The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-08-13
FOURTEEN LIVES LOST.
Terrible Disaster on a Long
Island Excursion Barge.
CYCLONE TEARS A DECK OFF.
Men, Women and Children Crushed
Under the Falling Roof.
The Timbers Supporting the Promenade
Floor Were Rotten Victims All Dead
When the Deck Was Lifted-stronr
Men Weep Beside the Corpses.

MTNNEoLA, l.. l., Aug 12.-The employees
of Theodore LASER. of Graham avenue,
Brooklyn, went on an excursion to Laurel
ton grove, Cold Spring Harbor, today, on
the steamer Crystal Stream and barge Re-
public. There were 800 people crowded to-
gether on the upper deck of the barge.
Suddenly heavy squall struck the barge
and the upper deck gave way, pinioning
about fifty persons.
Eight women. four children and two
men were killed. Just betor leaving Cold
Spring harbor dock for the return trip,
and after the passengers were aboard, a
squall came up, and the boat hands. an
ucipating shower, let down the canvas
curtains which were attached to the hurri-
cane deck of the barge, and fastened them
down to the port side. This prevented
the wind blowing through and as one
strong gust struck the barge it lifted the
starboard side of the deck from the fasten-
lngs and supports, and forced the top over
to the port side. As it pushed over the
end of the deck nearest the dock to which
the barge was fastened, it 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 the
screams and agonizing cries of the victims
whose lives were being crushed out and
limbs broken. 1t was in the midst of
terrible storm, and the waves ran high.
Some think the mast of the barge was
struck by lightning but this is
not known. Officers, deck hands and
other men on the steamer which had
the barge in tow lost no time in
reaching the barge and doing all in their
power to rescue all they could from the
wreck. Willing hands from the grove and
nelghboring places were also soon at work,
and In fifteen minutes the fallen deck was
raised sufficiently TO allow all those who
were alive an duninjured to crawl out and
the injured to be assisted from the barge.
1t had been hoped that none were killed,
but the lifeless bodies of fourteen were
seen lying near the gunwale. All had
their lives crushed out by being caught be-
tween the edge of the deck and the guard
rails. Women, children, and even strong
men, wept piteously as they looked upon
the dead or dying.
The dead are:
LIZZIE ScHAMANT, MRS PAULINE
PRINZ HOFFMAN, MINNIE GoETZ
Mrs. LIPENPINGER, KATIE KAUTZE
ROBERT SCHUYLER, AMELIA LANDGRoF
MARY scHAFF, MINNIE ScHAULHEIM,
ANNIE NoETz, AMELIA WAGNER,
EMMA WEII, Louis KURTz
Among the injured are Charles Held,
Mrs. Henry Isslemann and Mrs. Zerr-
mann. The wounded were carefully car
ried aboard the steamer, which conveyed
them to Oyster Bay village, a distance of
six miles. where they were attended by
physicians. The bodies of the dead were
laid on the deck of the barge to await the
arrival of the coroner. The place where
the accident occurred is at the head of
Cold Spring harbor, and is favorite pic
nicking ground.
The sad result was due entirely. it is said.
to the rotten condition of the supports of
the deck. Many excursionists carried
home with them pieces of the center posts,
which show that they We're perfectly rot
ten to the core. The barge itself it is
said, was unsafe in other particulars. Mrs.
Schamant, whose daughter, Lizzie, was
among the killed, says she was stand
ing at the upper end of the barge.
She saw the storm coming and was turn
ING to seek shelter when the cvclone came
and ripped the top Of the deck off, and a
minute later she saw her daughters legs
sticking out from between the rails and
the edge of the deck. She could hear her
screaming, but could not help her. She
does not know what became of her sister.
who was standing near, and it is feared
she was also killed.
George Peters, who was slightly injured,
said:
Everybody had gone aboard the barge and the
steamer and they were just preparing to cast off
the hawsers by which the barge was fastened to
the dock when a cyclone struck the barge and
threw it over to one side. They had rolled down
the canvas on one side to protect those on board
from the rain which was falling when fearful
gust OF wind lifted the roof off and carried with
il the pilot-house and everything else over
against the side nearest the dock A number of
people were pushed between the edge of the
roof, which dropped down when the supports
were broken and think most of those killed
had their lives pushed out in that way. | as
sisted a number of women and children to get
from under the collapse. never witnessed such
a terrible sight.
Other accounts of the accident are SINH
lar to the foregoing.
When the special train carrying the sur
vivors home reached Brooklyn. a crowd of
1000 was gathered at the depot. anxiously
awaiting news of those near and dear to
them. The coroner's jury this evening
viewed the bodies of the dead and gave a