The rustler., 1891-08-21

Hart.
Gem sruSo HAHnon. I. /. Aug. Il
"A terrlhle disaster occurred herr ye.-
t~rday afternoon. BY which fourteen
perNons-eight women. four children
and two men-iosi their lives
The steamer Crystal stream. with
The barge kepnbiie In tow. and having
aboard about 500 adults aud a. many
children. on an excursion Of the EN-
ployes Of Theodore Kayser. dry goods
dealer, Of Graham avenue. brooklyn.
arrived At the Cold Harbor dock about
O'Clock. having left south sixth
street brooklyn. at !0.so In the morn
ing About $50 o'clock the last
whistles for all To get aboard were
blown by the steamer aud At s.ss
every body was ready 20 start The
larger portion of the exenrSioniSts
were on the barge. where the younger
people were dancing. just then some
heavy clouds covered the sky: then
came a squall, the wind driving every
thing before IL
The boat hands. anticipating
shower. had LET down the canvas cur.
tains which are attached to the hurri.
cane deck Of the barge and fastened
them down to the port side. This pre-
vented the wind from blowing through.
and as one strong gust struck the barge
az lifted the starboard side of the hurri.
cane deck clear from It's fastenings and
supports, and forced II and the posts
and partitions in the center over the
port side. As II pushed over. the end
of the deck nearest the dock 10 which
the barge was fastened dropped down
upon hundreds of women and children
who had crowded over to that side OF
the barge In an effort To escape. In
moment the air was rent with Shrieks
and agonizing cries of the poor victims
whose lives were being crushed out and
limbs broken.
The officers, deck-hands and other
men on the steamer lost no time in
reaching the barge and doing all in
their power to rescue all whom they
could from the wreck. and the fallen
deck was raised sufficiently TO allow all
those who were alive and uniniured to
crawl out and the injured to be assisted
from the barge.
II had been hoped that none had been
killed, but the lifeless bodies OF four.
teen were seen TO be laying near the
gunwale All had had the life crushed
out of them by being caught between
the end of the deck and the guard rails.
Women and children and even strong
men wept piteously as they looked upon
the dead or dying. or the dead bodies |
those who were recognized were as fol-
lows:
Katie Kautze, years; William Hoff. |
man, captain of the Crystal Stream;
Robert Sculler, pilot of the barge;
Amelia Landgraf, Mary schaff. Minnie
Sehul.en. Annie Voltz, Emilia Wagner,
Emma We'll, Mrs. Pauline Prinz, Mrs
Anthony Lepnetinger, Minnie Goetz,
Lizzie Schamant 0 years old; Louis
knrtze. Among the injured are:
Charles Held, arm b,.,lken and other
bruises; Mrs Henry Isselman, foot
broken and bruises; Mrs Zimmerman.
DC yc1rs old. seriouAly hurt In the
chest and side of hAad. 1t is feared
that her injuries will prove fatal She
-'Sas i.lsen home by her daughter.
The wounded were carefully carried
aboard of the Crystal Stream. which
con- cJcd them around to OYSTER Bav
village, distance of six miles, where
thFy were attended by physicians. In
N" meantime arrangements were being
'rhdc by the committee of the excur.
ION Tor special train to carry the ex-
Irs ionists to brooklyn. A number
-eli the train which left Oyster Bay at
o'clock. Others, among them some of
lhe most seriously injured remained on
The Crystal Stream, which left here for
Brooklyn at about T:30 o'clock. The
bodies of the fourteen dead were laid
In row on the deck of the ill-fated
barge aud were covered with tarpaulin
10 await the arrival of the coroner from
|
The place where the disaster occurred
S at the head of Cold Spring harbor, :
not far from Laurelton, and is favorite {
picnic ground. The falling of the decl,
II the barge and the sad results that 4
are, ii is said. due entirely TO
he rotten cond ition of the supports I
The news of the accidents had pre- '
'eded the trains arrival and Brooklyn l
vas besieged by crowd of not less than G
1000 people who were friends or rela-
lives of those who had gone away on n
he excursion in the morning Every =
me was asking those who left the train 4
whether those belonging to them had h
escaped. Others, mostly men. looking u
or wives and children, were crying as
hey asked for their children, whom b
hey had heard were killed or injured. Il