Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-08-07

Mrs. A. III. Billins, Bangor.
Irving Bridges, West Hancock.
Albert Colson, Levant..
Clifford Cushman, Corinth.
MIS-. George Derwent, Bangor.
Charles w. Downs. Ellsworth
Mrs. Hollis w. Estey. Ellsworth.
Ora N. Lank, Of Danforth.
Melvin McCard, Corinth.
Joseph Murphy. Old Town.
Mrs. William Murray, Brewer.
MRS. Alonzo Z. Oakes. Bangor.
Miss Grace Sumner, Bangor.
MRS. Charles Slower, Ellsworth.
n. H. Sweetzer, travelling saleeux
Portland.
Miss Lizzie Ward, Bangor.
The Particulars.
Bar HarDor. Me, Aug. 7.-Twenty
persons were killed and forty were
more or less severely injured as the re-
suit Of the breaking down of a ferry
slip at Mount Desert Ferry village Sun
day. The list of fatalities NAV he
greatly increased. as many persons are
missing and it is feared that number
of bodies are still at the bottom of
Frenchman's bay.
The Maine Central railroad had run
a big excursion from all points in
Maine Sunday on account Of the pres
ence here of the warships One train
load consisting Of about 1900 people had
Just arrived at Mount Desert Ferry and
rush was made for the steamer Sap
pho, which was to bring the people to
this village from the mainland. The
slip broke down under the mass of hu-
mantty and in an instant 200 people
We're struggling helplessly in the water.
Twenty bodies had been recovered by
evening and all nave been identified
The forty injured are under skilled
medical care at the Hotel Bluffs OF
these only cne, George S. Southard. Of
Bangor, is thought to be fatally injured
from blows received in the mad strug-
gle for life beneath the waters.
Bar Harbor is reached by train by a
branch Of the Maine Central, running
from Bangor. At Mount Desert Ferry
is the terminus Of the railroad, and
there steamers are taken for this city
eight miles across F'renchnan'S bay.
The first excursion train yesterday
from Portland, Bangor and stations
along the main line reached the ferry
at 1920 o'clock in the morning. Just
before the train arrived at the ferry the
excursionists learned that only about
a third could be accommodated on the
Sappho, and that the rest would have
to wait for later trips of the boat. Con-
sequently, when the train came to the
ferry wharf there was wild rush to
eventual death.
The people in front Jumped up over
the sides of the Sappho and clambered
on to the lower decks. A living, seeth-
| ing mass of 500 or 1000 people was soon
struggling and pushing to get aboard.
The trainmen were powerless to stem
the mad race.
The entrance to the poat was by a
narrow slip about thirty feet long and
ten feet wide 1t was supported at one
end by hinges and at the other by pull
ley chains. The tide was high and there
was the greatest possible strain on the
timbers of the slip.
About 20 persons had passed over the
slip when, with a crash, it broke exact
ly in the middle, letting both ends
down into the water and 200 people
with 1t. The pier is built in such
manner that when the slip broke the
200 people were boxed in space ten
feet wide by twenty feet long. There
was no escape either by the side or at
the ends, unless one had presence of
mind enough to dive down several feet
under the wooden partition.
The struggling, screaming, fighting
mass presented a horrible picture.
When the slip broke those VINO we're
half way across fell into the water
first. The others. all that We're on the
slip, slid in on top of them as the bro
ken ends of the slip swung away. 1t is
thought that the twenty or more
drowned are those who were precipitat-
ed into the water first.
The slip broke with a noise like
boiler explosion, and nearly every ones
first though was that the boiler Of the
steamer had blown up and the boat
hands rushed in that direction. In
second, however. a horror-stricken
shout went up as the immensity of the
disaster was partly realized.
Those who were behind the unfortu-
mates became panic-stricken as they
saw the victims struggling In the water.
Strong men lost their presence of mind,
as we'll as women. All fought like de-
mons to get away from the danger.
but the crowd kept pushing toward the
slip for several seconds after the acci-
dent occurred, until fifty more people
had been pushed down into the water.
AHele were some, however, who did
not lose their wits. and chief among
these We're the trainment and boat
hands They at once jumped to the
rescue of the drowning people and per-
formed many heroic deeds in saving
life. More than $50 people were pulled
out of the water by the employees of
the railroad in very short time.
Captain Dickson, commander of the
Sappho; Fred Sanborn of Portland, con-
ductor in charge of the excursion train,
and E. T. Greenough of Portland,
clerk in the freight office of the Maine
Central, showed themselves to be as
great heroes as any men on board the
war ships, whom the Inflated excur-
sionists We're on their way to admire
and pet.
Young Greenough was thrown into
the water with the eXcursionists, and
aided greatly in the work of rescue. He
refused to leave the water until every
one else who was alive had been taken
out, and, moreover, he saved several
persons by holding them from sinking
until a rope or board could be reached
to them. When he was taken from the
water mighty cheer went up for the
exhausted hero.
The work of Captain Dickson and
Conductor Sanborn in securing ladder,
holding 1t down into the hole and res