Evening journal., 1896-06-01
THE HARLEM DISASTER
Three Young Ladies Victims Of
4 Collision Of Boats.
ENGINEER HELD IN $4,000 BAIL

The Body Of Bliss Murray Recovered
From the wator-Aiiss AIcKeon Dies In
a Hospital--Another Victim stiil In the
Harlem River.
NEW YORK, June miss Lizzie Mo
Keon, 1s years old, OF 1444 Park avenue
lied in the Harlnm hospital She was the
third yictiln--all young women-of tho
accident on tho Harlem river whom the
steam launch Ben Franklin. owned by
the University OF Pennsylvania, was sunk
in q collision with transport tug of the
New York and New Haven railroed. The
other victima were Miss Mabel Wolfer, 2l
years old. OF 5S East One Hundred and
Twentieth street. and Miss Kate Murray.
20 years old OF "a East Ono Hundred and
Fourteenth street.
The survivors Of those who wero aboard
the launch are It's pilok and enginser,
Frank McHugh Of 2539 Ice street, philn.
delphia William Hartman u los East
Ono Hundred and Twenty fourth street;
Joseph Wolfer, father OF Mabel; his son
Henry. Is years old, and daughter Ger
trude years old. None Of them Is much
the worse for tho wettlng except Gertrude
She is In the Harlem hospital suffering
with pneumonia, and her condition is So
rious.
Detective Reid Of tho East One Hun
dred and Twenty sixth street station ar.
rested Engineer MoHugh at the Hotel
Mnot, One Hundred and Iwenty-sixth
street and Eighth avenue. The police
claim that he was drunk when he took
the party out IA the launch. He and Cnp-
tain William l.. Hamilton of the transfer
tug were taken before Coroner Dobbs.
MoHugh testified that he was sober, and
that the tug had run down the launch.
Captain Hamilton said the tug, TO which
was attached float loaded win cars was
just starting from her dock for Jersey
City, and that no was allowing the tide TO
turn her around when the launch dashed
into tho tug and was upset. McHuRh
was held in $4,000 for examination next
Thursday. Captain Hamilton was dis
Charged.
Tho Launch Raised.
The sunken launch has been raised by a
wreokinR company. Frederick johnson,
diver, went down before this and found
the body OF Miss Murray fast In the boat.
Her clothing had caught on some wire.
The body was removed to the home Of her
mother. who Is widow. The undertaken
who had charge of it said that there was
no water on her lungs, and that, as the
young woman was subject to heart dis
ease. she probably died OF fright. The
body OF Miss Wolfer has not yet baen found.
Wolfer Is an oyster dealer and is an Off
Ger Of the Nassau Boat club, whose house
Is at Lexington avenue and the Harlem
river. His daughter Mabel was teacher
In tho grammar school at Ninety third
street and Amsterdam avenue. She was
a very pretty girl and had host Of friends
in Harlem. One OF them was Miss Kate
Murray. Miss Murray called on the Wolf
ers on Memorial day and went with the
family 10 the boathouse TO witness the re-
Ratta They all returned home for dinner
at 8 o'clock and went back afterwaEd for
tho evenings ontertainnent Mrs. Wolfer
went along in the evening.
McHugh and Hartman were rescued
with the hooks. Hartman is said 30 be a
professional acrobat He says he divod
under the corner Of the hoat for q distance
OF 70 feet When he came up, no found
life presorvor and, saoing q woman noar
him, threw 70 to her. He doesn't know
who the woman was. Gertrude Wolfer
says she went down twice and when she
came up the last time she put her arm
over a log and held on until pulled out
a tug in charge Of Captain Reynolds
took all Of tho rescued persons 70 the Har-
lem hospital at the foot OF East One Hun
dred and Twentieth street.
Wolfer and Hartman declare that No
Hugh was not drunk and say that the
accident was air the fault Of the tug.
This launch IL SO feet long. very narrow
OF beam and has a triple expansion en-
gine, which makes tho haunoh very shaky
when Ia motion. IL was capable of run
ming 80 miles an hour.