New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-09-06
ALMOST LIKE WARFARE.
BATTERY BLooKADEs A FERRY LANDING.
ONE OFFICER DREW HIS SWORD ON AN EXPRESS
AGENT - THE GATEMAN DEMANDED
EARES rpn,r TILE rnr nrrnr

81
every article which would be needed in actual
warfare was in the equipment Of each. The
battery was going to Garden City, L. l., to pitch
its tents there for a ninedays' stay. Then it
will march to Cold Spring Harbor. where piece
Of ground has been reserved for them for target
practice.
On account Of the rain, which continued to
come down in torrents in the morning. the CON-
pany did not leave the armory at the hour de.
cided upon, and it was after 0 80 o'clock before
the start was made. Captain Wilson had
agreed to meet Captain Dillenbeck with his
battery the Long Island City side of the Thirty
fourfn-st. ferry He decided to start out at all
hazards, in spite of the rain The orders to march
were accordingly given, and the men sailed out
in the wet. They marched down Broadway in
four divisions one for each Of the rihed guns.
Four horses drew each piece. The men had a
march of twenty miles before them to Garden City
Captain Dillenbcck's command is Battery K of
the 1st United States Artillery. General Fitz-
gerald is expected to visit the encampment at
Garden City on Tuesday. The batteries will be
out until next Sunday, when they will return by
O different route.
Although the rain poured down on the men,
everything went along smoothly until the ferry
awaited them, and for a few minutes it
looked as though there was going to be actual
warfare This is the story as told by the ferry
men, The battery started to march through the
ferry gate without paying the usual fare, but it
was met with firm opposition by the gateman,
Joseph Kett, who demanded the usual money.
This refusal to let them pass infuriated the ar
tillerymen the ferry people say, and conflict Of
words followed which caused intense excitement.
not only among those engaged III it, but also
among the passengers just coming of the ferry
boat Sag HarbOr.
The battery men insisted on going on the boat
in spite of the opposition of the ferry officials and
there was danger of their guns coming in collision
with the trucks and heavily loaded wagons which
were leaving the boat. The disorder by this time
was distracting, and dodging here and there were
men and women trying to get out of the jam of
vehicles. The restless horses, becoming eX
cited by the shoutings Of drivers and the loud
words between the artilerymen and the ferry
officials. began to rear and kick, adding a new
danger to the scene.
A part of the battery had succeeded in getting
inside of the gate and it rode roughshod over
all opposition. Not content with staying in the
middle of the ferry shed, which is reserved for
trucks and carriages, the ferrymen say they drove
their horses into the passengerway thus endan-
gering the lives Of persons who happened to be
passing.
The artillerymen refused to answer the ques-
tions put to them by the ferry officials. Joseph
Kett. the gatekeeper, went up to one of the SER
geants and demanded the fare and an explana-
ton of the action of the company
"Get out Of the way! I'll drive where my
captain orders" was the reply he got, as he de-
clares The aid of several policemen was asked,
but they were outnumbered, and were
powerless to check the artilerymen. Long
Island express wagon got mixed up in the jam
of rfed guns and trucks and was not able to
move from its position. The wagon was heavily
loaded with baggage for an outgoing train. The
driver shouted in vein to the artilerymen TO make
way for him. At this point G. F. Chichester, an
agent of the express company elbowed his way
through the jam of wagons and demanded that
the express wagon be allowed to pass.
go back" shouted an artillery officer, go back
or I'll cut you down." and according to the story
Of witnesses drawing his sword from
the scabbard he held it threateningly
over the head Of the express agent, who stood
his ground demanding his rights. Meantime the
ferry hands pulled up the gangplank, and the
captain of the boat giving the signal TO start the
vessel moved out of the Slip leaving some of the
gums an the street Those soldiers who remained
behind took the next boat and passed over to
Long Island City without further trouble.
Kett said that the battery insisted on taking
possession of the ferrybOat to the exclusion OIL
all others, and did not even show an order or
pass from any ona He said that the oiIcer III
command told him that they had precedence over
all others. and that the ferry superintendent had
so ordered. This the seventeen ferrymen, one ana
all denied. They said that they had received no
such instructions from the superintendent, as they
would have had if he mad exempted the soldiers
from paying their fares, They said that they
had their orders to collect fare from every one
and that they were bound TO obey the command
unless they received contrary orders
Mr. Chichester was seen by tribune reporter
shortly after the affair, and he said: inns was
the most hghhanded piece of impertlnence ever
witnessed. | am not certain whether the artlilrS-
men had any right TO pass through the gate iree
OF charge. 1t would seem to me that if they
really had q right they would have taken
different course to assert 1t than the one Whlch
they did adopt. They would either hayG see,i Deen
provided with proper pass TO show 10 the Jerry
people or they would have declared the rlght 'ol
a company Of State militia to use any puDllG con-
veyance which they might happen to need.
am told that that is the law. 1t looked 10 NE
as if they knew they had no right 10 pass through
free or else expected opposition and so determined
upon n brOwbeat1ng and bulldOZing course u
accomplish their purpose.
4" II is my business to that all freight In my
charge goes through on time to meet the out
going train to which it is consigned. mat wagon
load Of baggage ought to have gone TO tf Irai ain
Central Station in time for the IL o'clock tHlI'
1t couldn't get there in time, Of course and had 10
wait for the next tInn out. | am reSp0nSlpe lo
all freights getting TO the trains tine, ana IL
there should he any pershable freight injured or
destroyed by any delay in the department. under
my charge, the blame falls upon me. No..
Captain Wilson, commander of the 2d battery;
went with his company and consequently conld
Tot be seen. There were several members OF me
battery at the armory at Sevcnth-aye ard FlltF'
third-st and they said that Captain
Wilson was perfectly justified in taking the
course he did The law gives the right OI
way TO any company or regiment belonging to
the Regular Army or the State militia, and grants
them the right to enter any public conveyance
free Of charge, whether the means of transp0da-
ton is a boat or a train. The battcrymen lay
the blame Of the disturbance at the ferry TO the
offciousness Of the employees there