The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-06-07
PANIC on THE BRIDGE.
Twelve Persons Crushed 10 Beath ana Mauy othar
IpigraI

Twelve Persons Crushed TO Beatlr ana Maay others
Injured.
The Brooklyn bridge received a dreadful
baptism on Memorial Day. in q crush that
occurred, apparently By accident. on the NavY
women and children, were killed and twenty
eight injured more or les severely, A scene
Of terror reig2ed for fully fifteen or twenty
minutes that battles description. When It
Was over, carloads Of wounded and crushed
human belRgs were taken ont Of tlo New York
entrance OF tae bridge. 1t began in THIS way
a woman who was ascending .ae lower light
Of steps stumbled and fell on the Tandue TIE
crowd pressed upon her aud she sssiszed-
Bridgc-oldceE Frederick Richards who was on
the plank walk above, seeing her danger,
eiboWed his way to the spos and lifted her up.
The crowd closed upon them both and they
went down With a desperate effort ofTcer
Richards got Up0a his feet once more, dragging
the woman amer hin. She screamed again in
despsir and fright and the crowd above AID
below pressed toward the spot 10 discover the
cause Of the connection The crush immedi-
ately became fearful. Those on tine approach
below the steps were carried forward in q solid
mass. Many stumbled and, unable TO resist
the pressure from behind the crowd passed
over them. From above, the crowd coming
from Brooklyn vas carried TO the edge Of the
steps and then fell over and down uPon the
struggling mass below.
A terrible STRUGGLE for life bean: men and
women fought with the strength of DESPAIR
against each other. Escape was imp0ssi bic
with the pressure from both sides growing &C
every shout OF anguish that went up from the
dying and those who saw death before their
eyes. Fear and despair on the one side, curl
osity on the other, fought for the mastery. The
Iightful crush was de1ser than ever when
a-v.Tr-
men of the Twelfth regiment, led BIZ Lieut.
Hart and SeTge2nts COuidOek and Costello,
marched up the approach toward Brooklyn,
and at the point Of their guns made an open
ing and kept the crowd back somewhat.
The alarm had meanwhile been given az the
bridge entrance. A general cali for al hospital
ambuiancez was sent cut and policemen were
hurried OSer upon the bridge. From their sta
ton beside the City Hal fremen OF . hook
andIadder company followed to assist They
found the situation sttI Unaitared on the bridge.
The crowd on the fo0t-Walk above the steps
was constantly receiving aceessiOns and still
pressing on and over the heap on the anchorage.
The bodies CT the dead and dying lay here so
firmly wedged together that to extrieate them
was next to impossible. To beas back the
crowd was equally impossible. Relief was pos
sibie only by masking room for the crown TO
spread sideways. ii was quickly done VIII
ing hands tore away the IRON railing dividing
the foOtway from the railroad track on beth
sides, and dragged those VINO were nearest in
the crush through the opening. Room WIS
made Tor the policemen 10 reach the lrightlai
heap Of hEu-al beings and the work Of clelEiuy
away began. As soon as q portion 81 the oG-
stlueti9n vas removed from tbo steps tho crowd
WIS eased, and portion Yves let gArgGgn to tle
New ork scztion- The rest were forced baeE
uutl alt the bodies had beeu taken away. Thea
they were let through, whsle q body Of police
men guarded the point OF danger.
joan SGeeh, q Grand Army man. Of K9i5es
Post, helped I'VE girls from the crowd where
they wers jaulnled IL tightly. 4 big man, ape
p2Eeutly 8 German, Ua5 pushing tl1nl and
struggling with tls-1 Oh the bridge. IS d rls
only purpose was to g-e them down himself.
A crowd Of rous lis pressed on behind TIE crowd
coming from Brooklyn ard fought thair way
through it with oa-As and rioaldr7, and over
the bodies OF the dead. JIG was said talt they
werS thieves, who pra tea Is the opportunity
and helped to prscipitE-e the catastrophe.
Their chances were UulIalto,i.
SOME TBRuLtNG INCIDENTS.
Some Of the incidents narrated By the suffer-
ers are most thrilling. & Usr1y of taree llt-is
girls, consisting OF Sar3d Gaertner, thirteen
years Old. Eaeaao, ShorlsSt twelve wears, I'D
Annie Goltstein. eight years. started over the
bridge to Brooklyn and bad reached the steps
AAAt-1A eatI -r-f -rf-s- ta-t1-t tt-e
IN. To mouaat tGcT were sWep, from sleir
feet. but Rachael Sl3nliski, With rare prasence
Of miGd, ciaI9befel on ta the back 0i nan
who had fallen or his knees beside her and
from that rosic3u pulled herself uD on the rail-
Ing Of the bridge. She reu-ned perchsl on
the railing until the Uaaie subsidized and VS.
the lpeaus Of having the little girl. ANNIE Gold
home Sarah GasErleF was buried under =
mass Of strgs Cling human beings, and when
sac was pulled Gus nearly ali q her C,0sAss
were torn from her back
BIrs. Alber5iE2 Boduet's E,.Ie boy child
four years o. age, had an escape that Was littis
short o. miraculous. Yrs. Eohnet and Mss
Iillie Weber were on the outer edge Of ths
crowd going toward Rroaava. Mss Weber
WIS carrying the child ~ her arms. aud she
said to Mrs. BGhnes; II guess we'd bert surn
back Almost IS she 81 1e both were E15c-ed
down, aad the child WIS taTowE q distance Of
several yards into the crowd Miss Weber re-
gained her feet ia q few seconds bat Che child
w5s tossed about fOrs6veral minutes, sometimes
almost under the feet Of the rushing multitude,
aud again pushed up by some friendly hand
over the heads Of the people. Miss Weber kept
calling to those around her to give her the boy,
and at length he was literally thrown into her
arms Undurt She turned Co look for tie lads
mother, and Just canght a giiNpse OF airs. Beh-
nets face for an instant and then was h0rriaed
to see It traEpled oas OF sight rs she herseif
was wiirted away 20 the oatsEirts Of the crowd
With the child still in her arms.
Superintendent Martin has been personally
investigating the eause OF The disaster, and tie
best authenticated information he can gather
leads HIM TO believe the ranic was caused BY
picApeckets. Police Inspector Byrnes, how
ever, denies this. No action has been taken
by the bridge trustees The superintendent
acknowledges thai the space allotted to foot
passengers Is at present nsUElcient, but 10
thinks that when the trains begin % run and
time has lesSened the curiosity caused by shs
novelty OF the structure it VIII be found 20 Be
ample for its purpose. It is believed that the
full list OF the dead and the seriously injured
his been given The travel over the bridge
on the day following was IS per cent. less than
on any previous day. The ferry-bOats wsrs
crowded.
Colonel Roebling. engineer Of the bridge.
said: Such an accident is hsble TO occur
anywhere. panic cannot be foFesoen or pro-
vented IN many cases. 1t lies largely with the
people themselves. People OK intelligence OF
ordinary presence of mind would have kept
cool and held back until the excitement was
over. The present rush OF eari0z5 people over
the bri.ige on holidays and Sundays furnishes
no criterion 60 Judge Of tia bridge or It's faelii.
ties"