The record-union., 1899-11-01
II Has Not as Yet Been Definitely
Ascertained
People Leaped Overheard by the
Dozens, Many without Waiting
to Put on Life Preservers-Cap-
tains Of the Two Vessels to be
Arrested ON Charges Of Nam
slaughter.

Arrested ON Charges Of Man
slaughter.
NEW YORK, Oct 31-It is not def
initely known how many persons were
on board the ferryboat Chicago, which
was cut down by the Savannah Line
steamship City of Augusta this morn
| ing about l O'Clock as the ferryboat
was crossing tOathe east side of the
North River, but the number is vari-
ously estimated at from fifty to lOO.
John Bryson is known to have been
drowned. His body was recovered.
Fireman vroom Of the Chicago is miss
ing, and is thought to have been
caught in the hold 1t is not improb-
| able that other lives were lost.
When the Chicago left Jersey City at
1874 a. m. Captain William Durham
was in the forward pilot-house, direct
ing the boat personally, and one of his
deckhands was at the wheel. The
night was perfectly clear. The tide
was ebbing fast, and Captain Durham
was on this account obliged to keep
his boat headed well up stream. AS he
neared the New York shore he put his
helm over to head into the slip, and
l. RS Chicago swung around the Cap
7 al eaught sight of the City of Au-
glass, tearing down on him. She was
ceIp.s up stream, and very close. Cap
e u Durham gave two blasts Of his
g....ssIe to signify his intention to pass
{ 10 ssarboard, and pulling his bell aport
| he rang the signal to go ahead at full
! : eed. The City of Augusta, Captain
z Tdrham says, did not reply to the sig
81 al but kept right in her course. A
moment later the City of Augusta
rammed the Chicago just abaft her pad
die wheel on the starboard side.
A scene of wild excitement followed.
The passengers. most of whom hao
risen to go to the forward end of the
ferryboat to be prepared to leave as
soon as she reached h9r slip, made a
wild scramble for life preservers. For
tunately there were few women aboard
not more than five or six. At first
they We're showed to the rear. George
Blumenberg and George Ray, truck
men, who were coming to the city with
their loads of milk, jumped into the
midst of the struggling mass and
yelled:
Hands off; the women first. Save
the women
| A score Of men took up the shout,
and in trice the women were fitted
with life preservers. The small num-
Der of passengers did not exhaust the
supply of life preservers, but many in
their excitement did not stop to put
them on, but leaped overheard unpro-
vided. 1t is feared that some such per-
sons must have gone down in the chilly
waters before help came.
The deckhands displayed commend
able courage. Captain Durham and
Chief Engineer Penfield set them SPLEEN
did examples. Captain Durham was
/ the last man to leave his boat. He
kept up a constant call for help with
his whistle, and when he finally left he
tied the whistles to keep up the sounds,
and when the Chicago finally went
down she did it with her whistles blow
ing Engineer Penfield kept his hand
on the throttle until the water put
out his fires, and he had scarce time 10
run on deck and jump overheard when
the boat went down.
Don't get excited. She won't sink, .
the deckhands cried as they ran among
!
! They managed to reassure the major
| ity of the passengers.
Captain Durham saw the Chicago was
doomed, and he gave the command for
/ all hands to go up on the upper deck.
This created new panic, and people
| by the dozen leaped overheard and
struggled to get away from the vortex
when it came.
The City of Augusta found herself
unable fof few moments to get out
of the hole she had made. Her anchor
chains were entangled in the splinters
and despite her reversed engines she
was unable at first to do more than
pull the Chicago down stream with her
The City of Augustus nose was clear
into the Chicago's hull. She finally
managed to get clear and backed away.
No effort was made by her crew to
lower boats to help the passengers of
the Chicago, who were then in the
water by the score, their cries being
plainly audible on shore.
| The tugboat Chauncey NJ. Depew
reached the scene before the Chicago
sunk and took thirty-five people from
the ferryboat and out of the water.
The fireboat, the policeboat Patrol and
several launches were called to the
scene, and did valuable work in rescu-
ing people. Several small boats were
sent out from the neighboring piers.
and in ones, twos and threes the
drenched, chilled and sometimes uncon-
scious passengers We're brought into the
piers, where they received needed at
| tention.
| John Bryson. who was drowned, was
the driver of a United States mail van,
going to the New York Postofiice. Be :.
sides the vehicle in Bryson's charge,
there was on the Chicago a truck be-
longing to the Adams Express Com
pany containing $4,000 in silver bars.
two produce trucks, two milk trucks
and one other wagon.
| Coroner Bausch, after consultation
with the harbor police, decided to is
sue warrants for the arrest of the Cap
tains of the steamship City of Augusta
and ferryboat Chicago, on the charge
Iof manslaughter.
4 Mrs. Mary Weir of Brooklyn called
at police headquarters to-day and
stated that her husband, Alexander
weir, q coal dealer, was missing, and
! that she feared he was on the Chicago.