Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-08-02

gates, and we could not prevent
them.
But wasn't the wharf very weak
or rottenl" asked the reporter
NO. / hardly think so Great
crowds of people have gathered on 1t
often before, and no accidents have
occurred.
Mr. Debilius declined to talk much
about the manner in which the acct
dent occurred, preferr1ng, as he said,
TO wait until he made an official
statement. He was very much dis
tressed over the affair, and did every
thing he could to save the drowning
people and care for those who were
taken out of the water in an almost
diving condition.
WAITING FOR NEWS.
Large numbers of friends and rela-
tiyes of the 500 or more people who
went on the excursion congregated
about Light street wharf and Hender-
sons wharf towards midnight making
anxious inquiries of the police officers
and Waterman as to the delay of the
barge Many had gone to the wharyes
early in the evening, but being assur-
ed that no accident could have hap
pened, as there had been no storm to
do any damage, they went home
again The barge did not make Light
street wharf this morning, but when
it came silently up to Henderson's
wharf those on the shore realized that
something terrible had happened.
Manager Debilius and several of the
committee in charge of the excursion
stepped off the boat and informed the
officers Of what had happened, and
those in waiting were kept back and
the news broken to them by the pO-
licemen. Those who had relatives ON
board rushed frantically on the vessel
and hastily scanned the faces of the
rows of dead lying ON the deck Few
of them. however, discovered their
friends among the lifeless group. The
majority of the relatives OF those who
were drowned were either waiting at
Light street wharf or did ot know of
the dreadful fate that had befallen
their loved ones until daylight.
AT THE MORGUE.
Throughout the day about fifty
bodies Of men, women and children
lay side by side ON the floor of the
large cotton warehouse which was
hastily improyised into a morgue.
Nearly all the young women who
were drowned were dressed in white
muslin which now hangs wet and
shrould-like about their forms as they
lie on the rough floor of the dead
house.
\ young mother with her dead
child tightly cIasped in in her arms
was dragged up from the water. The
mother died few minutes after she
was brought on shore, and she and
her infant We're laid side by side IN the
morgue,
The city is wild with excitement,
and the various newspaper offices
have been thronged with people from
all sections Of the city seeking infor
THE FATAL PIER.
The old pier was built in 1869, and
was then as it has since been used as
a landing for excursion boats The
depth of the water in the neighbor-
hood does not exceed eight or nine
feet, and this depth is gradually
reached from ,he shore the slope be
ing very slight On the north side of
the passenger pier is a smaller one
supporting a railroad track, on which
a hand-car is run from the shore to
the steamer. used in transporting sup
plies, 1t is a very dilapidated looking
structure. The pier proper is amply
broad to accommodate the foot passen-
gers. At the extreme end where the
boats unload their human freight
wharf had been builtupon piles about
100 feet long and 80 feet broad. 1t
was this structure that gave way, and
It's distance from the shore Is nne
hundred feet
THE INQUEST.
At s o'clock this evening Coroner
Morft began an inquest, at which
Father Starr, the pastor Of the Church
of Corpus Christi, was present
Jacob Bonnet testified that he was
special officer at Tivoh, and locked the
gates on the wharf about in the
evening by order of the proprietor of
the place To keep the people from get
ting on the wharf. He refused to let
some young ladies who wished to re
turn TO the grounds go through the
first gate, because he feared others
would get through. The boat reached
the wharf between 10 and II. The
witness then opened the gates and the
people rushed through He begged
them to keep back, as the wharf was
not safe. Soon after he heard a crash
ram back, and saw a number Of people
in the water. He pulled Off his clothes
and went into the water and rescued
ten or twelve persons and also recov-
cred tire dead bodies He did not
consider me wharf secure with such
crowd There We're about zoo persons
on the wharf when it fell full 800
were in the water He had seen larger
crowds on the wharf The flooring
had been repaired tins season. The