St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-06
A Coasting Steamer Collides
With a Barge Loaded With
Excursionists.
Seven Children Manned and
Mangled by an Explosion
of Powder.
Conflicting Orders Cause a
Fatal Railway Collision in
Northern Michigan.
An American Missionary in
Persia Murdered by a
HalfblOOd.

ASTORIA, l.. l., July 5.-The coasting
steamer Eleanora, while bound east
ward through He'll Gate, about 80 this
evening. collided with tine Walter Sands,
one of the two barges dashed together,
upon which were between 1000 and g.
600 men, women and children, in tow of
the tug boat Idlewild. 1t is almost a
miracle that terrible disaster and great
loss of life did not follow. Fortunately,
however, no one was killed, though sew
eraI were injured. Those whose injur-
les are most serious and who were taken
to Bellevue hospital, N. Y, are;
HENRY ELK, cut on the head.
EDMUND O'BRIEN, badly cut about the head
and face.
GEORGE LANG, internal injuries.
Mrs. SLATTERY, nose split open.
Mrs. JENNINGS, cut about the headand face.
WILLIE JENNINGS. four years old, badly cut
about the body.
MARY SMITH, cuts on the head and face.
HENRY OXIE, cuts aud bruises on head,
face and hands.
All of the above reside in Elizabeth,
n. j. The story of the collision as re-
lated by Capt. William COnnOrton, of
the barge Waiter Sands, which was
struck by the steamer, is that the barges
in tow of the tug Idlewild were return
ing from IdleWild Grove, l.. l., and was
passing through He'll Gate. about $50,
when the Eleanor was seen Steamlng to
the east. The tug signalled her by
whistling twice to keep the port side,
and the steamer apparently obeyed
the signal until she was about OPP
posite the barges. Her bow then
suddenly turned, and in moment
crashed against the side OF barge amid
ships, almost throwing the latter on its
beam ends, though it was dashed to the
other barge. In second the rear half
of the guard rail and bulwarks of the
upper deck of the barge was cut clean
away. as if done with a knife. Along
the rail, on bench seats running around
the upper deck, were seated many men,
women and children, upon whom the
broken supports and SplinterS OF the
1imbers fell. About twenty per-
sons in all were injured by
these flying pieces, but all ex-
cept those named above were able
to go to their homes. and their names
could not be aScertained. Had the
steamer struck the barge more squarely
there is no telling what the result
would have been. At the time of the
collision the larger portion OF the eX-
gcursionists were dancing on the upper
and lower decks. and the moment the
crash was heard scene of the most in
tense excitement began. Men ran
hither and thither searching for their
wives, children and Sweethearts and
shouldering life preseryers, while the
women screamed and tainted and the
children joined in with chorus of
cries. Some half-crazed men wanted to
Jump into the water with their families,
but the captains of the barges quieted
their fears in a measure by assuring
them that there was no further danger,
as the injury to the barge was entirely
son the outside The excursion was that
of Court Lafayette No. 3 444 Indepen-S
dent Order of Foresters, of Elizabeth,
M V