New-York tribune., 1886-07-19
THROWN FROM A GANG-PLANh
Thirty PEOPLE FALL INTO IhE a N
wan y BOARDING THE COLUMBIA.
Any .xD WOMEN STRUGGLING FOR IhtiN N''
.r pocNAwAY-ovER 800 PEOPLE Fright
rNrp-rHR CAUSE OF THE Acci-
DENT UNKNOWN

At pOCkAWAY-ONER 4,oVV Tt'' '-A
ENrp-rHE CAUSE OF THE ACCT
DENT UNKNOWN.
tboso accidents which, notwithStanu-
,ns the increased precautions porn oi .rrsd At
90 10 concomitants Of the excursion season.
r..S.wav Reach Yesterday afternoon ana "'."o r
- reonlc were suddenly thrown into the "a'
sa- ,-cnmstances exceptionally dangerous no ono
Sunea aud the condition Of only three Is looAeo oi
serious ,,,. which. with
The three-deckei steamer Columbia ,ar,,vav
ne Grand Republic, makes daily trips 10 90 tho
r.oh had blown her whistle as Warn'"s .,oir
oro,,ds who had chosen Rockaway 70 "n'' r.. N
a., =, ro., and 70 Gain ygor from the sea oi .
s~.,,o,,sb their weeks work that she was rha
- her last trip 10 Brooklyn ana NOW - ,o,ra
oates which hal restrained the eager % the load
,hropg vhils the boat was being emP.i'u y, vest
,nat II h "a picked up at It's landings o. Wv North
r.ntv .econd-st West Tenth-st ano Ile' Nv " -
I"e"N voxr ond at Jewels Wharf Brooklyn,
- hock &, few minutes before ociooA "".
.n hesan IT seemed as though the N'e"
,,,ioD ~ zach one was TO get 'n ' 49,,
o-., There we're two ganspanks' o"0 - .oha
~. other admidships, and as 'he 'NNo'' -, Ia
,.S.r nm those In front were retarded ""u ."e - 80
hind pressod up until men, women anu . 49, Gang.
.osed ,,,ntly both Oh the pier ard along 'N0 e'"s
plank o, ouv shouted Officer
/,, h, ,r,th Purser Terry was taxing t'ke'' u" w
.midsblp, gang plank The appear ""' uso- So. ,,
ever and a commotlon In the rear e"usoN ~ 49, -
cans who had raised disturbance ana were pe'"s o. o.
-~s,d nv officer Hardy, had the effect OF making TUG
nre.sure even greater than before An omihous 0t"0
aos heard under the feet OF the people hearcS' 'o
~, suddenlv gap was made IN the throng Oy Ine siiA
inc ont OF sight of thirty people. Inc pe'e VI
a, the base OF tho shute which was cut INV VIC P
accommodate the rise and fail OF the boats Win '
ana which had an incline Of about four feet 10 us
a h~ay
,othar with many Of those on the gang-plahK INTO
,ho vater Men shouted women shrieGed baDes yeheu'
aud an great was the pandemonium tha' the o'dels
gven by tae officers Of the boat could not DC hero'
Tne neop,o on the upper-deck OF tue s''""o'
,osse A rush for the bulky cork hfe-presesNors
slowed away over their hea's anu ono"orou U
,hem on the heads Of those In the water IN sacn
,,,o, "a IN hde them from view. As the preservers
ei,h ,rl,c a mound and thrown from such dis
.nca ne intended kindness had the enect OF Drusns
tho heads Of those who were struggling IN tne "aeI
s.voral decI,hands Immediately sprsng into ihe
wafer and handed as many as they coud IeacH up "
o.. iecl ~ the boat dozen little skfs we're quickly
manned and did effective service ID hauNns os' .-o
had been carried OF reach OF the pier anu many
who ,oained their presence OF mind climbed up inc
,, 70 nlaces OF safety. within three minutes every
ono hal been taken out Of the water some OIL 'ho
women and children were taken 10 the aoeas'uo "0u
Immediately adjoining the pier. ana others lnlo '".
,vooen's cabin winch resulted In the separation VI
families And friends and caused great deal Oh Anxiety
Mothers with their clothes ana hair dsheVenel "ehV
, Looking for their chdren. aud refused TO be CON-
,orad with the r rformation that they were safe hus
nas searched in vain their wives on the boat ana
reioned them at the hotel
when the accident occurred the gates on the pier
,vere once more closed and the crowds Kept from
interfering with the work OF the rescuer''
uauv OF tic more tnnid women IN the
taken refused to go aboard and nsised upon returning
botne by rail- There net many OF these however,
and when the Columbia finally started az O'CLOCK there
e over 500 people aboard. The acci snt OF course
was The all prevailing topic among thei ana 'nose "no
haa escaped the involuntary bath were congratuatnS
,h .,osoves that they were not among the victims
Parser Terry had narrow escape. "MlRe murphy
Auckland was s.audre near Linn land just as Terry
was topping over grabbed him by the coat collar ana
nalled him on the deck. Murphy also pulled four
women out OF the water Police Ohcer Grote STOOD on
the gang plank oppose TORY aud also s'apec Regard
In. the accident he said
1T seems 10 AS though had
never seen crowd so hard to handle
The people acted as though they word
walk npon one another their desire to get on lho
boat iust hsd my hand ticket whenit was )efEe'
out and the that handinSt to me tunolou pacA
into the water, SIN hanging on to the pAsteOo"rd 40"
managed TO escape IS something stranselh Wee no
DfeTu
people went down thougn they mad stepped ilto
bei of uuicksand. The gang-pank tipped and thus
threw those or tie end nearest The pier who ha1 mo-
thing TO catch hold INTO the water The men On the
boat grabbed ropes at that end Of the plank ana
paled 1t aboard, thus saving many who would o'her'
wise have suffered the fate OF those on the pier end
William Lynch, OF No. lG7 seventh-ave., and his
.yearo!d boy those on the plank who
were thrown INTO the water had my little boy In
nv arms when lost my footing" he said land FORUM
a. Y caugh; hold OF the plank but lost the noy.
lie went down twice before ! could get hold OF MN
sgau, and wnen did passed INN up 70 solnoPou} c
tee deck. Mhen started 70 CLIMB ul io,i w sen @ o.
put heel o. his boot into my face ara 1n1cheu me
back again lDaly reached the decK OF the pOat anu
OF a bat and umbrella. Even after nad seon my noy on
twenty minutes before lld ind him again. He had
been tax "a down intO the boats Kitchen 10 dry.
siIi6.si.. Who. with his WIFE,. Was among
those on the snute when IT went down. ne saia
yelh.s :. Right ia front Oi me wss little chap that
thought woaid be smolnered ana picked him up 10 my
law were c!mglug TO me for Gear ne hie, haraly
had picked rna Inn up fei",s feaS dSTn c wen, wa
NE s5 rcat across ms chest We ali won't nncsr and
wien 8 came up siiIl had hold of him. some one
tie women, but they hsd already been cared for. |
swan. .de ard tnen climbed upon tie dock lost
lie employs OF the boat did utmost for the com
were provided with rooms aud their ol"'AlhS
dred In the engine while they Va ed
clothed in rlsleTs. gOssamers and such Other
garments could be picked up among the more ioItd-
nate passengers Most OF the wO;nen were SIhorlhs
from and extreme fright and one or TWO
from nausea caused Oy the liberal drsught OF SAT- water
swallowed. Carriages were prOvloed iOr lhose
WHO required them at the several ianni"sS
Ars. g. McNse,, OF One-kundrei iandweny-s y-secohd-st.,
alpeaIed to tle completely overcome o, those
WHO came 70 SeNYoIk the boat She was carried 10
scarrlage when the boat landed at West twenty
tecOnd-st
AZ Iha eeas,de Uouss in Pocksway Drs.
King and brown Gld ali that thcJ could
for tie relief remained there, and mos; OF
them able take trains back TO tho city, IOnIny
Joues, seven -year-Old son Cf Thomas Jones.
Of NOGil WXsLiug On A. and Carrie McClOskey. age
SIX o. No. 4Ol West Furtyeig ghth-st, seven-n"nlns
Cd child o. Mrs Bruiand Of Paterson, were tbOugnt by
lac physicians 10 he IN critical condition.
Mrs Brul4nd'a child had been unconscious from the
time was rescued up to late bour last night.
bIi" 20 rs head indicates that 1t was struck by
Ike preservcr
Tie names and addresses OF those who were spilled
ihlO Vie water. 8 far a cOhld be learocd. are