The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-08-02
WATERY GRAVES.
FrightfuI Fate Of a Pleasure Party Near
Baltimore.
Sudden Collapse Of Rotten Pier
While CrOicticI By q Gay
1Hr0MO.
Nearly Eighty People Drowned---Heart-
rending Scenes.


rending Scenes.
Calamities rapidly follow upon the heels
OF each other this year. The Attest horror
occurred at tho North Point Tivoli, resort
near Baltimore About .0o members Of .
Catholic excursion party crowded upon the
pier, when the structure gave way and
more than half the number were precipi-
tated into the water. OF these about eighty
were taken out dead Tho following ac-
count OF the calamity is taken from the
graphic accounts printed In the Chicago
papers:
In point Of horror and fatality combined,
no catastrophe has ever been written In the
annals Of Baltimore that will compare with
the awful loss Of life in the night-coyored
waters Of the Patapsco ut TivOli last even.
after the sports OF the day, were gathered
on the wharf rs the barge that was to bear
them to their homes approached No
thought Of danger was In Their minds With
scarce moments warning the structure
gave way, and the immense mass OF human
tty was plunged into the waters where the
darkness shut them out OF sight
In hundreds Of homes last ght
anxious wives, husbands and parents
were awaiting the arrival Of the excursion
ists and the anxiety became intense as the
small hours of the morning came on At
$50 o'clock the barge reached Henderson's =
wharf, bringing its awful tale OF woe, and
freighted with tho forms OF twenty eight
drowned men, women, and children. The
anxiety Of the parents gave place to horror
and grief and the friends Of the missing
grew wild with terror.
Almost half Of the excursionists passed
the night around the blazing fires on tho
shore, where those who had been rescued
from the waves were seeking to dry their
dripping clothing The scenes on mo
| grounds during the night were indescribablo
and awful The noi,y cries OF children and
the hoarse shouts Of men and the
] piercing notes of grief OF the women were
rs nothing to the terrible silence Of the four
i hours that preceded the dawn, when moth
/ ing was heard but an occasional duh moan
I or the call OF one OF those who were watch-
| ing by the shore for the bodies OF the dead
| From what could be CLEANED from the re-
marks of individual witnesses Of the terri
BILE accident 1t appears that the disaster oo-
CURED very Few minutes inter lo:3O
o'clock The wharf did not break; the piles
spread The crowd stood in bunch in the
! center of the wharf which was but poorly
supported underneath by logs and ccnse-
| quently the jarring OF the barge when she
struck the wharf gave the shock which
caused the piles To spread and let down the
center OF the wharf with its crowd Of living
beings into the water The planks were Of
course unable 10 support the heavy weight
and so snapped short Off, thus giving rise to
the supposition that they had broken
The Rev. w. i. Sterr, pastor of Corpus
Christi Roman Catholic Church, was an eve
witness Of the di .aster and gives graphic
account OF it There Is long wharf at
Iivoi,' said he. running ont from the
shore perhaps 100 feet Near the shore
end there are large gates, which are gener-
ally closed upon the arrival Of the boats
Last night number Of persons, fatigued.
and desiring to obtain advantageous posi-
tions on the boat, strolled out upon the
wharf before the arrival Of the barge, so
that ut the time she came in sight there
were probably between 200 and 500 per-
sons on the wharf between the gates |.
| myself, together with some few 9TH
ers, had gained the extreme end OF the
wharf beyond the boat-gate where the barge
made fast Meanwhile both gates had been
closed, and the keeper Of the one toward
myself aud the boat-gatc would not allow
any one to pass, evidently thinking, poor
fellow, they were safer on the outside. The
people near the boat were just walking over
the gang plank when heard q crash behi. d
me, and saw dark hole in the wharf and .
mass OF human beings struggling in the
water beneath, while others ON the wharf
were pushing and iostling each other in
frantic endeasor to reach place Of safety.
Men and women We're shrioking and yelling
and children crying while from the dark
abyss below the most heart -rending cries
were heard, only to end in gurgling sounds
g the hel less beings succumbed to the cruel
waters Then ensuod . scene OF in-
describable confusion Stools, piles OF
plank. everything available, were thrown
into the water in the midst of the struggling
mass until it became evident that some
who might be saved from death by drowning
would become victims Of the heedlessnesa
Of those who. with the best intentions, but
very poor Judgment, We're casting the heavy
articles into the water. ], myself, stepped
on u parallel wharf, on which there il small
track, and made my way back to the scene
of the disaster. l endeavored to calm tae
tumult, but as well might have tried to
stop the earth from revolving on
its axis Those who were safe had
suddenly conceived the. idea that
the boat was unsafe, and refused to
60 on board. | reasoned and per-
snaded, but only few followed my advice.
l told them that tn ir friends In the city. q
hoon ~ they learned OF the accident, would
mourn them as among the victims. but my
efforts proved fruitless, and when We did
start for Baltimore, more than half were
left down there.
In meantime, efforts to rescue the drown.
Ing persons We're being made by few brave
young men, and quite a number of ladies
and Others, who were well nigh dead, had
been brought up and lay dripping on .he
wharf wharf y When m the on sochade CITY Cit,
this morning, she brought with
her thirty -five additional bodies and the re
mainder Of the eAcufsion.sts who had re-
manned over night ut Tivoh searching fol
their friends Many were crying bitterly
while the harga,d, tear -begrimed faces ol
the others showed the intense suffering
they had undergone. All had lost friend,
or relatives, many of them more than one
There We're parents leading children, sob
hing as II their hearts would break. Al
h..l l..r~. - n -.
bodies were hurried into an empty building
on Hendersons wharf, and laid on
on the floor. awaiting identification
which was not long coming, as non,
, of the bodies had been in the watel
! long enough to suffer any dishgura
ton, and were consequently easily recegnika
bic. The news of the accident had Trough
, to the scene nearly every one who hat
friends on the excursion Every few min
, utes, as the crowd pas ed slowly in and on
Oi the room viewing the bodies, piercin,
: shrek and ejaculation OF -nh nv God
had been recognized ioang girls an,
, strong men subbed and ciied ike children
Many men and women We're hurrying iron
one person to another, asking Ii such an,
such person had been found
:. The bodies already brought to this cit
, number sixty-six. It is now thought tha
! the loss may reach lou
The picnic grounds where the terrible ca
lamity occurred i on small bay about tM,
miles from North Point lighthouse. Ii VA
! formerly known rs Holly Grove, was tiis
fitted up about fifteen years ago. and wa
J the most popular re ort at that time and 10
several years afterward
The Coroner held an inquest and at tn
conclusion OF the testimony the jury ren
dered the following.
. We the jury lind that Louisa Swearer an,
the others came to their deaths hy drown
Ing BY the breaking Of the bridge ut Two
on the night Of July -, aud that the author
, ities of the place did not use proper care an
: precaution to prevent the occurrence,
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nlf TMlHES