The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1901-06-21
..NOS25.
FERRY BOAT SINKS
with One Thusands People On.
Board of Her. s;3S}s 33asj y
SEVERAL LIVES WERE Lost.

Many Boats Rushed to she r ss.,:
Gus and savid Hun
drsds Of lives row 5
II tIapponod.
The wooden side whoelor NorthGeld3 4
which has heon in tho service Of the
Station Island Ferry company plying
botwoon New York and Jorsoy City
for the past 38 years, was rammed Fri
day night by tho steel hulled propeller
Mauchohunk, used as ferry boat BY
tho Central railroad Of Now Jersoy.
The collision occurred just off tho
S.aton Island ferry slip at the foot Of i
whitehall stroot and in loss than ton i
minutes after tho Northfeld, which
was crowded with passengers, sank ct u
tho outor end of tho Spanish Limo pier
ia the East rivor. The Mauohohunk, s
which was badly damsged, landed the
two dozon passengers who where aboard
OF hor. Ov3r hundred Of the passon- y
gors Of tho sunken Northfield were
dragged out Of the water by people
along shore and crews Of tho Aset Of (
river tugswh 81 promptly responded to J.
tho forry boats call for help. "a fow8 4
OF the Northfiold's passengers were hurt
in the e,cident and the police believe /
that SOHO livas wero lost. CAPT. Dam
isl Gully OF the tugboat Mutual, who
saw the ferry bats crash together,
says that Immediately after tho COL
lision botwoon 25 and 30 Of the pas.
sengors loapod into tho wator and that
many of thoss porished. Capt. Gully
also declares that he is sure ovsr hun
dred Of the Northfiold q passengers were
drowned. The captains Of othor tug
boats who were early on the scene. y
howovor, are inolinod to think that the
disaster was not 80 serious as regards
loss of life. Thus far no dead bodies
have been recovered. {. X
Tho reason for suoh differences Of
opinion as to the extent Of the disaster
is that tho Widest exoitoment prevailed
on tho Northfeld. The tug Mutual
saved in all about % perHons from tho
Northfi cid and the tugs Unity and
Arrow saved between them 100 I per-
sons. Two polio anon Of tho Old Slip
station claim to have rescued. nearly so
people between them. AS soon as the (
crowd which had followed the sinking
ferryboat along the river front were
able to render any aid they worked with
a will and in many instances mon
sprang into tho Water to save life. The
greatest service Wa5 rendered by the !
tugb0ats, which as so on as it was posi-
siblo cirolod around tho ,Northfiold and
made q bridge to the Spanish line pier
and men and women CLAN bored oy8eS
tho tnga to, tho shore. 81 Tho swift rum
ming food tide and N tli0 qhea Hon Of
which boat has tho right Of way S5wa11
the CAUSE OF the disaster. Capt. "a brssS
ham johnson was in charge 0f tho
Ncrthtield and Capt. 8. O.. Grtfin was
in command Of the Mauchchunk. % soh9
lays the blanc for the collision on the \
othor.
The Northfeld, with load Of pas,aI
songers, variously estimated at IS be-S3
tween 800 and 1000 at COL p. iii.
started out Of tho west slip at White
hall street for St. George, Staten
Island, and at 5. 63 p. N. the Mauch-$;
chunk loft tho railroad slip at Oommu-8
nipaw for Whitehall street. The later
craft was abreast of the barge Office at
tho Battery whom the Northfield oame
out of the slip. An exchange Of
whistles betwoen the boats was follow
cd by tho crash. Capt. Griffin appar.;
emily believed that the Staten Island
forrYboat would be halted until he had D
worked his boat into the upper slip, and
on the other hand Capt. johnson sup
posed that he would be allowed to GROSS
the Maunchchunk's bows. Whom the
accident appeared inevitable tho speed
Of tho Oommunipaw ferryboat was 70.
ducedod as much as possible under the
circumstances. but borne along by the (,
swift running food tide, head on, tho
Mauchohunk struck the Northfeld on
the starboard side at the hood Of the
forward ladies cabin on the main deck.
The blow was terrific one and the
foroo of it wrecked tho steering gear at
the forward ond Of tho Mauch.5
chunk, to up about 10 foot Of the main
dock, wrecked the dookhouso on tho
port sido and broke through tho deck
rail and throw down the stanobions on e
the forward part Of the Central railroad
boat.
AS tho humping Of forryboats i'd not
unusual in this harbor tho passengers
on the Northfiold did not for q minute
or no roalize tho seriousness Of the col
lision. Whom, however, two firernen
ran upon deck to save themselves from
tho inflow of Wator and the Northfield
was being drivon full speed up tho u .st
river instead Of down towards Staten
Island and all the time sohreoohing Cor \
help thoy knew that something serious
had happenod. Then commenced the
panic which continued until tho North
neld went down. At no timo was, the
Northfield moro than 500 foot out in the
river beyond tho bulkhead line but the
tide was running with the velocity Of a.
mil! raco and had tho vessol sunk out
IN tho stream only the tugsswould have
boon able to give assistance. 3 455
.3fH5 Is i st }{sys3stgtS
Seriously Bitten by q Shad.
William Duncan, aged 26 years, q
Delaware river fisherman, was bitten by
a shad and Is now in the Delaware Hos
pital at Wilmington, Del, suffering
severely, While hauling his net some
ton days ago one Of the fish, which was
n NJ ,fc~ 80 o.,a 4 - ~ -