The sun., 1890-08-26
A CRASH OFF THE BATTERY.
SHE FERRTBOAT 7 BALTIC PLATS HAVOC
WITH A BIG EXCURSION.

n. Arthur Clubs Festivities Turned into
T,rror-Poopie Overheard and BnrGes
Ftoatine Loose IN che DnrknesH-FIve
Tbousand In n Fanie-No Loss OF Life.
Tho mammoth excursion OF the Arthur Club.
,ho bic Republican association OF the Fourth
lsssmbly district, OF which Deputy Collector
Jobn Collins is chief, came within an ace of
having sad ending of tho Battery at sK
o,clook last evening. The friends OF
tb. club are legion. and belong to
10th parties. and when the steamboat Crystal
e,ream, sandwiched between four barGes, left
,ha foot OF Rutgers street yesterday morning
Tor Mount Pleasant Grove. up the Hudson,
,bsre was dancing room only. and not great
deal OF that. Tho Job OF towing this big party
vss TOO gigantic for the Crystal Stream
alone, and sho had TO get the little propeller
Neptune to help. The Neptune pulled along In
front with nearly 150 feet OF hawsor between
bsr stern and tho bow Of the steamboat
Returning at the days close the merriment
ras unalloyed until the excursionists rounded
,bo Battery, the snub-nosed little tug in the
van. Tho tide was strong ebb. that is, 1t was
yushlng hayward, and the tug, the four
broad. bowed barges, and the Crystal
Rtreap, which had come down the Hudson
With the tide. wore now buckinR II for all they
we're worth. When the little fotilla was nearly
abeam OF the Barge Office the South
Ferry boat Baltic, bound for the New
YORK shore. was starting from Brook
i'm. The iotilla was just In front
OF the South Ferry slip when the
Baltic steamed up to enter It. That is, the
little tug had already passed the slip. and the
rest Of the notilla had not quite reached It.
The entrance to the slip. though, was barred
By the long hawsor which connected the two.
- Nho na1tt Aloh1 h1,v Inbt
see tho Neptunes hawser, and he doubtless
supposed that there was no connection be-
tween the steamboat with the quartet OF big
barges and the little tug.
The Crystal Streams Captain saw the mis-
take that Pilot Albertson was going to make.
however. and he blew two whistles to indicate
that he was going to cross the Battles bow.
But the Baltic kept right on, and came plump
up against the long hawser, parting 1t instant
IT, Tho shock on tho ferryboat threw
many passengers who were taking the air on
the forward deck from their feet and nearly
half OF the several thousand excursionists were
knocked down by the frightful jerk OF
tho broken hawser. The barRes and
the steamboat, under the stimulus
of the jerk, came rushing up the
stream and the Baltic propelled by the
tide came rushing down. The port bow Of the
one OF the two barges on the port side OF the
Crystal Stream.
This second shock, following 30 closely on
the first created q veritable panic on the
barges Women and girls screamed and faint
ed. Part OF the port bow and big section
OF the rail Of the Baltic was carried
away The bow OF the barge that got
the brunt of the blow was broken. and splin-
ters from 1t and the rail OF the ferryboat few
all over the forward deck Of the barge. Tho
lashes between the barges were torn apart and
the gangplanks connecting them were broken.
to one barge and proceed up the East River
n VIII it. The barge that was 81 MT and its sister
sSs Slip an with aRAn another !n' band sda that
ho other Sarse drtea down ssrenm in ~a %
minent danger S Of s, collision With one of the
taes tlts WSose Pots Resrd The crysta
Stream's shril whistles for assistance, put out
instantly. and one OF them succeeded in
tune steamed back and picked up the barge @
men who were sitting ON the rail OF barge
were knocked overheard. and other men who
threW 6em ls afef Se young eows @ aasmened
the uneasiness aboard. The young men were
b aSs a R FSs ysf sbssf CT q Ps hs saEse
Iybosts collision with tho hawser knocked me
Snd spilled Hb
suddenness and came right up against our
bow, l was standing forward. and. with
ne deo M suSn o IS RataerS Srsa
vas. was hurt, but not seriously shower q
eRdren S and % cug to the NR
and drItted over TOWARD the ferry slip. against
sSu 'Ha Bang TITS 'h set tho RGs TomsR aHd
children crying again: and the mon. who were
hard lime oqietins them. We were mighty
glad to get picked up"
thS MI John dcGseS OF S7s Water street was on
pot remember which It was. for all the people
hSd bad been e, moving from one to another
and said tSSf h the collision oesSS caGsed dns@f eOn
so Rs ssW ops
sss:a % %Beyond a that he fnsS nothing rS ss sG;
his barge drIfted p up against the Bat:
SS isH St Re Whole party andod pna
At h Sy sBs asss the
Try: and u the others A won't + hs su' DOESN'T
b9rges was 80 great that nobody could tell
what was happening.
Robert ]. Driscoil and Thomas P. welch.
other passengers on the barge say that the
crystal Stream blew two whistles. which, they
way.
Tho accident was the theme OF all the Seventh
si nR bsd Sn, that
could be found who knew his name. Several
young men had their leRs hurt.
The eEcursionists did not get home until
sror 10 o'clock, They arrived on tho four
barGes at the foot OF Rutgers street at IL ~
walls from 9E to l0S O'Clock. 81
The Baltic was 30 badly damaged that she
was laid up for the night and another boat put
In her place.
A Deraiied Car Falls on - House.