The Evening critic., 1883-05-31
TRAMPLRp TO DEATH.


y
that occurred, apparently by accident, on
the New York anchorage, a number of
persons, mostly women and children, were
crushed, some to death, some fatally and
and still others severely. A scene Of terror
reigned for fully fifteen or twenty minutes
that battles description. When it was over,
carloads of wounded aud crushed human
beings were taken out of the New York en-
trance Of the bridge. A small mountain
Of torn and abandoned clothing was gath
cred up. by the police, 1t was shortly
after 4 o'clock, and the bridge was crowded
from one end to the other so that there was
hardly elbow room on the footway.
woman who was ascending the lower
fight of steps stumbled and fell on the
landing. The crowd pressed upon her and
she shrieked Bridge Officer Frederick
Richards, who was on the plank walk
above, seeing her danger, elbowed his way
to the spot and lifted her up. The crowd
closed upon them both and they went
down. With desperate effort Officer Rich
ards got upon his feet once more, dragging
the woman after him. She screamed again
il despair and fright aud the crowd above
and below pressed toward the spot to dis
cover the cause of the commoti0n. The
crush Immediately became fearful Those
ON the approach below the steps were car
ried forward in solid mass. Many STUN
blcd, and unable to resist the pressure from
behind, the crowd passed over them. From
above, the crowd coming from Brooklyn
was carried to the edge of the steps, aud
then fell over and down upon the strug-
Cling mass below.
A terrible struggle for life began; men
and women fought with the strength of de-
spair against each other. Escape was impos-
sible with the pressure from both sides
growing at 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 curiosity on the other, fought
for the mastery. The frightful crush was
denser than ever when, after nearly fifteen
minutes a score of militiamen of the
Twelfth Regiment, led by Lieutenant Hart
and Sergeants Couldock and Costello,
marched up the approach toward Brooklyn.
The yells of the crowd attracted
their attention. At the foot Of the steps
wall of human bodies was piled high.
The dense mass surged about it, and
in it the soldiers saw two policemen vainly
struggling against it. Sergeant Couldock
took in the situation at glance. AT his
word of command his men scaled the fence
and railroad track separating them from
the footwalk, and wedging into the mass Of
people near the scene of the disaster drove
back the crowd at the New York entrance
at the muzzle of their guns. 1t fell back
slightly, and the militiamen following up
the headvantage gained, forced it back until
the approach was cleared. Then forming
from across the footwalk, they prevented
<the crowd from passing back, while as
many of their number as could be spared
ran toward the scene Of the accident to help
in extricating the dead and saving the
living
The crowd was almost unmanageable,
ard it required the most desperate efforts to
keep them back. The crowd, forced by the
constant pressure and accession from the
Brooklyn side, went over the steps like q
Cataract, and once started, fell until the
walk lay piled with bodies to the height of
| the steps, then went over and fell down be-
yond it.
John Stiech, Grand Army man of
| Koltes Post, helped five girls from the
crowd, where they were jammed in tightly.
| A big man, apparently German, was push
ing them and struggling with them on the
bridge, as if hts only purpose was get them
down and save himself. A crowd Of roughs
| pressed on behind the crowd coming from
| Brooklyn and fought their way through it
with oaths and ribaldry, and over the
bodies of the dead. 1t was said that they
were thieves, who profited by the oppor-
| tunity, and helped to precipitate the catas-
trophe. Their chances were unlimited.
| When the approach was cleared at last, it
was literally covered with articles Of cloth
ing and personal property abandoned in the
struggle. They were viewed with amaze
ment by the people coming over from
Brooklyn who had not heard of the dis
aster. In tho excitement of the crush,
| William Oxford, drunken man, aged As
| years, deliberately jumped from the bridge
| approach into William street, and received
severe internal injuries and external bruises.
The place on the bridge where the acci-
dent occurred is the danger spot in the
structure. To persons who are looking out
over the scenery as they pass either way it
is certain and most perlous trap. In a
crush like the one yesterday it is terrible
danger.
The list of casualties last night embraced
twelve killed and twenty-six injured, Sc
far as could be ascertained, but it is be-
lieved there were others who were taken to
private houses nea + by or carried to their
homes by their friends.