The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-16
STEAMER CATSKILL SUNK.
nut DOWN BIZ THE ST. JOHNS IN
NORTH RIVER.

Iured-sreues or widest Confusion on 10th
yesseis-The &c. Johns Had 400 Paasen-
gers aud the Catskin As-An but Ono or the
Latter Rescued Before tho steamer Sank
-Covnrdice OF souho SIaio Passenger.
The big side-wheol passenger steamers st.
Johns and Catskill collided just before z o'clock
last evening in the North River. between Fifty
ninth and Sixtieth streets, and within ten min
utes the Catskill was at the bottom Of the river.
There was a hole in her side big enough for q
good. sized rowboat TO get into. Her terror
stricken passengers watched her sink from
the decks of two New York Central Railroad
tugs that put out from tho big grain elevator
along shore a moment after tho collision
occurred. So far rs is known only one life was
lost. BERTHE Zimmerman. a 6-ycar.old boy, was
being taken to his homo in Leeds by George
Cook and Miss Nellie McCrea Of Brooklyn. In
the panic he was lost. and 1t is supposed that he
was drowned. Leonard I. Miller, a retired en-
Rlneer OF 343 Garden street, Hoboken. another
passenger OF the Catskill. is in the Roosevelt
Hospital with a broken leg. He Is the only per-
son known to have been hurt in the collision.
The Cstskill is one of the boats of the Catskill.
Hudson and CoSsackie line. which leave tho
pier at the foot of Christopher street at 8 o'clock
every evening. She had an unusual quantity of
IeiSn' iao' hish'' WV IL was Q MINUTES oeiore
7ociock before she was ready 10 start. sue had
forty.eight passengers all told. They were:
Mrs. C. l. Schumacher, w. f. Thorpe, George
Webster and Mrs. Webster. John Palen and two
daughters, John Kelsey. John F. Healy, A. T.
Byrne, George ISLAND. b. G. Jayne, Mrs. Church
and four women clerks who are employed in her
store IN Catskii!, MISS T. ). Whiting, L.
A. Philbin. Miss Nellie McCrea, August
krouse, Edward Miller, george COOK, A.. Mallett,
WI Titus, Jerry Day, Bo Prentice and'Mrs.
Prentice. J. J. vaughn, h. Berling, Mrs. Nc
Donald. Mrs. Kline, Mrs. Leroy Ants. ID. G..
Beers. L. r. Miller. Mrs. Prosser. Mrs. Morris.
j. Hobby, +. Haug. Sergeant Murphy. MIS-. A.
Schwartz. BERTHE Zimmerman. +. Spinning, Mrs.
W.J.F Smith, Miss F.. Rail. Mrs. Van Worth,
Mrs. E. Albert, and q Swede who did not give
his name.
Nearly all the passengers live in the three
towns where the boat lands. and most OF them
were at the stern OF the boat when the collision
took place. Cook, Miss McCrea. the boy, BERTHE
Zimmerman, Miller, and two other men were
seated up in the bow on the second Of the steam
ers three decks. The Catskill, on the trip up,
usually keeps to the cast side of the river, and
she did so last night.
She was almost opposite the Fifty.ninth street
pier, and about 200 yards out, when the St
Johns was seen coming down. She was also
keeping in toward the New York shore. The
Catskill was going at full speed because she was
late. and Capt Cooper wanted to make up
time. He says lie blew his whistle twice to
notify the Captain Of the st. Johns that he was
going to port He says that the Captain OF the
st Johns answered with one blast of his whistle.
which meant that he wanted the Catskill to
pass him on the other side. At that time. Cooper
says, the boats were too close together to do this.
The Captains each turned their helms the way
they had signaued they were going to eteer,
and before they could turn them back the
boats were SO close that a collision was In
evltaoie. Both Diew their whistles again, and
the Jingle oeiis IN the engine room rang Tor full
speed astern. a moment iaterthe boats came to-
gether with a crash THAT was heard on both sides
OF Inc river. Inc ST. johns struck the Catskill
ABOUT hiteen rect trom the DOW on the starooard
soe' and her heavy steei-sheathed bow cut q
noIe almost hait way tnfoush the Catskills hull.
Inc thins happened 80 quickly that the pas
seneers on neither BOAT realized that a collision
was imminent until IL had actually occurred,
ehd then followed a scene almost understandable
IN ooth boats there was a panic. Men
eho women alike screamed In terror.
ena rusheo miner and thither. knocking
eacn o'her Gown. AS tne engines OF ooth ooats
we're gong tuiI speed BACKWARD "heh the col
n7ioh came IL was less IMAM halt a minute De-
Ve the o. johns hao packed out OF the mole
sme MADE ana the WAFER rusheu INTO the Cats
XII win irishtui rapidltJ. Inc Catskll began
Usihk immediately.
het oncers realized the situation and tho
Ssp'"ih anu the piiots shouleu from the pilot
mouse 70 the passengers 10 get lie preseryers.
mere was a "ild scramble TOT the CABINS, where
~ NJ preserVers were kept Ihere were a
soou many more thah enough TO go
aiouho, yet inc passengers Fought among
themselves over the possession OF them.
meantime the ere" OF the Catskih, uhdor the
Vfuefs lne hrst mate' had jumped 10 the lie
voo'e'o, "hich there were iour' ana lowered
.nem' just as the ooats Struck the water the
w IN the Catskils hoid reached the engine
room and put out the fire. The boat was lighted
%ee''FcitS ana the dynamo stopped.
inen came absolute darkness, which served
%mShe Inc fright among the passengers a great
sa. "orse' Inc orhcers OF Inc oatskiil ordered
s-a. u women 20 taken ,hto one OF the boats
hs' ou' 'he moment the boat was In tho water
Ne "eh maze a rush LOT IL. and there
was a hand-to-hand fight to keep them
away. In the struggle men seized the women