Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-06-23
EXCURSIONISTS IN THE STORM.
The Steamer Mary Wellington Driven
on the Flats.

4 Aho StcoIicr ohhry w aSuinxIOu DflSeu
on the Flats.
HER SIX HUNDRED PASSENGERS HAVE TO PASS THE
NIGHT ABoARD-rHEY REACH HOME SAFELY
THIS MoRNINa-scARY TIMES AT MARSHALL
HALL
The steamboat Mary Washington, which left
| Collingwood Beach at o'clock last night with
over 600 colored excursionists from this city,
who had passed the day there, encountered the
| severe thunder storm while on her way mp and
the violent head wind impeded her passage
and at length drove her upon the Maryland
fats near Fort Foote. There the steamer re-
manned all night An effort vas made to get
her back to the channel, but without success.
Many OF the passengers were thoroughly
frightened, and the night was spent by some Of
them in prayer, hymns and confession of Sab
bath breaking. The steamer affords no Sleep
ing accommodations but the decks, and hun
dreds wearied out slept there until daylight
this morning, when a tug and sand scow was
obtained and the belated and ship-wrecked
pleasure seekers were ferried by the
scow-ioad to Alexandria. The steamer s.
j. Pentz, which had come down TO carry
them to Washington. had landed at Hooe's
wharf. foot OF Prince street and on that wharf
the sand scow landed the passengers by in
stallments. Meanwhile the river front at
lower Prince street was througed with coIored
men, women and children, hungry but gay and
festive having gotten over the nights trouble
and being safe on terra firma again All the
groceries in the neighborhood were filed with
customers as soon as their doors opened and
everything edible was purchased. One party
came back to the wharf headed by a loaf OF
bread borne on a pole as banner, while bags
OF crackers, sausage and dried beef with the
pies and cake left over from Sundays sale,
furnished the multitude meager lunch. At
length the last passenger was gotten from the
grounded steamer and then the gangway of the
5. j. Pentz was thrown open. The crowd
hasfened on the boat and with a toot of her
steam whistle the Pentz came ON to Washing
ton.
The high tide this morning foated the
grounded steamer and at 10 o'clock il was
again crowded with colored excursionists who
were going to Collfngwood Beach today.
There is no danger of any of the Washing
TONS passengers getting drowned" remarked
one OF the officers of the boat this morning,
because when the boat is grounded the water
Is very shallow and the passengers can wade
ashore"
Among the passengers on the boat was
twelve-year-old white boy named Keyes, whose
parents reside on Mclean avenue southwest.
HIS mother did not know where he had gone.
She was almost frantic and feared that her son
mad gone in swimming and had been drowned.
He arrived on the Pentz this morning and was
on his way home, crying as though his heart
would break One of his neighbors: supposing
the boy had been hurt, stopped him and asked:
What are you crying for?"
m afraid my mother will whip me-"
A few minutes later the boy reached home.
but instead of getting the anticipated whipping
there was love feast
The Storm at Marshall Hall.
Hundreds Of people left the city for the
pleasure resorts along ths Potomac yesterday
and three-fourths Of these had Marshall Hall as
their objective point The steamers Manchester
and Corcoran were crowded on each trip down
and when the Manchester left on her last regu-
lar trip up the river it was found that there
were more than 1000 people on the grounds
that could not get on the steamer. AS the
evening was sultry those left behind took their
discontinue in good humor and prepared to
make the best Of the situation, telling them
selves it was better along the cool river shore
than IN the hot city, An exception to this class
OF contented mortals were the mothers and
fathers who had families of little children un-
der their care and wanted to see them safely at
home and in bed for the night
1t was about 3 o'clock when a light shower
drove all the excHrsionsts to cover, and as the
ram ceased falling in about ten minutes they
again crowded down on the pier anxiously
looking Tor the return OF the Manchester.
PANIC IN THE STORM
~ ""S "hho shie 0Ao"u VI people, some IUO
in number, were on the pier that the terrible
electric storm which reached this city about 10
o'clock came on with a rush and burst furiously
upon them before they could find shelter. Like
frightened sheep the crowd ran pell-me for
the dancing pavilion, which was soon packed
to its fullest capacity. The wind came first
with indescribable fury. and in its wake was
the pelting rain and biinding lightning. As
the rain dashed in upon the lily protected peo-
pie children cried, women shrieked and the
Of from seventeen to twenty years-tried to
keep up their own and companions courage BY
a continuous singing Of the classical Annie
Rooney"
THE RUSH.
In the rush for the pavilion hats were
crushed. clothes torn and umbrellas scattered
about unfortunately. The little children
were about the only ones that suffered bodily
harm, as several OF them were quite seriously
bruised by being trampled upon before being
rescued by some kind and sturdy hand During
the raging of the storm the entire crowd was
upon tip-toe of expectation, with nerves strung
to their highest tension, and had but a limb of
a tree broken or plank or board around the
pavilion been heard to give away, a panic and
rush would have certainly followed with direful
results.
When the Manchester returned at about 10 30
rush was again made for her decks and in
the crush several little children and women
were quite seriously bruised. 1t was HAS
O'Clock when the excursionists reached the
city, and a more thankful although dampened.
party OF people would be hard to discover.
q S,ny