Los Angeles herald., 1891-08-13
A SAD HOLIDAY.
Frightful Disaster to all Ex-
cursiOn Party.
Fourteen People Killed and
Many Injured.
The Collapse of the Deck 6 Barge
During Storm.
The Victims Horribly Crushed by the
0~.l "a
The Victims Horribly Crushed by the
Falling Timbers-Sad Ending of
Working Peoples
Picnic.
Associated Press Dispatches.

Associated Press Dispatches.
MINEoLA, L. L., August l2.-The en-
ployes of Theodore Kaiser OF Graham
avenue, Brooklyn, went on an excursion
to Laurelton Grove, Cold Springs Har-
Dor, today, on the steamer Crystal
Stream and the barge Republic. There
were 800 persons crowded together on
the upper deck of the barge. Suddenly
a heavy squall struck the barge, and the
upper deck gave way, pinioning about
fifty people under it. Fourteen persons
were instantly killed eight women,
four children and two men. Twenty or
more were wounded. The injured were
taken to Oyster Bay for treatment.
HOW THE DISASTER OCCURRED.
Just before leaving Cold Spring Har-
Dor dock for the return trip, after all the
passengers were aboard, squall came
up. The boat hands, anticipating a
shower, let down the canvas cur
tains which are attached to the hur-
ricane deck of the barge and fastened
them down, to the port side. This pre-
vented the wind from blowing through,
and as ore strong gust struck the barge,
it lifted the starboard side of the deck
from its fastenings and forced it over to
the top of the port side. As it pushed
over the end of the deck nearest the
dock to which the barge was fastened,
dropped down upon the hundreds OF
women and children who had crowded
over to that side of the barge in their
m t. kI,n -
was rentwith 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 persons think
the mast of the barge was struck by
lightning, but this is not known. The
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 neighboring
places were also seen at work. and IN
fifteen minutes the deck was raised sui
ficiently to allow all those who were
alive and uninjured to crawl out, and
the injured to be assisted from the
barge. 1t had been hoped that none
were killed, but
FOURTEEN LIFELESS BODIES
we're seen lying near the gunwale. All
had their lives crushed out by being
caught between the edge of the fallen
deck and the guard rails. Women,
children and even strong men wept pit
eously as they looked upon the dead and
dying. OF the dead bodies those recog-
nized we're as follows; Lizzie Schamant,
Mrs. Pauline Prinz, Mrs. Hoffman, Min
ME Goetz, Mrs. Lipenfnger, Katie
Kautze, Robert Schuler, Amelia Land
graf, Mary Schaff, Minnie Schaullein,
Annie Waltz, Amelia Wagner, Emma
We'll, Lows Kurtz.
The pilot of the barge, whose name
could not be ascertained, was also
killed. He was in the pilot house when
the wind threw the deck over. He was
thrown over and fell between the deck
and the boat.
AMONG THE INJURED ARE:
Charles Held, Mrs. Henry Isselmann,
Mrs. Zerrmann. The wounded were
carefully carried aboard the steamer,
which conveyed them to Oyster Bay
village, 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.
81 The place where the accident occurred
is at the head of Cold Springs harbor,
and is favorite picknicking ground.
CAUSE OF THE DISASTER.
The falling of the deck and the sad
results are due entirely, it is said, to the
+ rotten condition of the supports of the
deck. Many of the excursionists carried
home with them pieces of the center
posts, which show that they were per-
fectly rotten to the core. The barge
itself, it is said, is unsafe in other par
ticulars. Mrs. Shamant, whose daugh-
ter Lizzie was among the killed, says
she was standing at the upper end OF
the barge. She saw the storm coming.
and was trying to get to shelter, when!
the cyclone came and ripped the top OF
the barge off, and a minute later she
saw her daughters legs sticking out
from between the guard rail and the
edge of the deck. She could hear @ her
scream, but could not help her. She
does not know what became of her sis
ter, who was standing near her, and ii
is feared she was also killed.
A PAssENGER's ACCOUNT.
George Peters, who was slightly in.
jured, said: Everybody had gone on
board the barge and the steamer and
they were just preparing to cast off the
hawsers by which the barge was fast
ened to the dock, when the 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 commenced
to fall. A fearful gust of wind lifted the
roof off and carried it with the pilot
house and everything else over against
the side nearest the dock. A number
of people were crushed between
the edge of the roof which dropped
down when the supports were broken,
and l think most of those who were
killed had their lives crushed out in
that way. / assisted a number OF
women and children to get from under
the collapsed roof. / never before wit.
messed such terrible sight"
Other accounts are similar to the fore