Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1890-04-18
MICHIGAN BUDGET.
A BIG STEAMBOAT DISASTER.
Detroit Has a Tragedy and a Fire.
Passengers swept Into the River

Passengers Swept Into the River.
SAGINAW, April 13.-The steamer Handy
Boy, OF the bay line river steamers, LETT
her dock this afternoon for Bay City, Capt.
II. j. Doisen in charge II is not known
how many persons there were on board,
but estimates OF passengers give the num-
Der at from 30 TO 80, many OF whom were
on the promenade deck. She passed
through the johnson street bridge and
gathering headway, aided by steam and
the swift current, swept rapidly down the
river Just before the draw OF the Flint IL
Pere Marquette bridge was reached, the
draw being open full width, either through
gross carelessness OF the helmsman or from
the craft not answering her helm. she
6heered sharply TO port and instead OF
passing through the draw plunged into "a
span OF the bridge sixty feet west OF the
middle of the draw with a terrific crash,
carrying away her entire upper works and
sweeping the passengers into the river-at
least mum Der of them, while Others caught
upon the bridge timbers aud saved them
selves. In less time than it takes TO write
It, the accident was over, the boat being
held fast against tho bridge. Search for
bodies was at once begun and continued
until dirk without success. AS soon as
news of the dis ster reached the city or
ders for the arrest of the crew were issued.
Engineer George Little was first locked up
and later Edward Trump, the wheelman,
was taken in Capt. Dolsen fled aud al
though score of officers have been search
ing for him, up to midnight he had not been
captured. The fireman, Fred Breeze, went
to Bay City. The loss OF life is estimated
at seven and those known 70 be injured
number ten.
The Captain Arrested.
EAST SAGINAW, April Enlightenment
has run high regarding the frightful catas-
trophy of Sunday whereby several lives
oil ~ hnU h. ksa
steamer Handy Boy colliding iGh the
Flint 81 Pere Marquette railroad bridge.
The river in the vicinity of the wreck has
been dragged, but Lo bodies have beeu re-
covered. 1t has been established beyond u
doubt that four women, ali of Saginaw,
were drowned: Mrs. Mamie Haight, aged
%; Mrs. George j. Montgomery; Miss
Myrtle Owen, aged Ii, and Mrs. John
Walsh. "A travelling man from st. Louis,
Michigan, whose name is unknown, is sup
posed TO be lost, besides many who reside
In river towns and whose names are not yet
ascertained. The loss may possibly reach
seven or thereabOuts. Tremper, the man
who was at the wheel is % years old His
parents reside on farm near Caro-, where
he worked for time. He was married three
weeks ago TO pretty little woman, who is
heart-br0ken over the affair Tremper has
respectable relatives in this city. He has
sailed four seasons, generally as fireman,
but he has done some wheeling. He says
the wheel Jailed to work, the chain foul
ing. He called to the captain, who did
come He then rang three bells, but
moment later the DO struck the bridge.
He was knocked overheard and foated
down the river mile on a board before
being pick up. A woman grasped him and
he tried TO save her, but could not and he
saw her disappear. Dolsen, the captain,
who disappeared so suddenly after the dis
aster was arrested and locked up at Bay
City this afternoon. The wrecked vessel
has been towed TO Bay City.