Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-03-08
A MANIAC AT THE LEVER.
A Crazed Man Takes Possession of a
FerrybOat

The ferrybOat Central, of the Libert,
Street Ferry. was tied up in the sout6eri
snip at the New Jersey Central depot, in
Jersey City, at 4o'clock Sunday morning
and the crew were in their hunks asleen
Pilot Johp Bishop and Engineer VaI
Gelsen were also asleep in their room be
meath the pilot house. Suddenly the boa
| trembled and sound indicated that the
paddle wheels were in motion. The pilot
and engineer sprang from their hunks
and rushed down to the engine room
There, with his hand on the lever. stood
a young man of small stature. bare.
headed and bOrefooted, and attired only
IN thln cotton shirt and a pair of blue
jean trousers.
pilot. '0" '"e
Il know what L am doing. l am work.
ing TINS ieFryboat," said the stranger,
| angrlly, as he elung to the lever.
TWO deck hands, who had by this time
| entered the engine room, rushed forward
and attempted to seize the man. He
struggled tiercely. In the meantime the
! Doat mad moved nearly out of the slip,
put the walking beam had got caught on
It's centre, and the wheels were motion
! less.
"1 ou'll have to help u.s. said the strug-
! gilng deck hands; ''we can't handle this
man alone"
At this appeal the pilot and engineer
| also caught hold of the stranger, but with
| the strength of a wild beast he tore away
from them, and, springing through the
door, ran to the east end of the ferryboat
| and sprang into the river.
The crew rushed to the edge of the boat.
After a few seconds the man rose to the
surface, and with muscular strokes swan
! toward New York. The engineer got the
engine OIL the centre and ran the boat
back into the slip, but the men at the
bow could still see the swimmers head
Iar out toward midstream. William
Name, watchman, and Deck Hand
Stephenson ran for boat. They found
one which the harbor master had left at a
neighboring wharf, and rOwed out in the
wake OF the swimmer. who was then al
most out of sight. 1t was reckOned he
was about 1900 feet from the slip. At
last they ran alongside him. He allowed
them to seize and lift him into the boat.
remarking resignedly:
Il suppose | must CO."
when the men reached the slip his
clothing was frozen to him, and he was
unconscious. He was carried into the
waiting room of the annex boat and
placed by the stove. Charles Williams. n
Watchman, cut his clothing from him and
poured whisky into his mouth. The deck
honds chafed his limbs, but it was nearly
an hour before he recovered conscious
ness. Then he looked up into Williams
face and said:
Il don't thank you bit, Charley, for
my life."
Williams then discovered that the man
was John A. McGeady, WaCchman in
the Central Railroad gas house. whom
every man on the boat knew, but whom
none had recognized. The watchman
brought suit of clothes from his room
and dressed McGeady comfortably. Then
he was taken to the Charity Hospital in
Jersey City. He'is twenty-one years old.
and resides at 5S East Broadway, New
York.
AT 9 o'clock McGeady's brother, who is
also Watchman at the gas works, came
to relieve him. He found the light burning
in the watchman's room. and note from
his brother, as follows:
"Joe:-Don't come into this gas house.
Ii you do, you Will get blown up"
Watchman Williams said: sMcGeady
must have had unusual cunning, for he
unfastened the chains, removed the haw-
ser, ana started up the engine as well as
the most experienced men could have
done IL, though he had never handled an
engine before. Nobody heard him, although
Watchmen were on the wharf a short
distance away. When We took him into
the waiting room We had no idea we could
bring him to, and gave him good pint
of whisky before he was right again. He
came here from Maunch Chunk. Pa. a
year ago, his brother having sent for him.
lie is steady man, and never drinks"
McGeady appeared TO be sane. He
said he was impelled by the devil to run
the boat. The ferryman attributed his
insanity to his having inhaled lllumnat-
ing gas at the works.