Milford chronicle., 1883-08-03
APPALLING DISASTER.
OVER sEVENTY-FIVE EXCURTIONIsTs
DROWNED.
A Party of Anxious People Crowd upon n
Pier which Gives Way-DeseriptiOn of
the scenes.

Party of Anxious People Crowd upon
. Pier which Gives way-DeseriptiOn Oi
the Scenes.
A most appalling calamity occurred on
Monday night at Northpoint, Tivoli, an
excursion resort about sixteen miles
2 down the river from Baltimore, Md
About 200 people had gathered out
near the end of the long pier for the
purpose of getting on the excursion
barge to return to Baltimore.
} Suddenly the wharf broke, and over
, 100 of the excursionists We're thrown
into the water. fully 75 Of whom were
drowned.
There is a gateway near the outer end
of the pier for the purpose of keeping
the crowd back when trying to get on
the boat that is just disembarking her
passengers,
The crowd, however, had huddled
close together near the gate, and these
were waiting impahently for the passen-
gers on the barge to get of, when the
wharf gave way with a crash, and
fully half of those in the crowd went
down. The widest excitement followed
/ Men, women and children went down
together and after them jumped num-
bers of brakemen, who made desperate
/ efforts to save some of the perishing
people. All was wild confusion, and in
their efforts to save some of the drown
ing ones it is thought that several of
those who went to their rescue also lost
their lives.
The excursion was given to TivOli nm
der the management of the Mount
Royal Beneficial Society of the Catholic
Church of Baltimore. The excursion
ist went down on the barge Cocbade
City, which was towed by the tug
Amanda Powell. The barge was for
merly an old canal boat, which had been
fitted up with several decks for excur-
sion purposes, and used as such |
for several years. Monday she made |
three trips, the last being made from |
Baltimore between six and seven o'clock |
Monday evening, and reached Tivoli be-
fore ten o'clock. During the day she |
had taken down about five bundled per-
sons, and ON her last trip about one
hundred. A large number of those who
went down during the day had remained,
intending to return on the last trip.
When the barge approached, all
those on shore made a rush for the
end of the wharf which is several
hundred feet long, and We're closely
packed together at a gate about
twenty-five feet from the end. i'm.
patiently awaiting admittance through
the gate. As the barge came alongside
and struck the wharf it suddenly and
without warning gave way, and large
portion of the crowd were precipitated
into the water, which is about ten feet
deep.
THE AWFUL CRASH.
Some noisy youth tried to climb over
he gate on the pier, and man and a
BOY seated themselves on a rail with {
heir legs hanging down. A too sudden !
caused the rail to break and /
he two were thrown into the water. A [
udden commotion followed this result, +
mt before it had even taken shape to =
ave them there was a sudden crash and |
chorused shrek that was pitiable to i
lear Splinters flew in every direction S
nd about two hundred people were b
truggling among the broken timber in b
light feet of water. The noise and the
ries were so loud that watermen heard d
hem two miles away. Those who wit w
essed the scene say it was sickening. A
HEARTRENDDG INCIDENTS. -
As one after another of the bodies y,
-as brought to the surface and landed, +,
le grief of their friends was pitiful to h
illness. Husbands saw their wives n,
nd little ones brought up cold and life ri
ss, brothers discovered their sisters h.
nong the mass of bodies. Some who
ld thought that their dear ones were n,
st fairly danced with Joy when they q
them among the saved, while w
hers looked in vain to find their friends f.
: relatives among the living throng. d,
trong men and weak women tainted in
way at the horrible sights, and the i,
enc on the wharf Just after the acci- M
mt beggars description. Aboutthirty- re
7e bodies were taken out of the wa I'm
e first hour after the accident, tw> " 81,
ne of which were placed on the deck fr
the barge, side by side, and the boat am
lrted back to Baltimore after mid wi
ght.
ROTTEN TIMBER SHOWN.
James Gosnell was on the excursion
Tivoh examined the wharf at the
eak aud took piece of the timber of
lich the wharf was built, part of one ri
the ioists supporting the floor (piece sa,
own and entirely rotten) was about
.ty feet back from the break when it Of
there We're about one hundred no
4 fifty people between witness and the tire
ter gate, the greater portion of whom III
re on the space that fell through; did nv
{ at any time hear the people warned ria
keep back the man who was at the wa
Ter gate left as soon as he opened it AN,
wharf was badly lighted; did not pe,
ar any cracking of timber, but heard mi
plash in the water and the cry out \ '
re was no rush nor large crowd the a /
,ple moved leisurely toward the boat bel
ness remained at Tivoi all night. ma