Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1890-07-18
FALL OF A LANDING STAGE.
MORE THAN SIX HUNDRED PERSONS
THROWN INTO THE WATER.

Halifax, July ia terrible &C
cident occurred in Dartmouth to.
night by which a number of people
were drowned, but the exact num-
Der OF the victims will not be known
until tomorrow. The cham attach
ed to ferrybOat slipped out OF
place, allowing the front OF the
bridge to sink and preclpitate a
crowd of 600 or 700 men, women,
and children into the water. The
people were crowded there waiting
Tor the new ferry steamer Annex,
Just arrived from New York, to
dock.
When the steamer got within
two feet of the landing a number OF
persons jumped on board, and at
that moment the accident occurred.
The outer end of the bridge went
down suddenly, and the horror
stricken crowd slipped of into the
harbor as though they were descen-
ding a slide, Piling on top of each
other, shrieking for help and scram-
bling for means of safety.
For several minutes there was a
confused crowd of men, women and
children struggling in the water,
but the accident had hardly hap.
pened before a dozen men and boys
leaped to the rescue.
The drowning people were rapid
ly passed up 20 the men standing
above on the wharves, aud the
rapldity with which the rescuers
performed their work resulted in a
great majority of those who fell in
being saved from death. There
were many good swimmers in the
party and they helped the people
to land until there were no more III
sight on the surface.
When the crowd slipped of the
landing stage the several hundred
people around crowded 70 the sides
of the wharf and threw sticks and
boards to the struggling mass in
the water, while number OF life
preServers wore thrown to them
from the steamer.
Many people were struck and in
jured By flying boards, aud all the
bodies recovered bear cuts and
bruises. Statements of spectators
show that most Of those who fell in
were women and children, and the
scenes Immediately following the
disaster were frightful.
Several men and their wives were
thrown in, and the former strug-
gled herolcally to savethe latter,
succeeding in every instance, SO
far as know. Harry Silver was
thrown in with his wife, and man
aged 10 get her ont safely.
A man named BrOdle saw his
wife struggling in the dock, and
leaping in, saved her. a woman
named Logan was thrown into the
water with Young child IN heI
arms. She struggled brayely to
preserve the lite of the infant. Both
were finally brought ashore alive
An elderly man named Edward
Foster and his daughter fell IN to.
gether, and the former was saved,
but was so frantic over the loss of
his daughter that be could hardly
be dragged ashore.
When all those IN sight had been
brought to land the work of crap.
ping for the drowned ones was
begun. Within two hours fOu T
bodies had been recovered, but mp
midnight no moor had been found.
it is believed that at least three or
four others we're lost, but the eX.
act number cannot be told at pres.
ent.
Intense excitement prevailed in
Dartmouth aud Halifax when the
news OF the disaster spread, and
thousands hOcked TO the scene.
where they remained until late
hour watching those working in thr
water.
Owing to the Confusion it is i'm.
possible 10 tell who are missing,
but the number cannot be large.