Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-08-10
15OPEOPLE DROP In THE SEA
Gang Plank Broke in tho Middle and
Threw Them Into a Death Trap BE-
tween the Boat and Wharf-Panic
Stricken Victims Clutchod Each
Other and Sank Into Groups

UrpWlou aEu three uleu from inc toIrlple
experience of an immersion i'm the icy va
ter and injuries while struggling for life.
The dead are;
The positive identincations are as fol-
lows:
Mrs. VIM Murray Of IGeWcr.
Irving Bridges OF West lhh'o3N
Albert tOlScL Leranl
Mrs. Alonso i. oak'S, balSor.
MISS Grace sumner bangor
JOS. MNphN, OIdtoWh.
Mrs. Houls w. hstrN' ELLSWORTH
'lnord Cushmin CoiNjh'
MES LlzZle ward bangor
CharleS w. DoWhes' t''iN"or'h'
- T. SWeetser' travelling s"Ic9mah'
,Eortauu
ora NJ I.dhN, Ddhlorth'
" H. Briuel'' BTi"tr
MIS- u a. Bennett brewer
MIS' CnaFle9 SloN'r' r"'0"'''~
MeINnl McCard CorIhth
MIS- a; u, bIil'uss' I,""toI'
MRS George DeiW'hl' i4HEor'
MISS Lewis OF HamPd"h NE.
Unknown WoWdlI peHrNru 10 pe s"'eS-
NEiI"tl LOT boston P""I'S'.nS HuuS'' T.,
Inc C"tuslopnc N"9 i'lsH'i"I
tHe extreme lOr II '''ne WIZ
"oro9 u PeiSO"9' 'O""S '"' 49,
were pehneu mo Il Hup' y" c9V1lV
prom Whlch lh'E io"sh, WIN uespel"'io'H
tsalhSt great odus, IL "ss tile MotS'
hcclueht reHeH1peie" III t,'e iiSto's % .,io
tale ana eSp'olaiiS III 'Ile t"H ger ~ 'ne Nv,
-haihe central roau' uHuer "luse 'tspiCpS
10 many eAoutslo','Sts i'i" Nv W ~" So ~
-1tre. TWO huh"red OF 'heh OF aoU"' 'i'"t
oumber rushing from the irain to tne Doat
RhlCh was 70 carry 'leii 10 b"t ilai vi
were without any warming PIuhs,u my
the water through a Ia'9I U' b. roiintu
" on thfte slueS ny the plhHS OF th' "naIl
ehd on the fouith ny the noat they louent
1oi ic" minutes Wn'e hul'nieu u!
more eAcurslohists stupiHe"' ana IalIlnS d.
HNSt 10 reiDZe the eHofIIiItN Oh the u"E'uS
they were witnessing looked down from
The wharf above
The Maine Contra railroad to-day ran
excursions to bar liarpor from All sec
tons of its line in Maine the attraction
being the warShlps winch were expected
to-day. All the forenoon long trains pack
ed with oXcursionists' We're rushing to Bar
tarbor. The train when Ielt Bangor at
S:25 consisted of twelve cars damned with
people. AT Mount Desert ferry, the ter
minus of the line the traisl IL left for the
boat for an eight mile san to Bar liarbor
The trains run ont on to the wharf ana II
Is but step lam the train to the boat
The wharf is owned by the Maine Central
railroad and the boat is u part of its sys-
tenn. From the wharf slip or gang plank
forty feet long and ten feet wide led up to
the boat. The slip was hinged at the ia
ner end, the outer end being supported by
chains, 10y which 1t was raised or lowered
to suit the tide. The wharf extends on
both sides HuSn with the end of the gang
plank. The plank was Of wood. Five
1lmbers, tour by u inches, set vertically,
ran the length of the plank and these We're
crossed by two-inch planking. 1t is said
that there was no support for the p,ant
between the hinges at the outer end.
When the excursion train from Bangor
"NrrlVod at the Ferry there was rush
Tor the steamer Sappho. The first few
passengers mad crossed the gang plank
kal"y and 1t seems that 200 people were
masscd upon the plank. Suddenly they
felt the plank give way beneath them
.Jhe long timber supporting the plank
broke in the middle. The hinges held up
One end and the chain the other while
fthe broken ends Of the plank dropped, and
a struggling screaming mass of humanity
We plunged into the water fifteen feet
below the wharf a few clufag to the in
Cined sides of the plank but at least 80
were struggling I'm the water. The piling
Oi the wharf partially penncd them in on
three sides and the boat lying at the
wharf closed the outside end of the OPEN
3ng.
After the first moment of stupefaction
The work Of rescue began, Ropes and life
prescrvers were thrown 10 the crowd, but
in the panic the people in the water
Clutched one another and many sa nix thus
IN groups in a death grapple Many peo-
pie taken from the water were unconscious