Morning journal and courier., 1883-05-31

serve the rule that each person should kee
to the right. Those coming from Brookly
refused to give way to those who were &c
ing from New York. There were grea
many children in the crowd. Mothers hel
their little ones aloft in frantic endeav or {
keep them from being trampled upon. Al
OF the bridge officers aided by strong erme
men among the citizens endeavored to pre-
vent the crush, but it was impossible"
Mr.. E. Flaherty, Of No. 228 East Twenty
| eighth street, an eye witness to the scene
gave the following description of the acciden
to Telegram reportsri 81 started to eros
to Brooklyn about quarter TO o'clock. Al
entered on the bridge I noticed larg'
number passing over, but apparently in goot
right hand side. To reach the promenade
from the level there is Aight of light wood
en- steps in height about fifteen to twenty
feet. After passing up these steps found
the crowd much denser with occasional haltE
IN the progress About half way between
the beginning of the raised platform at the
New York pier dead check was made by
the crowd All were in good temper and
joking over the great crowd that was pres.
emit. In few moments policeman came
running down on top of the partition be
tween the main cables and said, Go back!
Go back! You can't get over to Brooklyn.
just as he said this there was considerable
pressure in the direction of New York, ap
parently produced by the orders of the police
stationed further on the bridge. AT
once on all sides came cries from
the women and children who com
posed a large part of the crowd.
Women called to the men near them in
piteous tones for assistance. Herculean
efforts were made by men to help the women
and children, but so awful was the pressure
that it was with difficulty they could save
themselves from being crushed. Fathers
and mothers held their children aloft SO as to
save them, if possible, from being crushed
to death. On all sides were the pale faces
OF half fainting women and
of the terrible consequences that
might ensue at any moment. Slowly the
immense crowd crushed toward the New
York side. Now and again some bold youth
would Chamber over the par
tition to the railway beneath
and SO escape. Some stayed on
top and endeavored to restrain the crowd by
ly toward the stairs descending to the lower
level. Some stumbled and fell, others fell
over them and those immediately behind
them were helplessly forced over on them
and in this way many of those under foot
were crushed to death. When reached the
top of the steps on looking down to get
safe footing saw blue dress and a womsn's
foot. By tremendous effort we held the
crowd back for moment and raised the
woman up. She was almost unconscious.
BLEEDING ooPIoUsLY ERoM THE FACE.
As we raised her she exclaimed, OH my
mother Oh! my brother! We handed
her over to the officials of the bridge. As
we passed down the steps I glanced along
the roadway below, and there lying ranged
along the wall, I saw about fifty dead and
dying men, women and children, some COW
arg with h10od nfh onnaronk1u
ted to death. Up to this time had seen no
surgeon or ambulance or any assistance be-
ing given to the dying and wounded vic
Tins"
Mr.. W. c. Beetchenow, of 1875 Mechanic
street, Newark, special constable in that
city, said: t'A few minutes before the acct
dent some people began to be afraid some
thing would happen and tried to get back to
the entrance When the others saw them do
this they also turned and tried to follow, and
then as if by magic the most horrible scene I
ever witnessed took place. Men finding
themselves pushed before and behind
began to swear and fight, and wo-
men screamed and tore their clothes off
1 happened to be near the railing
and 1 climbed down on to the railroad track
and called upon the others to do SO also.
child was thrown over and fell at my feet.
He was not seriously hurt, 1 guess, for al
though he cried very hard he was able to
VAIN OAs AWO yOuIB WOAOA AS1 IA bAy4AS
to climb down. One had her leg broken and
the other had been badly crushed be-
fore getting over the railing SO that she
tainted and came near falling through the
ties into the river. I held them both up I'M
til got help and then carried them into tie
New York st ation."
Another Accountable Cause of the
Panfc-A Woman Who Tainted in the
Cruxh-Curious Crowds jam zach 9th
err to Death-The Scene 1T Appeared
to the Police.
NEW YORK, May 3O.-The Brooklyn bridge
received a dreadful baptism to day in a crush
that occurred apparently by accident on the
New York anchorage A number of per-
sons, mostly women and children, we're
crushed, some to death, some fatally, and
still others severely. scene of terror
reigned for fully fifteen or twenty minutes
that battles description. When it was over
carloads of wounded and crushed human
beings were taken out of the New York en-
trance to the bridge. A small mountain of
torn and abandoned clothing was gathered
ap by the police. The accident occurred in
bottom of the middle footway ends and two
lights of seven steps each, with an interme-
iiate landing, lead up to the plank walk of
he span between the New York anchorage
md tower. 1t was shortly after O'Clock.
The bridge was crowded from one end to the
other SO that there was hardly elbow room on
he footway. A woman who was ascending
he lower flight of steps
STUMBLED AND FELL ON THE LANDING.
The crowd presse upon her and she
Ihrieked. Bridge Officer Frederick Richard,
Who was on the plank walk above, seeing her
LANCER, elbowed his way to the spot and
fitted her up. The crowd closed upon them
both and they went down. With desperate
'ffort Officer Richards got upon his feet once
more, dragging the woman after him. She
again in despair and fright and the
,rowd above and below pressed toward the
pot 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 STUN
oled and unable to resist the pressure from be-
1ind the crowd passed over them. From
lbovs the crowd coming from Brooklyn was
carried to the edge of the steps and then fell
over and down upon the struggling mass
below. A terrible struggle for life began.
Mem and women
FOUGHT WITH THE STRENGTH OF DESPAIR
against one another. Escape was impossible
With the pressure from both sides growing at
every shout of anguish that went up from
The dying and those who saw death before
heir eyes. Fear and despair on one side,
on the other, and passions equally
strong in the crowd fought for the mastery.
The encounter was deadly and the issue long
and uncertain. The frightfal crush was
ienser than ever when after nearly fifteen
minutes Company A of the Twelfth regiment
a body of hardly q score of militiamen
led by Lieutenant Hart and Sergeants Coul-
dock and Costello, marched up the approach
toward Brooklyn. The yells of the crowd
attracted their attention. At the foot of the
steps a wall of human bodies was piled high.
The dense mass surged about it and in it the
soldiers saw two policemen vainly struggling
against it. Sergeant Couldock took ia the
situation at glance. At his word of COM
mand his men scaled the fence and railroad
track separating them from the footwalk and
wedging into the mass of people near the
scene of the disaster drove back the crowd