Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-08-11

While a crowd of excursonists were on their
way Sunday to see the United States war ships
at Bar Harbor, Maine, a slip leading from the
dock to the boat at Mount Desert ferry broke
away and more than 100 persons fell into the
water Seventeen were drowned and three died
from the terrible experience of immersion and in-
juries while struggling for life.
1t was the worst accident, probsb bly,, in the his
tory of Maine, and particularly in the record OF
the Maine Central road under whose auspices so
many excursonists had been brought to see the
war ships.
The Maine Central railroad ran Sunday excur.
sions to b Harbor from all sections of its line
in Maine, the attracti n being The war ships. At
Mount Desert ferry, the terminus of the line, the
train is left for the boat for eight mile sail to
Bar Harbor. The trains always run out on to the
wharf, and it is but step from the tram 10 the
boat The wharf is owned by the Maine Central
railroad. and the boat Ia part OF It's system.
From the wharf a slip, or gang plank 40 te t long
and 10 feet wide led up, to the boat The slip was
hinged at the inner end. the outer end oelug sup
ported by chains, by which 1t was raised or low
cred to suit the tide.
When the excursion train of 10 cars from Ban
gor arrived at the ferry there was Elsh for the
steamer Sappho The first few passengers had
crossed the gangpank safely, and $50 people
were massed upon the plank. Suddenly they
felt the plank give way. The long timber sup
porting the plank broke in the middle The
hinges held NJ one end and the chain thu other,
while the broken ends of the plank dropped, and
a struggling, screaming mass of humanity was
plunged into the water, IS feet below the wharf
A few chung to the inclined sides of the plank
piling of the wharf partially penned them in on
three Sides and the boat lying on the wharf
closed the outer end of the opening. After the
first moment of stupefaction, the work of rescue
began. Ropes and life preserveTs were thrown
to the crowd, but in the panic the people in the
water clutcbed one another, and many sank II
groups in death grapple.
Many taken from the water were unconscious
and were revived with dif1culty. Doctors wert
summoned from all directions, but it was half al
hour before the first one arrived. The freight
house at the ferry was turned into morgus, thu
bodies being taken there for Identification as fas
as recovered BY noon II had been recovered
Three other persons died on the way to Bar Har
Dor.
The awful nature of the accident was no
comprehended for at least minute by those VIII
were the last to leave the train, although th
scene changed instantly from one of holida
gaiety to death struggle The drop between
the solid wharf aud the steamer, which was hig
in the water, was 90 precipitate that those VIII
were on the wharf's edge surging forward to tn
30 foot slip, pressed on over the brink to the wa
ter beneath. Some of those whose bodies wer
afterward recovered Gied quickly, for they wer
borne beneath the waves by the weight OF tn
living, who fell after them and who mAdly sirius
ged to reach life preservers and lines thrown
them from both wharf and steamer. When tn
first moment of the calamity had passed. PAM
seemed to seize those who were safe and the
drew back from the edge Of the water. But fc
only another minute, as then the cooler heads
the crowd, more especially among the Officer
and crew of the steamer, asserted themselvt
and the work of rescue began
careful examination by divers Monday n
veaed no more bodies under the wharf. Whe
the wreck was removed 1t was seen that the hr'
cause of the accident, apparently, was the pullin
out of three one-incn iron rods which ran length
way of the gangwav, with bolts The nuts ha
pulled through the ten inch string pieces, thro'
ing all the strain on the wooden girders. The
came the crash and the death struggle. III
coroner's inquest, which began Monday, hi
failed to bring to light any new important fac
in relati On to the tragedy.