New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-02
ALMOST CUT IN TWO.
HANIILTON-AVE. FERRYBOAT STRuCh
BY AN IRON-PROWED TUGBOAT.
TEN PERSONS INJURED AND A MARVEL
LOUs ESCAPE FROM Loss OF LIFE
CAPTAIN OF THE TUG ARRESTED.

tug Argus crashed into the ierTy Dodl fleiieP''''
Of the Hamilton Ferry line. at $40 O'CLOCK last
evening between Governors Island ana 'he
Brooklyn shore forcing her way twenty feet
into the port side Of the Perrepont at the rear
entrance to the women's cabin. Atkins Paine
the captain of the Argus, is locked up on the
charge cf criminal negligence.
The ferryboat was crowded to the rails, ana
the fact thet only ten people were slightly in
,ured and none drowned seemed to those who
saw the hole in the boat as almost an interpo-
sitlon OF Providence.
The following is a list OF the injured:
AUGUSTA Antonio hfty-six years Old. OF No. li2 De
ambulance
hull-st small bones broken; congestion from water
taken home.
9St Henry st.: injuries 70 the spine taken home.
MYERS Mrs Mary .S Of ,NGo No. ioi Hamilton ave- right
OREILLY. Mrs T.. Of No. 29 Henry ST. sprained ankle
and back; taken home
g ams M Sen en ,sn ysars to oa e. p N9 Il opa
TINTIE Mrs Gilbert forty five years o:d. Of Bayonne
- J.. shock, taken home.
WILSON Grace fifteen years old. Of Bayonne. y. j.;
Injuries 70 waist ard hip; taken home
Two others were somewhat bruised, but re-
fused attendance.
It was about 600 o'clock when the Pierrepont
left the Battery and headed for her slip at
Hamilton-ave In Brooklyn. She carried about
Ave hundred or six hundred passengers. most OF
them being working men and women There
was strong ebb tide. Near by were several
small tugs and a car float and an Annex boat OF
the Pennsylvania Railroad was approaching on
her way to Jersey City. In her wake on the ielt
side was the iron tug Argus, on her way from
Hammond's Flats. to Hoboken. The Argus Is
a powerful tug. belonging to Haley d Appleton
OF Boston and is built to Withstand heavy seas
At her wheel Captain Atkins PAINE OF
| Maiden. Mass and, according to his statement
| Prescott Higgins. the first mate. was with hiHL
| Captain John S Williamson was in charge Of
| the Pierrepont He started out straight from the
slip. but the ebb tide turned his course some
| what When he was abreast Of Governors
| Island the Annex boat bore down upon him.
| The Annex boat sweryed to the right and just
| cleared the stern Of the Pierrepont captain
| Paine thinking apparently that the Perrepont
would give the Annex boat the right OF way
| had held mis- posltion close to the left Of her
| When he discovered that the Perrepont was d.
rectlv ahead he reversed his engines. but the
| tide hurled the iron prov OF the tug straight
against the Pierrepont. The crash came almost
| before those on the ferryboat were aware that
anything was wrong The people were hurled
|
penetrated the heavy framework Of the ferry
boat a distance Of twenty feet and made V
shaped hole which extended TO the wagon and
road Nav on the ferryboat The shock stunned
! the r 4eafa-s a a minute later the seats
were thrown up and the people began passing
around the life -preservers.
A RESCUE AND A RUSH FOR SAFETY.
BY this time Captain Paine of the Argus had
picked himself up from the bottom Of the wheel
house. where he had been thrown by the col
lision and stopped the engines Of the tug, which
had pulled her clear from the Pierrepont. He
sent the crew 10 the sides Of the boat to look out
for the people in the water Only one person. as
far as known. had been thrown overheard. ana
she was Emma Connors. who was taken to the
Atlantic Basin on the Argus. one man said
that he saw two boys fall into the water, but
the police do not believe his story.
Captain John s Williamson Of the Pierre
pont soon discovered that his boat was not
so badly damaged that she would sink, and
he started at full speed for his slip. The deck
hands and the men on the boat meanwhile
did their best to quiet the fears Of the pas
sengers. In the panic which followed several
dIsgraceful scenes were witnessed over the pos
session Of life-preservers one passenger says
that q big Italian took a preserver away from a
woman. and after he had placed 1t around his
own body ran around the deck crying for some
one 10 help him The passengers were kept well
o,.or on the starboard side so that the boat kept
an even keel
As soon as the Pierrepont reached her slip
the gates were opened and the passengers
rushed out into the street. still not sure that the
boat would not sink at any instant. So fierce
was the scramble to leave the boat that the
gatemen were swept away and the gates torn
from their fastenings. Just before the boat
came in a policeman on duty noticed the hole In
the side Of the Pierrepont, and sent In calls Tor
ambulanccs In few minutes three were on
hand from the Long Island College, the Seney
and the Homeopathic hospitals.
The news Of "a terrible collision" between
ferrvboats and tug spread rapidly through the
neighborhood and the reserves from the Ham
uton-ave. police station had hard task 70 Keep
the crowd from breaking through the ferry
gates The ambulances were driven into The APP
proach. and the doctors made an examination or
the injured and carried them away
contain Cullen. Of the Hamilton ave. police
station. at once followed his men TO the Hamil-
ton-aye. ferry slip and made searching nvesti-
cation An officer was sent down to the North
| Atlantic Dock where the Argus tied up, and
rut Captaln Paine under arrest When Captain
| culIen saw, the hole in the side OF the boat he
| exclaimed:
This must have been a clear case Of criminal
negligence | shall certainly hold that man.
CAPTAIN PAINEs STATEMENT.
Captain Paine OF the Argus made the fol-
Lowing statement at the Hamilton ave. police
station after he was arrested:
had brought a tow from Boston to Hammond
| ri. md having released that, was proceeding
- ,,,, ,Yav 10 Uoboken for coal. The Argus Is an
| jro1 Ioat l7o feet long. and 400 horsepower was
| ,,oiup down the East River and had reached the
| t,rnoklyu Hridge when saw pennsylvania an
,av h,at com, out from her slip on the brookyi u
| .tcr I followcd her down the East River until
nreftv nearly abreast OF South Ferry when the
| pierrepont came ont Of her slip tried TO eVhue
II hn