The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1883-06-05

Scores of Struggling People Hurled
to Their Death From the Brook.
lin Bridge.
Mangled Corpses Carried Away
Like Logs.

AinO AOfSSs
NEW YoRK, May 30-A fearful ca
occurred on the East River
brilee this afternoon, bv which large
number Of people have lost their lives.
The narrowness " the fnotway for pas
sengers is the cause Of the horror. The
majority Of the dead are so far uniden.
titled.
At about 4 o'clock long line Of peo-
pie on foot in the centre walk of the
structure, going from and coming to
this CITY, thickened and swelled and
stopped in its motion jlst at the stairs
leading 10 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 remorse
less, fearful, stupid force, that held it's
victims as immovable as the stone fonn-
dations of the bridge itself. The stop
page lasted nearly an hour, during
which time scores OF people tainted
To relieve the jam the bridge officials
removed some Of the iron paling. few
feet from the stairway, on the New York
side, when, Of course. those unfortunate
enough to he near the opening. weak
and faiDting as they were, Immediately
Fell Helter SHELTER,
head over heels, down on the jagged,
eravelly road beneath. mass ofbruised
fliscolored human f.sh. Scores we're
trampled upon and instantly hurried to
their death. Men we're dragged out OF
that heap OF helpless humanity with
faces hlue as indigo and the life blood
out OF their nostrils, and chill.
dren and women, pale, diAhevelsd and
lead. The roadway on either side Of
tbe walk was strewn With the dead and
dying,
A Pitiable Sight,
and yet il ia said TO efforts were made
by the bridge officials to stop the peo.
pie COMING on the bridge. The dead
and dying we're carried of in wagons,
,Srts, etc, improvised on the moment
Tor the service, and 1t was long time
before the police arrived and anything
ike order was restored or ambulances
appeared. Meanwhile teams were rush
ing both ways at full gallop over the
no one conld tell
the limbs and lives of those
on foot who were attempting to assist
The
Unfortunate Victims.
Police shouting themselves hoarse "clear
The way" wagons rat'ling over the
rough stones, men and women crying
in all directions, made it bedlam in
iced. A party of men 10 uniform did
geoman service at the spot as volunteer
police to check the vulgar and curious
At the Chambers street hospital there
are lying thirteen dead, six unknown
men, six unknown women, and George
Smith;Eof AZ VISIT street. The cffice
was filled with people making frantic
InQuirers for Missing Friends.
and with hysterical women.
Altertena Bohnet, of 139 Division
street, last seen to fall with
Her Baby In Her Arms,
when the crowd rushed over her. The
baby was found, but the mother is mis-
sing
The scene In the City Hall P,Iice Sta,
ton was simply terrible. Women
screaming and wriuging their hands. men
with torn clothing and bleeding faces
and all around the wounded, mostly un.
conscious, lying beside the pals of the
dead. Every now and again frantic
mother would rush in inquirins for some
one lost, but there were none to answer
her, for the revival OF the insensihle oc
cupied all thoughts. Then the jangle
of ambulance bells added to the confu.
sion, as wagon after wagon tore up 10
the door, and surgeons descended. A
perfect
Stream of Unconscious Forms
was born into the station on stretchers
as ambulances were filed and driver
away
IL was walking along the bridge to-
wards the New York entrance" said {
man who held young girl, who wat
crying bitterly, by the hand. "when
heard shouting and screaming suddenly
in front of me. Then I saw hats, stick,
and hands stretched aloft, and with ont
scream the whole dense mass sursei
and swayed toward the gates. sup
pose the people thought the bridge wa'
coming down. Any way they
Screamed and Yelled
like demons Children and women wer,
knocked down and tramped up m. and
was borne -irresistably out of the en-
trance Then I found this little cir
who had lost her friends and here W,
are safe. thank God"
The little girl. between her sohs, sait
her name was Flora Davies, of No 10!
Lawis street.
VI went on the bridge" said Rev
Blight, of No. SO Third street, Brook
lyn, "at about four o'clock, and as | wa
approaching the river span | found my
self unable to move either backward o
forward. Women and children com
menced screaming; hundreds of men
climbed with gre difficulty on to the
beams running over the railroad anc
made their wav to the carriage way -
Many let themselves drop through be
tween the beams and were
Caught by Those Beneath.
A number of women also escaped IL
this way. / escaped in this wav myself
The police and others helped to pull on
the dead and dying, and they were laid OF
the roadway until the ambulance came
The shrieks of the children on the path
way were blood curdling. They cried
Help. help! cave me for Gods sake,
hut where We were we could do moth
ing"
Mr.. Martin, superintendent of The
bridge, was seen by reporter q few
minutes after the accident. He said:
"Five minutes before The word cam,
to my Office about the catastrophe l re
ceived word in answer to my inquir,
that everything was
Going on Smoothly
On the bridge and that the pedestrian
uoro uinn olopu u,,;oflv Z iol