New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-08
HIDDEN IN A DENSE FOG.
A VEIL OF MIST DRAWN OVER THE BAY
SEVERAL ACCIDENTS TO RIVER oRAFT-FEHsRY
BOATS DELAYED-A SLIGHT PANlC
IN ONE CASE

In the darkness of Thursday night white sea
fog stole UP from the ocean. 1t rolled up over
the lower bay, and piling in dense wrea'1s an"
masses crept toward the city. 1t was coio so''
Of drizzling fog and pervaded the city generaiiy'
but when morning broke it betook itself 10 ,he
rivers and the bay, making great whi'e i. J"
was so dense that it would have been " real Eng
lshp if it had been brown instead OF lleecy wi'e'
1t was well-marked and well-dehned log, 700.
and passengers going to cross the ferries coui"
walk out of bright and dazzling sunshine iioo
what seemed like an exaggerated Russian pa'"'
minus the heat. The towers OF the broohiy"
Bridge loomed spectral-lxe through the vapor uli-
til toward noon, when the fog seemed 70 se''H
lower down and to recede in the direction Oh "oV-
ernor's Island.
All the morning and part of the afternoon
the dense white fog covered the bay ana the
rivers The fog looked like steam and gllstenea
in the bright sunlight. 1t did not go far inallu'
but at one time dense masses Of white vapor hung
around the red tower of the Produce Exchange,
wrapping the structure in swaying folds. .oh-
mcrce was seriously interfered with and thera
were several minor accidents.
About 10 o'clock the freight steamer Ploneer,
which runs between this port and Newark, ran OIL
the rocks off the Battery. 1t was haued OIL Dy
n tug and did not suffer serious damage. Inc
bark Annie Reed ran ashore at the Battery' ohc'
too. got off without damage. Ihe incoming
steamers were all delayed at the bar until aIter
. o'clock, when the fog nIteo' penS po"n """'
by southwest wind.
The morning ferryboats were unable to run
on time. and this caused great crowding on inc
Rrdco On the North River the ferryboat
povonia while on her Z 80 trip from Jersey
Citv was struck by an unknown tug, which dis
anneared in the fog before her name could be
learned. The fcrryboat was struck on the port
side with considerable force. The boat was
crowded with passengers, and for time there
was n scene of wild confusion. Women screamed
and tainted and men rushed wildly to the STAR
hoard side of the boat, knocking each other down
in their mad rush. Life preservers were taken
ont of the inside boxes where they are Kept, ana
every one seemed ready to jump overheard.
IL was all over in moment, and then every
body realized suddenly that he or she was actihg
like a profane' fool and stopped it. Everybody
| looked sheepish; everybody was more OF less
bruised. but nobody was seriously hurt, ana Dy
| the time the ferryboat reached her slip on the
New-York shore nobody would own that he had
| ever been scared
Two unknown tugs ran ashore on the Ellis
| Island fats while the fog was thick, but got OIL
without much trouble. An unknown schooner
grounded the fats south of Governors Island but
was hauled off by tug without injury. when
the fog had disappeared from the East River ana
hung like q thick curtain, stretched between the
Battery and Bellows Island, it was curious to
see the tugs ferryboats and steamers bound around
into the North River all waiting in fleet, with
| stcam-whistles going and every now ana uhen
moving forward to follow up the retreatlng wall
The Statue of Liberty over on her lonely peues.a
| seemed floating in cloud-bank, and here ano
there down the Bay could be seen masts belong
! inv TO yessels whose hliils were lny,sible.
| Sergeant Dunn was absent from his desk at the
top of the Equitable Building yesterday, being
/ confined to his home by q severe cold. Ills
place was taken BY his lieutenant Sergeant Bauer,
whose clean-cut, direct and incisive method OF
| explaining all kinds of atmospheric phenomena
is much appreciated by reporters: .Of course
there are many causes for heavy fog" said Ser
Ceant Bauer yesterday, and this particular con-
| dition was brought about by yesterdays acces-
sion of warmer and humid air coming in contact
with the cold water. The fog extended along
the coast from Block Island to Cape May, and
probably for some distance up the Hudson River
| Probably il was heaviest out in the Bay. We
were by no means appalled, by this fog. In my
experience of the Signal Service Office it has sew
| cral times been equalled and even beaten. within
recent years. both in point of tenacity and sever
| itVp