The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-09-16
MANY LIVES TN DANGER
A Brooklyn FerrYboat's
Fearful Race With
Death.
KNOCKED A HOLE In HER HULL.
But the Pilot Carried Her Safely
to Her Slip Before She
Sank.

BROOKLYN. Sept. 16, 1892.-The ferry
boat South Brooklyn now lies sunk in
| twenty feet of water at her slip near the
foot of Whitehall street after very mar
row escape from going down in mid
stream with her crowd of passengers.
The South Brooklyn left her slip at the
| foot OF Thirty-ninth street. South Brook
lyn, at half past eight A. NJ. for this city.
At that hour the travel of Brooklyn peo-
pie to their places of business in this city
is heaviest.
There were about eight hundred pas
sengers on board and her decks were
crowded with trucks and teams.
The Captain, after leaving the Brook
lYn slip, pointed the ferryboat's nose up
| Buttermilk Channel, which is between
Governors Island and Brooklyn, as that
| route is shorter than going around the
| Island.
| Dredging has been going on in the
channel for some time. and the pilot of
the ferrybo hugged the island shore
very close.
PILOT WENT AsTRAY.
1t appears that he had left the principal
| channel. While running along at full
| speed heavy shock was suddenly felt by
| all On board.
The boat shook and trembled and
careened over to one side. The horses
were thrown from their feet.
| instantly there was scene of great -ex-
cltement and confusion on board. The
tramp1ng of horses added to the fright of
the people, who ran about seeking to
learn what had happened.
The officers on board the ferrY-bOat
made an examination.
They found that she had struck some
hldded obstruction, supposed to be q sub
| merged barge.
The collision had torn a big rent in the
| starboard side OF the hull
Inc hole was large and ragged one,
and 1t WAS found that the water was pour
ing in at an alarming rate,
The boat began gradually to settle, but
Captain Decker had kept her on her
course for New York, her speed
being only slightly checked by the col
lislon.
DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF IT.
The captain at first thought the acci-
| dent not serious one, but whom he had
rounded the point at Governors Island
ana got out into the deep stream he saw
that there was danger of the boat going
down with her big load of human
| freight.
The water continued to pour in and the
hull of the vessel sank deeper and deeper.
The passengers began to get over their
panic, not realizing the imminence of the
| danger.
Some had grabbed life-preservers at the
first alarm. The officers on board had
assured the passengers that there was no
| danger, and the men encouraged the
women and allayed their fears.
The captain crowded on all steam to
| try and reach his ship, if possible, before
the boat went down.
The slip was considerable distance
away for boat that is fast being SUBJ
merged, but it was the nearest point of
safety.
GIVEN PLENTY OF ROOM.
The ferry boat took straight course,
| and the whistle was kept at full, con-
! t1nuous blast to attract attention and
warn all other craft to keep out of the
| way and give her every chance over an
unobstructed course to get into the slip.
All neighboring craft scurried out OF
| the way and watched the thrilling race of
the sinking boat to reach a haven of
| safety.
| The whistfng of the boat attracted peo-
| pie around the Battery to see the expect
ed going down of a loaded ferry boat.
| The hoatssfnally reached her slip and
ran into it.
| HURRIED LANDING.
The gangplanks were hurriedly thrown
out and the passengers crowded ashore in
breathless haste.
The horses were hurriedly driven
ashore, and a few minutes after all had
| oeen lanueu III Sa1eIy 60e SOuIh Brooklyn
| gave lurch, flew to the other side of her
| slip and went down where she now hes
| buried in the mud.
The tide was low and pert of the boat
rose above the water. The deck, ,showever,
| was completely submerged,
| The Chapman Wrecking Company was
notified and sent a boat to raise her.
Superintendent Ambrose of the Ferry
| Company said later that there was no hole
in the ferryboat's side, and that she had
| not struck an obstruction.
The cause of the accident, he said, was
the breaking of the condenser, which let
water into the hold through the discharge
pipe.
| He said it was about ten minutes after
| the accident occurred that the boat
reached her slip, and that if her hull had
been damaged as badly as reported she
would have sunk long before she made
the slip.