The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-08-04
FATAL FALL OF A BALCONY.
FOUR KILLED AND A DOZEN INJURED
ATA YACHT CLUBS FELE

M" '.o A,"'-
eony to See the Men In the ho"'s-N Col
lapsed and Formed Chuto to the Float.
Posrou Aug At waa n fste night Mt tho
CbeIs.a Yacht Clph to-nipbt and eeyentv. Ave
friends of tba membors crowded thu upper
balcony To vitness the river parade. They
were mostlv women. Warren's Mpitary Band
was en- pIoved md the lender had lust waved
bis baton Tor tho arst seIection the signal that
Tho n,rod, nod ortod, vh.n thero was n crosb.
MIR Warren pitcbed hendlonp over tho rail-
inn IN tba foat thirty feat below strikinp on
bis bend. A. L. pemberton. another member
Of thu hand m ct denth in the Same manner
Then with n rush n score OF persons were
snilled out OF the scoop formed by tho Welding
balcony TO the font,
There were fripbtful screnms. but only one
more was killed outright in tho plunge. Tho
third victim was Mrs Augustus r. Schun,nnn.
Her head WAS crushed. Two other persons
in the crush were MORALLY injured and about
a dozen were seriously hurt One death came
at midnight,
There were thIrty.ave boats clustered
around the font. and all were brilliantly H.
Illuminated
Immediately there WAS n rush for the float
nv the members. and two women werc fshed
ant n, thu coter before tho tide ,ould sweep
them AWAY. The others were piled I'D ON the
float.
The dead and injured formed cushions. by
means OF which many escaped injury. Sew
eral persons clung to the broken tim bers high
overhead, and one woman fell after holding
until her strength gave out
1t took only a moment to sound the fire
alarm. and police and fremen were quickly on
hand. Fifteen marines from the Navy Yard
lust across the river, hurried over the bridge
nj doubia nuick tirpa nd liant ths approac hes
TO the club house clear
The news OF the accident had spread rap
idly. and fully 5000 men and women clam
ore for information about friends or relatives
who were supposed to be at tho fete.
When tho extent OF the accident was known
all the ambulances in the city wero summoned
and all were needed. While tho members Of
the club wero assisting those who had
fallen to tho float. the flremen climbed to the
rescue OF those who wore still In peril on the
edge of the sagging balcony.
When the first crack was heard several per-
sons mad chance to move back few inches
and thereby kept away from the toboggan
slide which carried the others over tho edge.
But the balcony fell almost INN ediately. SO
there was no chance for any general move
ment. Those who went down with the edge
OF the falling balcony had no chance to save
themselves.
Some Of those nearest the club house were
7vcdped into the mass of chairs and bodies
that was pinned on the very edge of the bal
cony. They had sense enough not to try to
get out unaided. and on that account the list
OF injured was shortened materially.
1t was delicate work to rescue those people.
and it required plenty of nerve and cool heads.
1t was not unlike log jam. Several persons
lay along the edge OF tho break with only Q
chair to block the way.
II that one chain could stand tho tremendous
strain. the lives Of moro than dozen people
could be saved. Fortunately 1t did hold. and
those lives wero saved.
There we're sprained loonts anu bad contu-
sions In plenty but those were nothing COM
pared with the injuries OF those below. Ono
plucky Young woman had seized the ceiling
when she ieit the n"of Oh the palcony Sink
.ns Dee., 49, w"
49,,
1here was hothins oetWeeh her ana the
noat. ana she knew II. ana tnc prospect OF lm-
pending death gave her Superhuman strength.
One member OF the band was also suspended
with the chance of death IL he fell But in his
coso bis lifa dancnded m tbe strancth NJ HE
t-
l. '"o CIV" "si" ,'o "Ou'. W ea,eu' - .ne
nail which held him had torn through the
fabric nothing could have saved his HE. His
rescue was attended with considerable danger
and difficulty He was W. d. HARRINGTON OF
CboIsen
balcony with his wife and his sister, Mrs.
Schumann. Mrs. Schumann was dashed to a
horrible death. Mr. Lynde followed her over the
upper balcony but ono lie z caught on the railing.
and his life was saved Several persons struck
him in their descent. but he chung desperately
to the railing His wife held to the railing for
n few secopds and then she fell to the float hut
escaped serious injury.
Tho killed are:
w. c,. 40 ,r
AL,rrT 1. PrIprn1os Meros.. rs years neck broken
Mrs. AUGUSTUS r. scHuxAS Chelsea head crushed
Mira FRANK r. PursAM Chelsea. 40 year. chest
crushed In Died at midnight
Tho in;uroa wara.
MI. c,.,. - ,,,.,,,,,u.,.
VII, n,ohnh,v r,.ni, r.tsv 'A'''''''
Mis-. JOSIE 1nmr, Chelsea IT years left arm broken.
head and body badly cut
Mrs. Lzzlr K BARsks. Chelsea. bad scalp wounds.
Nita AMY BiIIuAS Chelsea badir Ont