The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-06-02
TERRIBLE ACCIDENT.
A Jam and q Panic on the ROeb.
ling Bridge.
Fourteen Persons Killed and Twenty-slS
Badly Wounded d-Heartrending
Scenes.

and appalling accident occurred on the
new ROebling bridge shortly after
o'clock yesterday afternoon by which ii
persons lost their lives and 26 received
serious and in some cases fatal injuries.
The catastrophe was caused by the pas
sengers in the center Of the bridge stop.
ping to witness the frantic actions of
man who had lost his hat by gust of
wind, and before the crowd could be
started again the steady stream of pas
sengers from each end of the bridge
caused blockade and crushed in the
center, attended with the most melan-
chOly results. The jam lasted nearly an
hour, the Eew arrivals on the bridge haV-
ing no idea of what was going on mid
way, and those nearer by being impelled
by curiosity to crowd to the scene Of
disaster. The multitude was absolutely
uncomfortable by the few officers with
in reach. Women tainted and were
crushed under foot. Children shared a
like fate. Even strong men had their
limbs broken by being crushed against
the irOnwOrk of the bridge. To relieve
the pressure some of the officials re-
moved some of the iron paling from the
stairway on the New York side, over
which the weak and .fainting were
pushed heels over head on the roadway
beneath, where there was soon a pile of
dead and dying humanity. The terrible
scene baffled description. The police
and officials finally organized measures
to break the jam and carry off the dead
and wounded, after which the thTOngs on
the bridge resumed the unbrOken cur
rent. The dead and wounded were con-
Veyed to the city hall station, where
terrible scenes were enacted by broken
hearted or anxious relatives who recOg-
niZed the torn and bleeding bodies or
searched for missing friends. The
wounds received by both dead and in
jured were Ofthe most fTightful descrip-
tiOn. Skulls and backs were broken,
limbs fractured, and blood forced from
eyes and ears by the terrible pressure.
Many of the injured were unconscious.
The superintendent of the bridge is
satisfied that the catastrophe was caused
by gang of pickpOckets who were Oper-
ating on the bridge.
The Sun extra says: The crowd from
New York which was at the foot of the
steps got blocked. Men at the head of
the New York crowd fought their way
back, leaving clear place at the foot Of
the steps. The shouting and crOwding
from the Brooklyn side increased. 1t
was utterly inexpressible. People in
the advance guard of the Brooklyn
thrOng were pushed in spite of them
selves toward the steps. They seemed
to have horror of going over the steps
although the flight is only five or six
feet high. They locked arms and push
ed furiOusly back against the thousands
coming steadily from Brooklyn. In a
few minutes, at point just above the
steps, there was slow yielding to
the frightful pressure behind, and
the front of the crowd was forced near
er and nearer to the edge of the steps.
Women and children were screaming
for help, and men were shouting, con-
fusedly; umbrellas, parasols and canes
were thrown over the rails at the side
by the people, who needed their hands
to fight their way out of the desperate
crowd. At last, with a single Shrek
that cut through the clamOr of thOus-
ands of voices, a young girl, who had
lost her footing on the peTilOus edge,
fell headlOng. She struck the pathway
at the foot of the steps, and lay for a
moment. She raised herself on her
hands and would have got up, but in an
other moment she was buried four
deep under the bodies of others who fell
over the steps after her. She was dead
when they got her out, more than half
an hour afterward. The men spTang
upon the rails at the side and waved the
crowds back from both the New York
and Brooklyn sides, but the people con-
tinutd to crowd on toward the steps.
No police were in sight. Every minute
the excitement grew worse. Men in the
crowd lifted their children above their
heads to save them from the crush.
People were still paying their pennies
at both gates and swarming in. At
last the people at the New York end of
the bridge understood what was hap
pening. The gates were closed and
word was sent to Brooklyn to close the
gates there.
Alfred Whitaker of the Brooks Oil Co.,
Cleveland, was in the jam but escaped
by climbing over the railing and hold
ing OH until the danger was over.
THE LATEST PARTICULARS.
NEW YORK, May 31.-SeveraI of the
officers of the bridge and eye witnesses
to the terrible disaster, believe the block
ade was caused by crowd of Germans
who stopped to cheer and laugh at a
man whose hat had been carried away
by a sudden gust of wind, and the mans
efforts to follow the hat.
Comptroller Brinkerhoff of Brooklyn,
an ex-Official member of the Board, says:
Possibly with larger and more exper-
fenced police force it would not have Oc-
Cured, and so far as l can Judge, the
calamity is due to no fault of the bridge
management.
Alden s. Walden, one of the bridge
trustees, says: "The travel on the bridge
yesterday was probably not over hal
that of last Sunday. We never dreamed
of an accident after passing last Sunday
safely
John T. Agnew, chairman of the ex-
ecutive committee of the bridge trus-
tees, says: "a meeting will be held to-
day to consider the subject, and take
any action that may be necessary"
Supt. Martin says: There are tWen-
ty-twO bridge police on duty, and do
not think the accident was chargeable
to any inadequacy of the bridge police
system. A thorough investigation will
be ordered, and all the facts in detail
will be sifted."
j. S. T. Stranahan, one of the board of
trustees, states that when the cars are
running, the fOotpath will be found
wide enough for all. Speaking of the
real cause of the accident, he says: at
should not forgotten by the public that
the cause of the accident was a panic.
No humaningenuity can provide against
panics. 1t may mitigate its effects, but
that is all it should be expected to do"
Sergt. James Kane and a squad of po-
lice from the Brooklyn police force pa