Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1883-05-31
A BAPTISM or BLOOD.
FEARFUL PANIC ON the EAST RIVER
BRIDGE.
seven Wen and six women crush
ed 20 Death = Many others
manned and wounded.

New YORK, May 30. "A fearful cata.
strophe occurred on the East River
bridge this afternoon, by which a large
number Of people have lost their lives.
The narrowness Of the foot way for pas
sengers is the cause OF the horror. A
majority OF the dead so far are notknown.
Strong men and feeble women. manhood
and infancy, were wedged together by the
fearful pressure Of crowd, which ex-
tended for miles, as immovable M the
stone foundation Of the bridge itself.
The stoppage lasted nearly an hour,
during which time scores OF people fam
ted. 10 relieve the jam, the bridge
officials removed some Of the iron paling,
a few feet from the stairway on the New
York side. Those unfortunate enough
to be near the end fell holter-skeltor
down on the jagged gravel road beneath,
a mass Of bruised, discolored human
flesh. Scores were tranple upon-to
stumble was death. People were drag.
ged out OF the heap OF helpless human
Ity, with faces blue as indigo, and the
lie blood trickling out OF their nostrils
The road way on either side walk was
strowed with dead and dying. -
No efforts were made by the bridge Off
Gals to stop people coming on the bridge.
Mon shouted themselves hoarse, crying
CLEAR tho way" Wagons rafting over
the stones and mon and women crying IN
all directions made it Bedlam indeed.
A party of men in uniform did some SER
vice at the spot as volunteer police to
check tho vulgar and curious at the
Chambers Street Hospital. Hore there
are lying thirteen dead bodies, six I'M
known men and six unknown women,
and George Smith. OF az Mott street.
The office was filled with people making
inquiries for missing friends and with
hysterieal women.
An eyewitness says; ! was walking
along the bridge toward Now York. AT
tho entrance ] saw man who held q
young girl, who was crying bitterly, by
the hand, when | heard shouting and
screaming suddenly arise in front OF me.
Then | saw hats, sticks and hands
stretched aioft, and. with scream, the
whole dense mass surged and swayed
toward the gates suppose the people
thought the bridge was coming down.
Anyway they fought aud screamed and
yelled like demons. Children and womeu
were knocked down and trampled on,
and | was borne irreaistbly oil. This
was shortly before 4 o'clock. At that
hour tbero were thousands OF people on
the bridge, most OF them coming from
Brooklyn. The air was clear and
brisk and the people rapidly walk
ing. As tho crowd approached the shoi
flight OF steps, those in front pushed
back for fear they would be preclpitated
over the steps, distance OF about six
feet. These people in drawing back
from the steps made nucleus tor the
jam, for the thousands behind them push
ed forward, Almost instantly the peo.
pie began to shout. Stand back and
give us room" Meanwhile the crowd
from Now York, which was at the loot
OF the steps, got blocked. The men al
the head OF the New York crowd fought
their way back, leaving clear spaoe at the
steps. The shouting and cfowdng from
the Brooklyn side increased lt was ut.
terly inexplicable how the people in the
advance guard of the brooklyn crowd
were pushed forward. They seemed tc
hdNt hbh hoit'i VI b''hp WV WV
steps, although tho flight Is only five to
six feet high. They locked arms and
pushed furiously back against the thou
sands coming steadily over from Brook
Ign, In few minutes, at point just
five steps back, there was slow yield.
ing to the frightful pressure from be
hind, and the front OF the crowd was
forced near the edge OF the steps. Wo-
men and children were crying for help.
men shouting confusedly, and parcels
eand canes were thrown over by the peo.
pie who needed their hauds to fight their
way ont of the desperate crowd. AT
last. with single shrek that cut
through the clamor of the thousand
voices, u young girl, who lost her foot
ing on the perilous edge, fell headlong.
She struck the hatchwaya at the foot of the
steps and lay for moment, when she rails
ed herself on her hands and would have
got up, but in another moment she was
buried four deep under the bodies OF
Others who fell over the steps after her.
She was dead when they got her out,
more than half an hour after. The men
sprang upon the rails at the side and