Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-06
ALEXANDRIA AFFAIRS
Collision on the River and Much
Damage Done.
MIGHT HAVE BEEN WORSE
Members of the National Guard to
Be Court-MartiaIed.
o T II E r LOCAL NOTE S
9TH E r LOCAL NOTES
Evening Star Bureau,
No. SO King street
Rell Telenhoue 1On-

ALEXANDRIA, Va, September g. 1897.
Between half-past and o'clock this
morning the steamboats, Columbia of the
ferry route and Newport News of the Nor
folk ard Washington Steamboat Company
ccllided when just opposite "Fishtowr,"
this city, and the Columbia was badly
wrecked and three persons badly hurt.
Capt. Tally Folkes, who was in charge of
the Columbia, was bruised about the left
SIDE his left hand was bruised and cut and
shoulder wrenched. He also sustained in
jLries in the back, and it is believed that
he is hurt internally. Mr.. Jim Scott,
Waterman, sustained severe cuts and
bruises about the arms and body, and an
unknown scissors grinder was also badly
bruised 1t is more than fortunate that
the boat was an early one, and had but
few passengers, else there would undoubt
eddy have been serious loss of life.
From what can be learned of the col
lsion it appears that the Columbia left
Washington at G:10 o'clock this morning
on her first trip to this city. There was a
dense fog on the river at the time. and it
is said that the Columbia was proceeding
cautiously. AS "Fishtown'' was approached
and he was nearing the wharf, Capt. Folkes
claims he had the boat stopped. He had
hardly done SO before he saw the steamer
Newport News loom up out of the fog, and
about twenty feet off, Then there was a
tremendous crash. and the bow of the
Newport News piCwed into the Columbia
on the port side at the forward end of the
wheel house. She went into the frame
work twenty feet, smashing the wheel to
smthereens and breaking the shaft. The
saloon deck is total wreck, and the
closets the port side are broken up; in
fact the Columbia is Il total wreck on the
port side amdships, and will have to be
entirely rebuilt on that side. The only
damage to the Newport News is said to
have been a broken hagStaf on the bow.
The Newport News proceeded on to Wash
ington and the Columbia was -towed to her
dock in this city.
Captain Folkes was in the pilot house
at the time of the collision, and the shock
pitched him from one side to the other,
from which he rebounded, striking chair,
which broke into thousand bits. Captain
Folkes had been running on the steamer
Arrowsmith all the summer, but as Captain
Eskridge was sick he took charge of the
Columbia this morning, and this was his
first trip That Captain Folkes is of the
right material and has the nerve for a
steamboat commander was shown this
morning when he superintendent the clear
ing of the wreckage after the accident al
though he was badly hurt and really need
ed the attention of a physician.
The wrecking of the Columbia will be
of great inconvenience to Alexandria mer-
chants, who do large business in Wash
| ington, as it is the only boat which
hooking the horses 1t is said that the
| steamer Arrowsmith will be put on the
| ferry route.
Police Court.
Mayor Simpson had a large number Of
prisoners in the dock this morning as q re-
| suit of Saturday night and Sunday arrests.
| The cases were disposed of as follows: Tim
| Henderson, colored, who assaulted Mary
| Wood, also colored, several weeks ago, and
| made his escape, was arrested by Officer
| Beach this morning and fined IS. Harry
| Day, charged with stealing pair of shoes
! from Dunk Day, was dismissed. James
| Pierce and John Riley, two tramps, charged
| with stealing fruit, were ordered to be out
| of town in thirty minutes. VIM. Jankins,
| vag was sent to Marshall Hall. his home.
| Title Poindexter and Lewis Darlington
| were charged with disorderly conduct.
| Tillie was fined IS, and as Darlington had
| escaped from the chain gang he was sent
| back with ten days added to his original
| sentence. George Sullivan and Frank Emit
| conduct, were fined s. each or thirty days
| in the work house as Migrants. Mary Jen-
/ kins. Mary Hall, George Hamilton and VIM.
| Quill charged with disorderly conduct, were
| fined $3.50 each.
| Quiet Game OF Crap.
/ Yesterday afternoon as Officer Proctor
was patrolling his beat he learned that
there was a crap game going on in a circus
| tent. He made raid on them and ar
| rested Romeo Essex. John Curden. Ben.
johnson and John Gordon. The mayor
fined them s. each.
Public Schools.
The clerk Of the city school board was