The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-06-01
THE BRIDGE DISASTER.
Heartrending Scenes at the City
Hall Station.
Thrilling Tales by Eye Witnesses
of the Crush.
The Disaster Generally Attributed
to Thieves and Pickpockets.

NEW YORK. May 3i.--A very evident gloom
was depicted on the faces OF the whole commu-
nifty this morning, In onsequence Of the bridge
disaster. Immense editions Of newspapers
have been exhausted. The general impression
is that the accident was the result Of plan by
roughs and pickpcckets, who have infested
the bridge since its completion, to ply their ne
farious trade. The account telegraphed last
oight leaves little to be added. All editorials
agree that measures must be taken to prevent
any further slaughter Of this nature.
Thirteen members OF the 18th regiment did
noble service In rescuing people from the mass
OF wrthing humanity. Private Patterson had
fight with rough over the bodies of the dy-
ing, and was obliged to beat the villain away
Patterson with knife.
Twelve persons are reported as missing, who
were known TO be on the bridge. 4
In the City Hall station, the scene was SIM
ply horrible, women screaming and wringiDg
their hands. and men with bleeding faces.
Every now and again q frantic mother would
rush In, inquiring.for some one lost, but there
were none TO answer. Then the jangle OF the
ambulance bells added to the confusion, as
wagon after wagon tore up to the door A
into the station on stretchers, as ambulances
were filed and driven away.
"Safe, thank Godi was walking along the
bride this way" said a man who held young
kHig WIZ was CtJluB w uou 4 ntdfu
shouting and screaming suddenly rise in front
OF me. Then / saw hats, sticks and hands
stretched aloft from the mass below. sup
pose the people thought the bridge was coming
down. Anyway they fought, screamed and
yelled like demons. l was borne lrresistably
out Of the entrance. Then found this little
girl clinging TO me, having lost her own
friends safe, thank God''
81 went on the BRIDGE" said Mr.. Charles
Bligh OF Brooklyn, "at about o'clock, and as
Il rpa oh .t1rr rha md
self unable TO move either backward or for
ward. The woman and children commenced
screaming. Hundreds OF men climbed TO the
beams running over the railroads, and made
their way to the carriage-way, and many let
themselves drop through and were caught by
those beneath. A number OF women also es-
capped in this way. I escaped this way myself.
The shrieks OF the children on the pathway
were blood-curdling. They cried, "Helpl
Help! Save me, for Gods sakel" but where we
were we could do nothing"
Policeman Walsh was seen near the New
York approach, and said: "The accident was
due solely to the refusal of the people who
were walking In the pathway to observe the
rules and keep to the right. Those coming
from Brooklyn and those coming from New
York we're equally as obstinate. Mothers held
their little ones aoft, in a frantic endeavor to
keep them from being trampled upon. The
bridge officers, aided by strong-srmed citizens,
endeavored to prevent the crush, but it was
Suddenly there was great rush, and then
came the trampling."
Another eye-w witness gave the following de-
scription of the accident: 81 started to cross
to brooklyn about As o'clock. As entered
on the bridge / noticed large number of pas
sengers, buJ everything was orderly, every one
keeping TO the right. After passing up the
steps found the crowd much deBser, with oc-
casional hats in their progress. Soon dead
check was felt, but all were in good humor, it
..a1 IN fam x.Itn
running down on the top Of the partition, and
said, Go back! Go backl You can't go over
just as he spoke there was considerable pres
sure in the direction of New York, PROBABLY
produced by the orders of the police. At once
from all sides, came cries of the women and
them in piteous terms for assistance. Hercu-
lean efforts were made to help them, bat 30
awful wasathe pressure that it was with diff
Guilty that they could save themselves from be-
ing crushed. On all sides were the pale faces
OF half fainting women and the troubled faces
OF men apprehensive OF the terrible conse-
quences. AT that moment theIe was rush
towards New York. Now and again some bold
youth would Chamber over the partition to the
railway beneath and escape. The crowd
moved toward the stairs descending to the
lower level, some stumbling and others falling
on them. When reached the top OF the steps
on looking down to get a safe footing, saw
blue dress and a woman s foot. By a tremen-
ment, and raised the woman mp. She was al
most unconscious aud bleeding cOpiousy. She
exclaimed, "Oh, my mo iheii On, my brotheri
We handed her over TO the bridge officials
As we passed down l glanced down on the
roadway below and saw about htty dead and
dying men, v omen aud children, some covered
with blood, apparently snffocated to death"
Mr.. w. Q. Beetchenon OF New York, said :
"A few moments before the accident some
people began to be afraid something would
han - via 20 nat haa f.f fhs.a
When others saw this they also turned and
tried to follow, and then, as II by magic, tine
most horrible thing L ever witnessed took
place. / happened TO be near the railing, and
climbed down on TO the railroad track and
called upon the others to do the same. A
child fell at my feet, but was not seriously
hurt, for although be cried very hard, he was
able TO walk of. Two young women fell in
trying to climb down. One had her leg brok-
en- near me. and came near falling through the
ties into the river. / held her up until got
help, and then carried her into the New York
station"
A party OF three little girls, consisting of Sa-
rah Gaertner, 13 years old, Rachel Shonliski,
II years, and Annie Goldstein, yesos, started
over the bridge TO Brooklyn, and had reached
the steps under the New York arch when the
panic set in. In moment they we're swept
frem their feet, but Rachel Shonloski, with
rare presence of mind, clambered on to the
back of a man who had fallen on his knees be-
up on the railing Of the bridge. She remained
perched on the railing until the panic subsidized
and was the means of having the little girl,
Annie Goldstein, who was very badly injured,
taken 10 her home, Sarah Gaertner was bur
led under mass Of struggling human beings,
and when she was pulled out nearly all of her
clothes were torn from her blck.i
Most of those injured have bee n removed {
their homes from the various hopitals and
station houses. Eight remain at the New
Va,tr al 4 sfrao Nh N
are doing we'll. DIR. Larkin Of the latter hos
pital states that while in a station house last
evening attending to the injured several pick
pockets got In and began to rob the wounded
and their attendants. All the dead have been
identified.
Coroner Kennedy says an inquest will be
held Saturday at IL o'clock, and at that time
he shalt subpoena as witnesses the bridge
trustees and Superintendent Martin with
them, and the jury will probably go over the
ground Of the accident and get in working or
der for q thorough investigation.
number of persons inquired at the police
headquarters today for children or friends sup
posed to have been on the bridge at the time
OF the accident. Only in one or two cases
is there reason to suppose that the missing per-
son might have been on the bridge. The Oak
street police have q cart load OF property taken
from the anchorage when 1t had been cleared.
Most OF the clothing Is torn beyond recogni-
ton. Very few articles have been claimed.
Superintendent Martin has been personally
Investigating the cause Of the disaster, and the
best authenticated information leads him to
believe that the panic was caused by pick
pockets. No action has yet been taken by the
bridge trustees. 1t is believed that the full
list OF dead and seriously injured has been
given.
Police Inspector Byrnes denies the panic
was caused by piokpockets. He say there
we're none there The accident was due, he
claims, to the inefficiency OF the bridge man
agement. BY paying the salaries of regular
policemen the trustees could get good men aud
thus secure responsibility for the safety of pas
sengers and assurance that their duty would be
properly attended to.