The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-06-12
NIGHT OF AGONY
Parents Of Twenty two
Greenville Children
Watch For Their
Return.
OUT IN A sLooP
Rev. Mr.. Pyle Gave His Pupils
an Outing Caught in
a Fog.

| Greenyille in the vicinity of the wharf
| at the foot of Linden avenue, on the New
| York Bay, was the scene of much ex-
| citement all through Saturday night and
far into Sunday morning. Crowds num-
bering hundreds gathered on the wharf
near the Greenville Yacht Clubs quar-
| ters, and shared the anxiety of parents,
who were in an awful state of mind over
the delay of the arrival of a boat laden
with their precious children, choir sing
! ers of the Grace Episcopal Church, Green
vile.
The Rev. Percival c. Pyle, of the Grace
Episcopal Church, at Ocean and Pearsan
avenues. Greenville, was in charge OF the
merry party of thirty-two, which included
twenty children, four of them girls, and
two daughters of Assessment Commits
sioner Edward Barr. Organist Charles
Colbeck and his wife were on board OF the
/ sIoop, the Ella c., which was handled by
Fleet Gorusch and William Gorusch.
Both are expert sailors and had little
difficulty in handling the big boat, with
its merry party of excursionists. The
pastor had planned the trip for ms
pupils the majority of whom are mem
bers of the surpliced choir. When the
/ children were told Of the trip their joy
! knew no bounds.
/ 1t was about four o'clock when the
| children and the pastor marched through
4 the dusty lane to the wharf. The Ella
| G. is owned by the Gorsuch brothers and
4 is rented by the day to sailing parties.
| The organist had made provision for the
| trip Midland Beach was the destlnatfon
| With the Youngsters singing and shout
| ing merrily the boats swung off clear OF
/ the docks, sails were unfurled and cast
to catch the wind. The sails filled rap
idlv and the boat fairly SKINNED over
| the smooth water
| Fair winds carried them as far as Fort
| Wadsworth, where a slight change IN the
| winds direction made it apparent that
| Midland Beach could not be reached. A
conference was held and the decision
reached to try some point on the Long
island shore. Ulmer Park, being near at
hand was decided upon. The landing was
made at $50 P. NJ After merry time
snent by the young folk in romping on
the sand and riding in the carrousels the
boat was headed for home att7:lo +. nj.
A dead calm was found to have settled
down upon the waters. Every vest1e OF
wind died out. Some progress was maae
with oars. and occasionally puffs OF
wind. few and far between, carried them
s,o,,,l,, out into the lower bay. AT the
end of an hour and after night had se'-
eled down. a slight breeze sprung up.
# carried with it a fog, however anu
+han died out again, leaving the boat
surrounded by misty curtain whlch hlo
from its occupants all view OF the hghts
on shore and added an element OF Danger
70 the predicament
The pastor. and the elders on board be-
| gan to get worried. They We're carerul
to keep their anxiety from the chlloren-
One by one the youngsters dozed on.
The older ones dared not sleep. Inc
| c,orsuch Brothers kept sharp LOOKOUT
to prevent against being run down
Aho,t two A. NJ the fog lifted and they
| fo,,nd the boat had worked UP near the
| shore at Bay Ridge. Three members o.
the party, Chrictopher Smith and VIII
II lam Edwards of Brooklyn, ana Wlillan
Smith of Manhattan, wer put ashore Wlll
some difficulty and started TOR nome
The landing point was near the Doisei
Works and Organist Colbeck landed anc
searched in vain for telephone. HIS III
tention was to notify the police Oh tae
Fifth precinct police station, Whlcn IS II
Creenyille While he was away the long
: sought wind put in its appearance ane
: he barely got back aboard before the
Yacht nut off for home, with the ehildrer
still in deep slumber. There was now
new obstacle to contend with in a strone
ebb tide. Until the turn at nearly foul
A. NJ. little progress was made. From
that time the homeward trip was quick
ly made.
In the meantime the anxious parents
/ were waiting the return of their htti'
ones. For hours and hours they watched
I INCREASINGLY Their eyes We're STRAINED
: trying to discern objects through tht
: haze. which became thick and heavy ovel
: the water shortly after sundown. VI
through the night the watch CONTINUED
!, until the boat was seen slowly cominE
! through the mist at five O'Clock Sunda!
morning the pastor the Rev. Perclval Z
pyle standing near the bow shou
went up and prayers We're offered aplenty
a The news of the arrivals of the belate'
Yacht flew through Greenville with star
Ting rapidity. Crowds soon gathere'
: around the tired exeursionists. The par