The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-06-07

paving their pennies at both gates and
swarming in at last the people at the
New York end OF the bridge understood
what was happening. The gates were
closed, and word Was sent to Brooklyn
to close the gates there Messengers
were sent to the police station on Oak
street, buI before any outside help came
the bridge police, assisted by citizens,
impressed two grocery wagons into am
bulance service. They were loaded with
the
DEAD AND DYING
and driven off the bridge followed by
crowds of distracted men and women.
As the wagons came out on the street
they were obliged to stop to allow q
brilliantly uniformed band playing gay
music to pass up Chatham street. Twelve
dead bodies had been laid In the base
ment of the Chambers Street hospital at
o'clock. Two of the dead were identi-
lied as George Smith, AZ Watts street,
and Ellen Rerden, 36 Montgomery street,
AMONG THE INJURED
were T. Z. Dale, 20 Henry street; Will
heimie Leow, 80 Monroe street; Thomas
R9rdon, SO Montgomery street; Mrs.
Charles Vogler, 30 west TWenty-sixth
street: Nina Smith, 2JS Houston street
Ella Requa, 52 Horaiio street; Frank
Barnett, 10 Mott street. Among the
unconscious were two unidentified men,
woman, boy and girl.
1t was not until the dead wagons came
out that the people knew nythIng of the
catastrophe. The wagons were followed
Off the bridge by women crying for their
children, and men crying for their
wives. Several women were half naked
and many had on only rags One wo-
man had both her shoes torn off and
almost all were bareheaded. There we're
hundreds of them dishevelled and crying.
Their faces were white and in many in
stances were covered with dust and dirt.
Mr.. Edward o. Colburn, of No. 1877.
South Eighth street, Brooklyn, said: sit
was an awful experience. | saw one
woman tall backward from the steps. As
soon as she fell she was jumped upon by
trampled her to death. was pushed up
against the railing and turned round and
round where the crush occurred. Alter
buying a medal l walked along. l was
twenty five yards from the steps and !
walked toward them. l noticed jam
on the steps and stood watching the i'm
mense throng A man got on the iron
| work and beckoned to the crowd to go
back. He was not policeman. Fsaw
no policemen there. l heard scream,
and several other screams followed. The
the fence. The jam conferred on the
steps. l went along the stone
sides and walked along the
and hung on to the railing with one
hand. Just as got on the north side
of the fence the crowd swayed toward
New York and threw girl down on the
right hand corner. She went over side
ways and forward and fell on her face.
Then four men and a woman fell on top
| of her. The crowd cried for everybody
to come oyer and get out of the way for
Gods sake. have been used to hand
ling small gangs of men l yelled for
them to get over the rail, and pulled
man over. l got him over, and the
woman next to him. and after hard
| struggle got them so that they stood
along the iron work Meantime the
| throng was wedged. at the scene of the
accident the tide was from Brooklyn.
| AS the New York entrance was closed
| to all but reporters and those engaged in
carrying the dead and wounded, it was
not until 5 :45 that squad of police
We're sent on the bridge and the crowd
was thinned."
| INQUIRING FOR THE MISSING.
New YORK, May 31.-A number of
persons inquired at police headquarters
this morning for children, or
friends supposed to have been on the
bridge at the time of the accident.
Only in one or two cases was there rca
son to suppose that the missing person
might have been on the bridge
at all. The street police report
that they have CARLOAD of property
taken from the anchorage. The most
of the clothing was torn beyond reeog-
milton. Very few articles have been
claimed.
The coroner will subpoena the bridge
trustees, Superintendent Martin and all
others who can give any information in
reference to the accident yesterday. He
intends the investigation to be
thorough. Superintendent Martin has
been personally investigating the causes
of the disaster and the best authenti-
Gated information he can gather
leads him to believe that the pan
ic was caused by pick-pOckets.
No action has yet been taken by
the bridge trustees. The superintend-
ent acknowledges that The space allotted
to foot passengers is at present insult
ficient, but thinks that when
trains begin to run and time has lessen
ed the curiosity it will be found to be
enough. The bodies of the dead carried
to the Chamber street hospital are being
removed to-day to the homes of theiI
friends and preparations for their burial
have begun. All the injured in the
Chamber street hospital are improving
A number of inquiries were made there
to-day for Missing persons
but no information concerning them
could be given as all the dead and in
!, jured had been identified. It is believed
. that a full list of the dead and iUjureC
has been given.
COMMENTS ON THE DISASTER.
New YORK, May 31.-The universal
comment this morning respecting thu
bridge horror is that the same acc4denI
is liable to happen at any time, no mat
ter what the police restrictions may be
unless the steps are abolished, or a
least, divided for the two streams o
pedestrians. The superintendent of tn
; bridge, Martin. makes the following
I, frank statement: A foot patl
is certainly no safe plac
for such crowds as pass over tn
: bridge. 1t was not intended 10 accom-
l MEDIATE any such traYel as we are hav
e ing. AS to steps, it had been decided I
: put ratings up and down the middle {
i divide the people going one way from
c those going the other. The railin
would have TO DC carried up in som
4 way beyond the top OF the steps. y
q course we should carry 1t probably
hundred feet along. This was one c
II the alterations we had alread
s determined upon and is 10 be made 4
once. Then we are going to place sid
e ratings on the steps little furthe
back of the same space that is no'
lost by them, then further back b
!; tween the cables. We can widen th
e passage by placing the ratings furthe
q apart and against the cables, and this
q 70 be DONE"
!, aCOuld not steps be dispensed with
q was asked
1t well, we c,yuld build what is Gale
q samp, or inclined plane, frol
n the top of the steps to q poir
further down the bridge, but theI
?. would be some danger in maxim
II the grade any sleeper, especially in W,
1f or ICY weather"
le To the superintendent's statement
he may be added that the fact is now obv
d Gus that during those hours Of the da
le when the transit is the most lively an
a. on holidays and Sundays, there will q
lie WAYS be great danger of heavy crus