The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-10-22

wharf, Which snaps IN Two in the Mid
die, Dumping It's Human Burden Into
the RiveT-Three are Missing, Believed
Injured.
New Orleans, Oct PA calamity oc-
CURED yesterday evening at o'clock
10y the breaking down of the little iron
Bridge which leads from Algiers ferry
,2Iouse to the floating wharf, where the
Ferry boat is accustomed to land. The
bridge gave way while crowded with
. people, precipitating about 140 persons
into the water in a scrambiing mass.
Thirty persons were more Or less seri-
ously injured, and three are missing,
supposed to have been drowned. The
missing include Annie Missina, aged
eig1t years, Mary Lauer, aged IL years
and an unknown woman The accident
vas occasioned by panic among the
people and il was with the grea test
eXertion that no more lives Were lost.
Three weeks ago the owner of the fer
~ line began to construct a new ferry
house at the Algiers landing of the Ca
nal street ferry, and few days ago it
was sufficiently completed TO be used.
Yesterday morning for the first time
the building was opened to the public.
The iron bridge which is fastened TO
piling on shore and has a support at
the other end on the floating wharf,
was week ago moved to a position in
front of the ferry house. There was
considerable care taken in the fitting
of the bridge, for it is upon this one
oompanionway that all passengers are
supposed TO cross a hundred feet of WA
ter and shore. AT the shore end of the
bridge there was a large clamp which
held 1t in place and in addition long
61ltS were added to increase the safety
OF the passage way, The bridge itself
proved TO be the weakest part of the
entire structure and just as the ferry
was landing it parted very near the
middle throwing about $50 people into
the shallow water near the bank of the
river. The distance between that por-
ton or the bridge which gave way and
the surface of the water and the bank
OF the river measured about fifteen feet
Ii was nearly dusk and people of all
descriptions We're hurrying back to the
I terry on their way to their homes. There
I was rush for the wharf As soon as
the ferry came in sight and before the
steamer mad landed, every inch on the
ponboon wharf was occupied. The
mass of humanity crowded down thro'
the door of the ferry house on the
wharf until 1t, too, was packed with
men, women and children, and there
was another great crowd in the ferry
house waiting to rush headlong for the
steamboat The ferry boat Thomas
Pickles was also crowded. The engines
were slowed down on approaching the
wharf and, as usual, almost drifted to
her landing. However, the stern of the
vessel bumped against the end of the
pontoon, and with crash the iron span
parted and 15G or more frantic people
were literally dumped into the water
among drifting timbers, Fully thirty
snen. women and children We're injured
while there are missing two little chill
dren and the statement of those in the
wreck adds the drowning of a young
woman to the list of casualties.
Women screamed. men shouted and
above the groans of the injured and
frightened cries of little ones, could be
F7c2rd the oaths of many. The men on
tie pontoon bridge and those in the
feTryhouse did not hesitate a moment
before they began to look toward assis-
ting those in the water. While hun
dreds of strong hands grasped every
plank within reach of the pontoon and
dashed them into the water for the I'M
sortunates to cling to for safety. doz-
ems devoted their efforts to pacifying
fhe women and children on the pom
toon The male passengers on the Tho
mas Pickles took an active part in the
rescue.