw. stopping to land passengers Dv the
L., peekskill. Sing Sing, Nyack, Yonkers and
,own left the pier at the foot of Harrison-st. a
s.wminutes after 8 p. m. yesterday 80 1ar as Can
- ascsrtained there little freight and less than
.hs usual complement Of passengers on Doaru' tne
.ruber being vanously stated from 90 To lZo. Inc
.aamhoat nut we'll out into the middle of the river
~ leaving the pier and then headed up stream
A., wert well until about opposite. Eleventh-st.,
"a the Messengers had settled themselves down
sr the sail: some on the upper deck and others on
A. shady side of the main deck facing toward New
vi Twas one OF these latter, gentleman VINO
s,tt,nr forward on the starboard side, who first
,ot;ced a let of steam issuing from one of the graf
;ags "Ony blowing oft steam" said one OF Tue
aaekbands but the words scarcely out OF MS
Mouth when with rush the Jet Of steam increased to
.old column. and then came deep mutfied roar,
followed by the crashing of tmbers and the whOie
n the centre OF the upper deck was thrown into The
Air in shattered fragments which were shrouded III
dense columns of steam and smoke. Some accounts
aiyen by eyewitness of the disaster speak OF
human figures as being plainly seen among Ine
debris and one man who was watching the lli-iated
the forms of three men. So thick, how
aver. was the steam and the shower
d falling timbers that none of those on board the
boat can speak with certainty; they only know
that for a moment il seemed as if the whole boat
was going 10 pieces and that the ar was absolutely
darkened.
SCENE OF CONFUSION.
The Riyerdale Immediately keeed over on her
,,arboard side and as she did thvse on the river
and the shore saw Il lmes burst out just above the
vster-line. fearful scene of confusion eDsued
None of the passengers appear 10 know what nap
pened in the few terrible moments which followed.
Some were rushing about looking for friends whom
they had last seen the upper deck or near where
the explosion had occurred; Others were
seeking some place of safety for themselves. The
water was already washing over the starboard side
Of the main-deck but it gradually grew deeper to-
ward the bow as il slowly settled, and the passen-
gers crowded together the after pant OF the boat
A iewha already jumped overheard and as the YES
ss sunk lower and lower it seemed doubttul whether
sfoothold would remain above water for any one
mill the boats and tugs which at once put out from
either shore reached the wreck
Meanwhile the vessel had been drifting slowly up
the river, and when the c. Ii. Marshall-the first
tag to get alongside-came up, she was nearly
opposite Fourteenth-st. The Marshall i'm
pedlately began taking off the passsen-
eers who were cIowdlng in the stern.
while other boats picked up those, living and Dead
who were floating IN the water. Barely had the
last mau been taken off when the small remaining
woodwork above water began to disappear more
quickly and Just opposite Sixteenth-st, with sud-
den plunge, the boat gone
SEARCH FOR THE DEAD AND INJURED.
For a moment she was completely lost to sight In
The swirl of the waves as she went down, but when
the water Gained down narrow ridge of timber
(which Is technically known as the g hog frame y
was seen projecting foot or so into the ar. with
the tafrail lying flush along the surface and bal
snced on the top of all long wooden bench All
around the spot and in long line behind, marking
the track Of the drifting vessel foated misceane-
Gus confusion of strange wreckage. fragments OF
timber and pieces of the steamers shattered boats
Hnwed the water thickly, together with hetero-
esous collection OF baskets and barrels, deck chairs
and watermelons while underneath the surface the
outline Of the hull could be plainly seen and
On the port sde which was visible, she appeared TO
have received no damage. The spot was immedi-
ately surrounded by a feet of small row-boats,
which pushed their way through the floating mass
h the dismal search for the bodies of those who had
p.rished in the explosion or been too badly injured
to escape from the wreck before she sank.
Tugs, too kept arriving every minute and
ernsed about assisting in the search. Of these the
zophar Mills succeeded in extrcatiDg three persons,
but II there remained any inside the Riverdale bee
yond these they out of reach and out of sight
and their fate must remain a mystery until the
vreck shall be raised or until divers can explore
her where she lies.
TRYING TO TOW THE VESSEL ASHORE.
For more than an hour the search was con-
tmued. while more tugs kept coming up
and boats were passing between the spot and both
ine shores. Soon after 5o'clock an effort was made
btow the sunken vessel to the New-York side,
ine Zophar Mills and the Havemeyer fastened
nawsen to the taffrail, and other tugs came to
nsp. Fastening either to them or to any point in
we wreck to which rope could be attached.
FINALLY there were seven tugs at work in all-the
". II. Bentley, Mlssisquoi, E. l.. Austin. g. w.
nus'ed ana Jason, besides the Zophar Mills and
navemeyer. Their united efforts, however, were
oi no avail. and after half hours straining,
ahen the wrecked vessel still remained unmoyed,
1e attempt TO move her was abandoned.
RRsCUIEG THE PASSENGERS.
All the boats in the neighborhood Of the place of
we accident weretmpresse into service. The first
mali boat to reach the sinking steamer was that
VI Patrick Graney. stevedore at the foot OF
Nowteenth-st. who took the body OF an
v'u man from the water GTaney did not hear
'ne explosion. He said that boy told him that
way was sinking out in the river and the
Sassengers were jumping into the water.
There were five or SIX tugs around the steamer"
a'o ne to TRIBUNE reporter, "when got up,
!, uu 'nefe were SO many persons swimming about in
@ water among the sticks and rubbish. all
hsutng for help that q man did not
y nrst know what TO do. When was helping one
l'an iato my boat another one caught hold of the
&me nde OF the boat and had to hit him over the
.sao 70 prevent him from pulling the boat over.
ei'Sf"ard got thom both In and helped them out
"a TUG. had pulled out a third and was trying
get up sewing machine that l had been
gened out of the cabin and lay close 10 the side of