Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1896-07-24
TlFrErs Drowned.
workmen. nIeet Death in Crossing .
Stream.

workmen. nIeet Death I'm Crossing .
Stream.
A number of lives were lost In an
accident which occurred about 7:30
o'clock Thursday evening at Cleveland,
O.. on the old river bed near the ore
docks of the Cleveland 4 Pittsburg
Railway company. The ore handlers
had Just quit work for the day aud
were waiting their turn to cross the
branch of the river on the Hatboat
which they had provided for their own
use. A number of the men had
crossed. When the ferry reached the
dock the last time at least twenty mer
crowded upon it. The boat, which is
about twelve feet long and not more
than four feet wide, would carry safely
not more than dozen persons. The
stream is not wide, however, and the
hurrying ore handlers had no thought
Of danger. The boat was pushed from
the shore and was being propelled
across the stream. When it was about
half way over it began to sink. Then,
a the men rushed to the side, it turned
over. All the occupants were thrown
into the river. Those who remained
on the shore, alarmed at the capsizing
of the little craft, at once threw life
preservers and planks to the unfof-
tunate men, but most of them sank
ike lead. A few, however, managed
to swim ashore, while one or two were.
picked up by tug. The first report
of the accident placed the number of
dead at twenty-five, but that proved to
have been an exaggeration. The life
saving crew, whose station is near the
scene of the accident was summoned
at once. and the work of recovering
the bodies from the river was begun.
Within half an hour ten corpses had
been laid side by side upon the dock,
but the life-savers continued the work.
Richard Marder, chief engineer OF
the steamer Bessimer, which the men
bad been unloading, was on the ferry
when it overturned He thinks there
must have been thirty or more men on
the frail craft. TIE boat was floating
all right, he says, until the steamer
Aragon, big ore carrier, came down
| the river. The swell from that vessel
caused it to rock and the men became
alarmed. Many of them rushed to the
side and jumped over before the boat
capsized. The wash from the Aragor
carried them under the water and
several of them we're drowned before
help could reach them.
1.-THE men struggled frartically,
said Marden, ''to save themselves, but
they seemed powerless. When / saw
that the boat was going over, decided
to stay with it. That is what saved
my life. / let the boat turn over OF
me, and by putting my head above the
water underneath it escaped the swell
from the steamer and came out al
right"
Two boys, Bernard PatteD, age(
fifteen, and Martin Csrrigan, aged six
teen, were in the boat, and both saved
themselves by swimming to the shore
After the ten bodies had been taker
from the water they we're conveyed t.
the morgue for identification. Nom
of the men who were drowned liveC
near the place where the accident oc
Cured, and although a great crowd o
curiosity seekers had assembled nobod.
who saw the bodies as they we're rakeI
from the river was able to identify
single one of them.
There were many pathetic scene
about the morgue while relatives of tn
dead men were identifying them.