New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-05-31
movement along the uninter-
and descending pathway from

rupted and descending pathway from
the tower, nearly 1000 feet away,
the slightest interruption to the regular flow was
bound to cause difficulty that would grow greater
with every movement. This is exactly
what happened. Beginning with o little
crovding that at first caused only
merrment and some good-humored jostline 1t
grew until women began to faint. men to shout and
children to cry with terror. The danger of going
over the steps in the midst Of such a crush dawned
upon those near the fight and they began franticaly
TO push back and shout to the advancing
thousands: "Stand bsckp "Givo room"
and other vain expostulatiOns.
1t was like trying to stop the tide. for back
of the struggling hundreds thousands throw
ing their weight against the ever-increas-
ing column Then menbecame desperate. They
fought and struggled and added the terror of the
women and children. A policeman jumped upon
the chord of the truss and, waving his club,
screamed and gesticulated like q madman. The
crowd would not understand HIM and
could not obey. Stalwart wearing the
uniform of the Grand Army Of the Republic
followed the example of the policeman. Shouts
went ND that people were being killed and under
the Transforming influence of terror the report
spread to those further back that something was
the matter with the Bridge. In the midst
of the excitement the crowd advancing
from New-York fell back q short distance and left
an empty space at the foot of the stairs. At the
same time gang of thoughtless ruffiaus. to whom
the crush was either mere sport or opportunity
to ply the vocation of pocket-pckins,
answered ga command OF Let's give 'em the
grand shove" with concerted rush toward the
steps. An old woman who was at the head of the
steps stumbled and fell forward q younger
woman followed, and the human avalanche
iratp
tripped and fell and within a few minutes there
were piles cf crushed and bleeding pieces of human
ty at the foot of each light of stairs and the pane
stricken crowd was tramplng them to
death The scene became dread
full past description Some men were
changed into maddened brutes some into heroes.
Husbands picked up their wives, struggled to the
edge of the walk and placed their burdens all limp
and exhausted upon the truss Others passed chill
dren over their heads until they
were landed IN alplacc of safety. Hats,
umbrellas and canes were thrown away IN order
that the hands might be cleag to fight with for life.
A peders pack was torn from his back and its
contents strewn far and wide. Coats were
torn from mems backs and skirts
and sleeves were ripped out OF women's dresses.
Scores of willing hands were lent to the rescue of
the fallen Unfortunately there means
of communicating with the gatemen at either
end of the Bridge and the tide of travel
was not checked. 1t was only from the side of
the walk that the persons who were piled upon tho
stairs could be reached.
Finally the Bridge workmen came to the rescue.
They took oat 4 section of the iron
fence next to the iron truss on
each side of the walk. rested planks
upon The granite coping turned the frantic pcopeino
the wagon-ways, and enabled willing hands to ex
tricate the dead and dying. The most of this work
was done by daring men, who had cambercd down
the iron trrsses order themselves to escape death
from sufocation.
The injured were carried into the division OF the
roadway designed for the railway and laid down
upon the sharp edges of the broken stone where
simple efforts were made to bring back the lfeess
to life 1t was half an hour before all exricaed
and much longer before medical aid reached them.
Wagons and trucks were turned into ambulances.
and the wounded and dead placed in them
and carried 10 the police station in the City Hall
and thence to the Chambers Street Hospital.
Eight persons were dead or dying, and moro than
twenty so seriously injured that they had to be
taken to hospitals.
Intelligence of the dreadful calamity was
strangely long reaching the ends of the Bridge,
but once known to the awestruck
crowd outside the gateways 1t travelled
like wlldire and grew as it spread. An hour after
the accident it told in the vicinity
of Madison Square that twenty-five
persons were killed and hundreds wounded, and at
Forty y-second-st. that the Bridge had fallen down
and 900 people had lost their lives.