New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-09-16
A CRASH ON THE HUDSON
,prr OF THE CATsKILL's PASSENGERS
MISSING.
,s,oS WITH THE ST JoHNs-THE CATS
KILL STUCK IN THE MUD ON TIE
NEM.JERsEY SIDE.

ROO
..,,r, as the result Of a collision on the
., Ia p,yer at Fifty-seventh-st. between the
r,or Catskill and the steamer ST Johhs'
o.. man was badly injured and was taken 10
ooossveIt Hospital. The Catskill is at the Dot
.o,, of the river, stuck in the mud IN shailo"
water ON the New-Jersey side
THE MISSING.
The neople supposed to be lost were passen-
,srs on the Catskill. They were:
>rnoyA1.D Mrs Maria, Of Gu,tenburg ~ j.
onpIs Mr.. susan the daughter Of Mrs. McDonalc OF
CuttenOurg. n J. r,
r,,tMrRMAN. Berthe i've year. old. son OF Mo'ee Tim
mspmsn. OF Leeds n. Y.
THE INJURED.
~yrp Leonard P Of No. s43 Garden-st.. Hoboken
taken to Roosevelt Hospital
:, ,s supposed that the accident happened
,hroush misunderstanding Of the signals Which
rsr. nassed between the two vessels. Inc CATS
LII left her berth at Christopher-st at O'CLOCK
os s her custom. She had on board forty-'hfee
1ersons including the crew. She was well loau-
"a with freight of various kinds TO Catsklll ana
other towns along the Hudson.
She was in charge of Captain Joel cooper
ber regular commanding officer. she mao
reached point in the river opposite Fifty
snyenth-st when she met the steamer ST Johhs'
which was under the command Of Captain COOK
The steamer ST. Johns on her way down
from an excursion with about one thousand
reone on hoard 1t was dusk at the time. ana
IN some way the signals which the two steamers
geve each other were misunderstood, and the
two large boats came together with detonating
crash The ST. Johns struck the Catsklll on the
cardboard side. about thirty five feet from the
bow, and tore hole in the woodwork whlch
reached below the waterline. In moment the
lights on the Catskl were extinguished. and
the passengers on the boat were in a state or
panic.
SOME KNOCKED OVERHEARD.
Several persons on the Catskill were knocked
or dropped overheard through fear. while nearly
all were thrown to the deck. Immediately after
the accident both boats whistled for assistance
The captain Of the Catskl turned the nose OF MS
boat toward the Jersey side, hoping to reach
Ueehawken before she sank, for the water was
pouring in volumes into her hold The ST johns
stopped her course and lowered a boat in order
TO help some Of the passengers OF the Catskili
who had dropped into the river. Meanwhile. the
signals Of distress were heard by every craft on
the river. and several tugs including the Grand
Central, belonging to the New-York Central ana
Hudson River Railroad Company. and the Cros-
hv hurried 10 the spot About five people who
were in the water. and several other passengers
who were still on the Catskill, were rescued
They were landed at Fifty-ninth-st.
The news of the accident reached the New
York side shortly after it had happened. ana
telephone messages were sent. which brought
arnbulances from Roosevelt and Bellevue nos
pitals Among the people who were brought
ashore from the wreck was Leonard F. Miller,
sixty-sx years DID, Of NJ. 3i3 Garden-st., Ho-
boken, " j. who is engineer. and was on
his way to Germantown. n. Y. He had been
thrown overheard. and received fracture OF
the right leg by striking against the side Of the
vessel He taken to Roosevelt Hospital
A CHILD THOUGHT TO BE LOST.
He said that while he was In the water he
saw the form of little boy near him. and soon
afterward the boy disappeared beneath the sur
face. He believes that the lad was drowned.
This boy is supposed to be BERTHE Zimmerman.
hve years old. the sor of Moses Zimmerman.
who keeps a boarding house at Leeds, y. Y.
The child had been visiting the family Of George
Cook Of No ~ First-st.. Brooklyn. and was on
his way home in charge Of Mr. Cook and Miss
Nellie McCree of No. 4j1 Cnion-ave., Brooklyn.
his cousin. Mr.. Cook said that he and the boy
and Miss McCree were sitting only few feet
from the place WheTe the ~ JOHNS s'Iuch ''e
He and Miss McCree were thrown to the deck
bv the force Of the collision. and he fears that
the boy was thrown overheard by the shock
In the confusion which followed the accident he
lost sight Of the 10y, and afterward when he
tried TO find him his search proved fruit.ess'
younr woman who declined to give her name
became almost bysterical on the pier at Fifty
nln,h-st. for she said she believed she had lost
two friends who were aboard the Catskill with
her These were Mrs. Maria Mcdonald ana her
daughter. Mrs. Morris
The boy BERTHE Zimmerman and Mrs. Nc
Donald and Mrs. Morris are the only people
missing The majority of the passengers and
crew were landed Dy tugs on the Jersey shore
having been rescued before the boat went down
None Of the passengers, save Milier needed
medical attendance, and nearly all OF tnem pro-
ceeded toward their homes
Mr. Cook and Miss McCree went with the po-
lice TO the West Forty-seventh-st station
where they waited in the Captains room for
some time. hoong that they might get some
tidlngs from the missing boy.
Crowd ATTRACTED.
The news OF the accident sIread like wildfre
In the neighborhood, and soon the pier was
crowded with people. The police OF the West
Forty-seventh-st. station and Of the West Six
ty-eighth-st station sent their reserves to the
pier TO keep order.
After the St Johns had given all the aid pos
sible to the Catskill. she steamed away to her
landing. She apparently was not damaged
The ST. Johns is an iron sidewheel steamer.
and was built at Wilmington. Del. in 1873. She
has been running to the Atlantic Highlands for
, many years. The Catskill is owned by me
and was built at Mystic Bridge, Conn in lS6'.
She is wooden sidewhcel steamer. She was
valued at $4,000
Captain Joel Cooper Of the Catskill. was seen
by Tribune reporter at the company's Office.
He said he could not account for the collision in
any other way than by saying that the st. johns
ran him down. AS the two vessels approached
each other. he blew his whistle twice to signify
that he was going tO starboard. The St Johns
answered with one whistle. which sgnihed that
she would go 10 port. instead of which she ap-
peared 10 continue right on in her course. When
The collision appeared inevitable. the st. Johns
blew her whistle three times. the signal 10 the
Ssnkll 10 reverse but II was too Late and the
o. johns crashed into the other.
"A member Of the Of the ST. johns .de-
sares on the other hand that his boats Whistles
we're COntirNnllY connied and the CAtSkll ap-