Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-10-22
HARVARD BOYS
Seriously Injured by the Breaking Of q
Platform at the Boat Races.

BOSTON,, Oct. ~.
A platform filled with spectators watching
the scrub races of Harvard men on Charles
river today, broke down and several persons
we're seriously injured. having arms and legs
broken. Most OF the injured are Harvard
men. student named Mead Of South Bos-
ton had his skull fractured and both legs
broken. He will probably die. Nine others.
names unknown, have injuries which are
principally fractures of limbo.
LATER.
The rain which fell today seems to have
been provideDtial in one respect. Arrange
ments had been made for the usual fail
scratch races at Harvard and at III O'Clock
the students began to gather at the boat
house, but the weather WAS not bright enough
to attract large throng to the scene OF the
prospective SPORT and aside from those ex
pected TO row less than hundred men gath
cred at the boat house. The balcony is on a
level with the second floor of the building
and is an extension of the first flnOr and ex
tends the whole length of the boat house
From the piazza three long bridges extend
TO the large float in the river. The tide was
about half flood at the time of the accident
and the distance from the piazza to the water
at the river bank was about ten feet. Very
few students were on the lower piazza of tine
boat house. The majority of the spec
tators were on the balcony above.
There were some IS students here and some
% others had climbed to the roof to get
better view of the course. The upper class
men were expected to make an exciting race,
and the freshmen, of which five-eights were
to row later. were looked to for a great
amount of sport The eyes of the spectators
were turned eagerly to the place of starting,
when suddenly the middle post supporting
the balcony gave way. The plank flooring
broke in the middle and thirty men or more
were preciptated into the water and mud of
the Charles river. An indescribable scene of
confusion followed. Those who were left
on the end of balcony and these who had
climbed to the roof piled down on the piazza
and into the mud to rescue their friends.
The crews down the river did not wait for
any word to start now, but literally pulled
for life up to the floats. The strong arms
and ready hands of the crews were soon hard
at work with the others. Captain Perkins of
the Varsity crew took the direction of the
affairs, and got all the work possible out of
his willing lieutenants. Half a dozen men
were pulled helpless from the pile of planks,
and a dozen others dragged themselves ter
ror stricken from the mud. The most Sc
riously injured were laid on the boat house
floor and brandy and water were Immediately
summoned and the house was cleared of all
who were not at work caring for the injured.
+. S. Mead of South Boston, freshman, is
found to be very severely injured internally
and badly bruised about the head and body.
Lis condition tonight is extremely critical
and physicians hardly anticipate other than
unfavorable results from injuries. The others
will recover. A large number of stu Tents
not mentioned above, perhaps fifty, were cut
and bruised by falling timber. but Only those
named in the foregoing report were seriously
hurt. The news of the disaster spread over
the city with remarkable rapidly, exciting
the keenest sympathy and causing gloom in
the vicinity of the college. Investigation re
mains to he made of the cause of the acct
dent. The balcony supports were four
rather small posts. but the balcony had been
occupied many times by a much larger num-
Der of persons than had assembled on it to-
day. Examination seemed to show that the
flooring of the balcony was not laid by the
builders in the most approved style.
Mead's physicians finished thorough ex-
animation of their patient tonight and find
what was thought to have been fracture of
the skull merely a superficial cut. and that
aside from the shock to the nervous system
the only mater rial injury is facture of the
right leg just above the ankle. The cause of
the accident was not the breaking of the post,
but the slipping of the standard from its
foundation. The piles which constituted the
foundation had evidently sunk into the mud
and caused the upright to slip from the beam
upon which it rested. There is considerable
adverse criticism of the management among
the students, especially because they we're
notified by careful observers as far back as a
year ago that the structure was unsafe.