The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1883-06-07

and tie WOunding OF Many Othcrs-Ter-
ribIe scenes OF suffering Gross Misrnan.
aEcment and the Lack OF Police Surveil-
lance the ause o. the Disaster.
NEW YORK, May 3
A terrible catastrophe occurred on the East
River brige this afternoon, by which largo
number of people lost their lives The mar
rowness of the footway for passengers is the
cause of the horror. The majority OF the
dead are SO far unidentified.
THE BEGINNING.
At about four o'clock the long line of people
on foot in the ccnter-walk of the structure
going from and coming to this city, thickened,
sweIled and stopped in ITS motion just at the
stairs leading up from the concrete roadway
to the bridge proper. Strong men and feeble
women manhood and infancy, were wedged
together in that jam by the fearful pressure
of the crowd, which extended miles, one
might say, on either end of the line. 1t was
remorseless, fearful, stupid force that held its
victims as immovable as the stone founda-
tions of the bridge itself. The stoppage lasted
nearly an hour, during which time scores of
people tainted.
IN THE VORTEX.
To relieve the jam the bridge officials re-
moved some of the iron paling few feet from
the stairway on the New York side, when, or
e6tfss, those unfortunate enough to be near
tine sedp
head, down on the jagged, grayelly road be-
meath, a mass of bruised, discofored human
and to stumble was death. Men were dragged
out of that heap of helpless humanity with
faces blue as indigo, and the life blood trick
ling out of their n0strils; children and women,
pale, dishevelled and dead.
THE AWFUL RESULTS.
The roadway on either side was strewn with
dead and dying-a pitiable sightIyes, II es Is
eials TO stop the people coming on the bridge.
The dead and dying were carried off in
for service, and it was long time before the
police arrived and anything like order was re-
stored or an ambulance appeared: Meanwhhe,
over the roadways-why. no one could tell
threatening the limbs and lives OF those on
WHO 6sp to ass fne
selves hoarse, "clear the way; wagons rat
thing over the rough stones, men and women
CRYING in all directions made It dS 9ealam ennn I'M
service at the spot as volunteer police to cheek
| the vulgar and curious. 4si3 't'-
| THE SCENE IN THE CITY HALL POLICE STATION
was simply terrible; Women screaming ;s and
| and bleeding faces, and all around the forms
| of the wounded, most of them unconscious,
frantic mother would rush in, inquiring for
some one lost; but there were none to answer
| her, for the revival of the insensiDle occupied
| bells added to the confusion, as wagon after
wagon tore up to the door and surgeons de-
scended. perfect stream OF UNCONSCIOUS '.H
as the ambulances were filled and driven
THE SCENE AT THE BRIDGE.
"I was walking along the bridge toward the
! New York entrance" said a man who held q
! young girl, who was CRYING bitterly, by the
hand, when heard & shouting g and c screaming aIg
| hats, sticks and hands stretched aloft, and
| with one scream the whole mass surged and
swayaS ge ytSought the % bridge was Coming
Any way, they fought, screamed and yelled
like demons; children and women were we're
borne irresistibly out of the entrance. Then
/ found this little girl, who had. lost her
friends and here we are sa5e tSSnk obs ssid he,
| name was Flora Davies, of 81 Lewis street.
| POwERLESS TO SAVE.
81 went on the bridge" said Charles Bligh
| Of SO Third street, Brooklyn, 'at about foul
o'clock, and as was approaching the riyel
span found myself unable to move eithel
backward or forward. Women and children
commenced screaming. Hundreds OF meI
climbed with great difficulty on to the beam!
| running over the railroads, and made tnell
to ts way the
were caught by those beneath. A number o.
women also escaped in this way; escaped II
this way myself. The police and others helpet
to pull out the dead and dying, and they wer'
laid on the roadway until an ambulance came
The shrieks of the children on the patnwa!
Save me, for Gods saker But where we wer'
we could do nothing"
| CHARGED TO THIEVES.
Mr.. Martin, superintendent of the bridge
accident. He said: "Five minutes before tn
word came to my Office about the catastroPh
] received word, in answer to my inquiry tina
| everything was going on smoothly on Tn
| bridge, and that the pedestrians were movlnl
along quietly certainly have no idea wha
Counts have reached me. From four distinc
sources hear, however, that the panic wa
brought about by, gang of pickpockets NeI
York policemen had warned us to-day tina
thieves and bunko-men were operating on tn
bridge, but as none of them were 1dentlned, o
course we could do 6 nothing; th AS 9ay soon as
be thrown open, and people are going acros
that way now"
their heads to save them the crush. Peopl
were still paying their pennies at both gate
and swarnling in. At last the people at tn
New York end of the bridge understood wha
was happening. The gates were closed, an
word was sent to Brooklyn to close the gate
there. Messengers were sent to the polio
station in Oak street, but before any outsld
help came the bridge police assisted by cit
zens, impressed two grocers's wagons into tn
,, ambulance service. They were
LOADED UP WITH DEAD AND DYING,
, and driven off the bridge, followed by crowd
of distracted men and women. As the wagon
: came out on the street they were obnged
stop to allow brilliant uniformed pam
playing gay music, to pass up Chatham stree
1t was not until the dead-wagons came o,
that the public knew anything of the cata
trophe. The wagons were followed on ii
! | bridge by
WOMEN CRYING FOR THEIR CHILDREN,
; and by men crying for their wives. Sever
of the women were half naked. and many ne
on only rags. One woman had had both III
shoes torn off, and almost all were bareheade
!, | There were hundreds of them dlShevelled M
crying. Their faces were white, and IN mar
: Mrs Edward o. Colborn, of 1877 South Eight
i | street, Brooklyn, came out into Chatna
! street leading a little boy with each hand.
, SHE HAD LOST HER HUSBAND
IN the throng. He had taken their younge
] child with him. While she was talkir
G with a reporter on Chatham street, b
oldest daughtSr girl OF athn hinsseen be ran of oR
=. answered that she did not know. Mrs. Colbu
said: at was an awful experience. saw o.
woman fall backward from the steps. As so.
as She fell she was jumped upon by men w
were forced after her.
THEY TRAMPED HER TO DEATH.
81 was pushed up against the railing a
}, turned around and around. Ny clothing "
my.husband he was holding our youngest en-
6 up in the air, and being carried toward t
/ edge of the steps by the crowd. clung to
railing. At last some one from above grasp
my wrists and hauled me up out OF the cruz
few moments Later they got d my Two f tS 10yS ~
of the steps: Ono man. who was wnlte a
4 sheet, struggled out of the mass with his de
child held above his head. He was screamii
% / stood by the rail looking for my husband q
our other child. do not yet know whetf
g they are safe.
!, MANS EXPERIENCE.
Mr.. H. Ambercrombie, of Skaneateles, sa
h II came to New York to buy goods for
store. After seeing the parade l went on
r bridge. At $3.50 p. m. stopped to buy I
cent medal or should have been e.on on then the =
n medal / walked along. ] was twenty-f
yards from the step, and I walked tow, w,
1T them. j noticed jam on the steps, and stt
watching the immense throng. man got
the iron-work and beckoned to the crowd
go back He was not policeman.
le SAW NO POLICEMEN THERE.
n at heard scream, and several OF
Ill screams followed. The crowd surged ba
and Jumped over tho fence. The jam {
! tered on the steps. l went along the So
.: sides, and walked along and hung on to
3 railing with one hand. Just as 1 got up
~ the north side of the fence the crowd swa
~ toward New York and threw a girl down
i the right hand corner. She went over s
'0 wise and forward, and fell on her face. L