The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-22
AN ACCIDENT ON A FERRY.
Pullman Passengers Have n Narrow
Escape From Drowning.


NEW YORK. Jan. 21.-while the pas
sengers were slumbering in the sleepers
of the New Haven Railroads Federal Ex-
press from Boston at o'clock this morn
ing on board the transfer boat Maryland.
and approaching the Jersey City docks,
two of the cars started down toward the
river on the hogbaek deck of the boat
They kept on until the rear truck of the
rear car went over the tail of the ':oat
and dropped into the river.
This let the frame of the rear end Of
the car come down on the deck with a
crash and the body of the car continued
TO slide until about twenty five feet of it
oyerhung the water and the lower steps OF
the rear platform were awash Then the
dead weight of the car, which is sixty-fye
feet long. and weighs forty tons, grinding
through the timbers of the boats after
guard, checked the slide and the forty
or more passengers in the berths of the
two cars were safe.
The Federal Express is one of the crack
trains of the New Haven road. 1t leaves
Boston daily at p. m. and is due in
Washington at 1882 the next morning.
The whole train. minus the engine, is
taken from the north side Of the Harlem
down the East River and around the Bat
terry to the Jersey City terminal of the
Pennsylvania road by transfer boat and
the passengers do not have to interrupt
their nights sleep to change cars.
The train was made up of three sleep
ers, day coach, and a baggage car. The
track deck on the Maryland is arched
fore and aft, so that when cars are put
aboard they are pushed up a slight grade
and the down grade at the other end of
the boat allows them to roll from the
boat to the rails on shore. The boat is
a double ender like any other ferryboat.
When a train is put aboard the front
cars are made fast to the forward end Of
the boat by steel cables and in the rear of
each section two chocks. one of wood
and the other of steel, are clamped to
the rails to prevent the cars from roll
ing back. These chocks. which are sew
eral feet apart. are clamped on after the
cars are put aboard. The steel chocks
are two feet high and supposed to be
strong enough to Withstand the strain OF
train coming against them at the rate
of fifteen miles an hour.
The Maryland got to within boats
length of The Jersey City slip, when the
cable snapped, and both cars began to
/ Oil alt All ol lHe IuiiInaH, ol GeOTBe,
and the rear trucks of one other car
were aft of the highest point in the arch
of the deck and so the bulk of the weight
was on the after down grade.
The St. George managed somehow to
push the chocks from the rails. There was
no further obstacle to stay the progress
of the cars The rear truck of the St
George went over the edge and was lost
and the rear end of the car body dropped
to the deck.
According to the train hands and the
men in charge OF the boat not passen-
ger left his or her berth TO see what the
trouble was. The car slid athwart the
edge of the deck until twenty y-ive feet
of its sixty-five were over the river with
the end just touching the water
This all happened about half a minute
bsiore the Maryland was made fast in the
ferry rack. The passengers were hustled
out and the st. George was pulled back
onto the deck of the Maryland two hours
later by means of derrick.