The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-11-16
FERRYBOATS CRASH.
Fanwood Runs Into Central,
Which Was Lying in
Her Slip.
VAS CAUSED BY 4 STRONG TIDE
CentraPs Cabin Smashed In,
But There Were Few
Passengers--No
One Hurt.
EAS CAUSED BY 4 STRONG TIDE

The New Jersey Central ferryboat Fan-
wood crashed in TO the ferryboat Central
of the same line. as she lay in her slip
in Jersey City this morning, and as a re-
suit OF the collision a splintered mass of
wood, which once constituted the forward
eaoin of the Central. is floating in the
water where the collision occurred. Be-
yond two broken window pains and
broken rail- the Fanwood sustained no
serious damage. Fortunately there vera
not over twenty-five persons on either
boat when the accident occurred, and no
serious panic ensued The central was
towed to Elzabethport for repairs and
the Fanwood is making her regular trips
According to Capt. Van Wart the Fans
wood left her slip on the New York side
at $40 O'Clock this morning with three
express wagons and teams of horses and
about twenty-five passengers. There was
a light fog on the river and strong tida
was running out to sea. In order to ais
low for the tide the Captain of the Fans
wood made wide detour up the streams
calculating that the tide would carry this
boat to a position in front of the slip.
In the slip adjoining the one for whicff
the Fanwood was making lay the Central
which was taking on passengers prepara-
tory to her trip to New York. AS the
Fanwood reached the slip, the tide, or a
miseaIculation on the part Of the Caps
tain, carried the boat bow on against tha
piIing on the end of the outer slip. This
force of the blow swung the boat dfreet-
" to port and, with speed but slightly
diminished, the Fanwood plunged across
her own slip and into the slip occupied
by the Central
ward portion of the starboard cabin of
the Central squarely in the middle. and
the crash that followed was plainly heard
for blocks. The Fanwood reversed en-
gines, backed out from the mass of
wreckage, and proceeded into her slip.
The forward cabin of the Central was
ripped completely from the boat and
crushed against the inner walls. Parts OF
the cabin benches and the roof of the wing
deck Uttered the front part Of the Fans
wood
One of the few passengers who were on
the Fanwood at the time of the collision
in speaking of the accident this morn-
ing. said:-
Il was sitting in the mems cabin get-
ting my shoes shined. There were very
few passengers on the boat, the majority
of whom were men. The first warning
had of the collision was the sight Of .
number of men running for the stern az
full speed. Next came q grinding crash
and / followed the men who were running
for the stern. If the boat had been crowd
ed a disastrous panic would undoubtedly
have been the result"
There were only some half dozen pass
engers on the Central when the Fanwood
ran into her and they were in the after
cabins. Had the collision occurred fiva
or ten minutes later, when the cabins haa
filed, there must have followed loss OK
life and a number of serious injuries. The
damage of the Central is estimated 10 pa
between 500 and $1,000. At the ferry of
fees of the Jersey Central Railroad this
morning, the officials were inclined to at
tribute the accident to the strong tide
The Central is known among the conn
nuters who travel on the Jersey Centrai
ferrvboats as an unlucky boat. Nind
years ago she ran into and sunk the
British steamship Atlas and she has fig-
ured in a few other small accidents dur
ing her period of service on the river.