The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-05-31
Terrible Affair ON the New Brook
Iyn Bridge.
Senseless Panic Among Pedes
trians.
Men, Women and Children Tram
pied to Death.
Fifteen Persons Said to Have Been
Killed and Many Injured.


tho paaic.strieken crowds from the east and
Sesl 4 narabss were.it Is reported, crushed
TO death. In the end the crowd coming from
the Brooklyn side prevailed and rushed toward
the New York anchorage, tramplng down
everything in its way Men, women and chill
cren were trodden under foot, and falling
down TO the steps leading to the tower platform
We're buried under the mass of strug.
Cling humanity. As soon as the news
OF the disaster was conveyed to the New
York station by the onset OF the panic-siricken
crowd, the police were called and the bridge
was closed. The work of removing the crush
cd and wounded then began. A number were
taken to the City Hall police stations and
others t. Chambers street hospital The po-
lice report that at least 10 or IS we're killed
but as yet 1t Is impossible to say who or how
many. The excitement at the entrance to the
bridge was intense.
sEcoNp DEPATcH
Brooklyn bridge received dreadful ban
tlsm today. La q crush that occurred appar-
emily by accident, on New York anchorage, a
number OF persons, mostly women and chill
dren, were crushed, some 10 death, some fatal.
ly and still others seriously. A scene OF terror
Acikhcu iVE iuliF 10 OF ~ minutes tnat DaffleB
description. When it was over carloads of
wounded and crushed human beings were
taken out OF the New York entrance OF the
bridge, and small mountain Of torn aud
abandoned clothing was gathered up by the
police.
The accident occurred on the Neg York
anchorage where the solid bottom OF the mid
die footway ends and two flights OF seven steps
each with an intermediate landing leads up TO
the plank walk Of the span between tho New
York anchorage and tower. Shortly after
o'clock the bridge was crowded from one end
70 the other, SO that that there was hardly ell
bow room on the footway. A woman who was
ascending the lower flight of steps tumbled in
and fell on the landing the crowd pressed up
on her and she shrieked. Bridge officer Fred
erlck 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 a
desperate effort the officer got on his feet once
more, dragging the woman after him She
screamed again in despair and fright and the
crowd above and below pressed toward the
spot TO discover the cause of the commotion.
The crush Immediately became fearful Those
on the approach below the steps were carried
forward IN solid mass. Many stumbled and
being unable TO resist the pressure from be.
hind, the crowd passed over them from above.
The crowd coming from Brooklyn was carried
over the edge OF the steps and then fell over
and down upon the struggling mass below.
A terrible struggle for life began. Men and
women fought with the strength OF despair
against each other. Escape was impossible
with the pressure from both sides growing at
every shout OF anguish that went up from the
dying aud those who saw death before their
eyes Fear and despair on the one side and
curiosity on the other fought for the mastery.
The lrightful crush was denser than ever when
after nearly fifteen minutes a score OF militia
men from the 18th regiment marched up TO the
approach towardlBrooklyn The wells OF tAe
crowd attracted their attention. At the foot of
the steps wall OF human bodies were piled
high. The dense mass surged about il and in
II the soldiers saw two policemen vainly strug-
Cling against it.
The militia scaled the fence and railroad
track, separating them from the foot walk and
Wedglng 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. II fell back slightly, and the militia
men, following up the advantage, forced it
back until the approach was cleared. Then
forming their front across the foot WALL they
prevented the crowd from passing back, while
as many OF their number as could be- spared
ran toward the scene OF the accident, 10 help
in extracating the dead and saving the living
Ihe alarm meanwhile had been given at the
bridge entrance, and general call for all hos.
pital ambuances was sent out, and policemen
were hurried over upon the bridge from theta
stations beside City Hall. Firemen of hook
and ladder companies followed to assist They
found tue situation still unaltered on the
bridge. The crowds on the foot walk above
the steps was constantly receiving accessions.
and still pressing on and over the dead and d.
ing, who lay here, so firmly wedged together
that 10 extricate them was next to impossible.
To beat back the crowd was equally impossible
Relief was possible only by making
room for the crowd to spread sideways
IL was quickly done. Willing hands tore
away The iron railing dividing the footway
hnfI p&I
dragged those who were nearest in the crush
through the opening. Raom was made for the
policemen to reach the fFighful heap OF human
flesh and the work of clearing it away began
AS soon as portion OF the obstruction was re-
moved from tho steps the crowd was eased
aud portion was let through to the New
York station. The rest were forced back un-
I'll all OF the bodies had been taken away
Then 1t was let through and body Of police
men At the point Of danger kept IL from press
ing. Then along the iron fences, on tho foot
way, on the railroad track and on the car
riageway on both sides Of the bridge the dc ad
and wounded were laid More than half n
score were dead when extricated from the
throbbing heap. Others were more or less
terribly injured. They lay six or eight or ten
deep, those In the lower tier ilonga dead. The
clothes were torn from the body OF more than
ono Ia the attempt TO get them out. All were
hatless, many we're shoeless and on others the
clothes hung In rags. Five women, allp dead
aud trampled into shapeless mass, were
taken from the bottom CT the heap.
One OF them had been seen in the crush
holding baby above the heads OF the crowd.
As she herself went down some man had taken
the baby. IL was not founf. The baby,s
Clothing was scattered about and gave evidence
enough that the weak infants life hadlper-
ished in the crush. The woman whom the
bridge officers had helped to her feet at tho be-
ginning OF the crush was saved.
In speaking OF the occurrence afterwards
the bridge officers said there was no chance OF
restoring order from the first, that one first
scream was tho death knell of many In that
crowd. 1t grew AZ once utterly ungovornable,
and so dense that movement of any kind was
impossible. The crowd forced by constant pres
sure and accession from the Brooklyn side went
over the steps like cataract, and once start
cd fell, until the walk lay piled with bodies to
the height OF the steps and then went over and
Tell down Beyond it. A dead Chinaman, All
III Sing, was taken from tho bottom OF the
heap, Carts were pressed into the service on
the New York side, and as they arrived the
dead and injured were hurredly driven out TO
the City Hall, where they wore laid In the po-
lice station Ia the basement. Ambulances
then arrived and those who vet breathed were
taken to the hospital Crowds Of people be-
sieged the station and ambulanoes to learn the
fate of missing ones dear TO them. There
| were heartrending scenes at the police station
| when body was recognized by friends. An
ample force of people took possession OF the
| New YORK entrance as soon as possible after
tho accident. The middle footway was closed
| to travel, and the current OF those anxious to
cross was turned into the down stream wagon
| way. Apparently no measures were taken al
the Brooklyn end to stop travel for at least q
I time.
| On the New York approach the travel was
| also diverted from the foot way and turned in
| to tho wagon road. Instead Of decreasing
however, 1t grew constantly, as rumors OF the
disaster began to fly through Brooklyn. These
rumors had IL that the bridge had fallen ant
that hundreds had been crushed. The dead
that we're pulled from underneath the human
| avalanche on the anchorage were black in the
face, showing that they had died from suffoca
tion. John 6trich, Grand Army man O
Koltes Post, helped five girls from the crowd
where they were iammed IN tightly. A crowt
OF roughs pressed on behind the crowd coming
from brooklyn, and fought their way through
1t with oaths and ribaldry and over the hodie
OF the dead. IL was said that there were
thieves who prodted by the opportunity ant
helped to preclpitate the catastrophe. The
chances were unlimited When the approach
was cleared at last, II was literally covered
with articles of clothing and personal properf,
abandoned IN the struggle. They were vieweC
with amazement by people coming oyer from