Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, 1901-06-20
SINKS IN A COLLISION
Ferryboat Mortified Goes Down With
Hundreds Of Passengers.
LOSS or LIFE IS NOT YET KNOWN
Jersey Central Express Boat Mauch
Chunk Does the MischIef-As Crash
Came Water Was Instantly Filled with
Struggling Men and Women.

NEW YORK, June 14.-One Of the
most frightful ferry collisions in the
history of this city took place at 6
o'clock this evening just off the foot of
Whitehall street. The Mortified Of
the Staten Island ferry, crowded to
the guards, was run into and sunk in
nine minutes by the Jersey Central
railroad express boat Mauch Chunk.
A score or more of passengers are
dead, but the total drowned may not
be discovered for days.
Within three minutes after the col
lision the water was filled with frantic
men and women, screaming for help
and struggling to keep above the sur
face. Before the Mortified had gone
more than 200 feet from it's slip it be-
came apparent that a collision wa in
eyitable.
The captains of both vessels rang
furiously to their engineers to stop
and back, full speed astern, and btoh
boats whistled loudly. Then the crash
came. A startling cry of fear as if
from n voice was heard, then the
shrieks and shouts Of the hundreds
packed on the Staten Island ferry.
Scores of ONE tainted. Others leap
ed madly into the water. The boats
after an ~instant's pause succeeding the
ramming, separated. Through a great
ragged hole torn in the berryboat's side
water streamed in a torrent. Many of
the women were hysterical and with
whitened faces and tears running down
their cheeks they clutched to the life
savers, which were tightly secured in
a network of wires.
With but few exceptions every man
aboard behaved like a hero. All knew
the Mortified was mortally hurt. It
was rolling heavily and sinking rap
idly. But these men, some of them
laborers going from their work, others
bankers from Wall street returning
to their country houses on the island,
thought first Of the women and chill
dren. Scores of men seized little ones
in their arms or took charge of the
two or three women nearest them and
encouraged them and cheered them
with assurances of safety. Many of
the women refused to be quieted, seized
life p~reservers and jumped.
Tugs and craft Of every sort, hearing
the dying siren of the stricken boat,
steamed full speed toward her from the
bay and from North and East rivers.
The Mortified was just floating, a
crippled hulk, a the first tug boat
reached it. In scores of cases, women
climbed over the rail on the saloon
deck and held their hands beseeching-
ly to the tug boats, almost letting go
their hold before the boats were with
in 100 feet.
As fast as the pug nose of a tug
boat bumped against the side of the
Mortified it was black with struggling
men and women, grasping in terror at
anything that promised a hand-hold to
safety. In the front part of the North
field a dozen men passed women and
children to the nearest tugs, picking
them off the side guards, where they
chung in water to their knees and half
unconscious with terror.
1890 a. m.-No bodies have yet been
recovered from the Mortified. The
loss of life can only be estimated by
reports to the police from eye wit
nesses. There was a full tide flowing
and there is little hope of recovering
any bodies tonight.