The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-06-15
It Was Thought That Many
Had Been Drowned.
Divers Work All Night Without
Finding Bodies.
A FEW WERE HURT.
One Of the Captains Has Been
Placed Under Arrest.
Exciting Scenes Attend Rescue
of Persons From Water.


New York June 15.-The wooden side
wheeler Northfeld. which has been in
the service of the Staten Island Ferry
company for the past thirty-eight years,
was rammed last night by the steel
hulled propeller Mauch Chunk, used as
a ferry boat by the Central railway of
New Jersey. The collision occurred just
off the Staten Island ferry slip at the
foot Of Whitehall street and in less than
twenty minutes afterward the North
field which was crowded with passen-
gers, sank at the outer end Of the Span
ish line pier in the East river
The Mauch Chunk. which was badly
damaged, landed two dozen passengers
who were aboard of her. over a hundI ed
of the passengers Of the sunken North
field were agged out Of the water by
people along shore and the crews of the
feet OF river tugs which promptly re-
spOnded to the ferry boats call for help
DIVERS WORKED ALL NIGHT.
The divers kept at their task until 6
o'clock this morning without nnolng
human body in the boats cabins. At
o'clock they went back to work again.
The first undertaking of the divers was
to make fast lines to pull the wrecked
boat around so that she would lie
abreast of pier 10. and they We're unable
to search the cabins during the night
1t is not yet known definitely that
there was loss Of life by the collision.
The official entry on the blOtter of the
harbor police says that no one was lost,
but according TO the statements of lug
boat captains who surrounded the sink
ing Of the &orthfield it is thought that
number OF persons must have perished.
Until early this morning there were
many inquiries at the old slip police sta
tons and the station OF the harbor po-
lice for relatives and friends who are
supposed to have gone on the Northfield,
and who had not returned to their
homes at late hour at night. Captain
johnson OF the NOrthfeld was arrested
a few hours after the collision. but he
refused to make any statement about
the collision He was locked up on a
charge Of a criminal negligence and held
without bail. He viii be arraigned in
police court today.
Captain Frank Griffin Of the Mauch
Chunk went to his home in Jersey City
last night No effort was made to ar
rest him as officials of the Jersey Cen
tral railroad promised that Captain
Griffin would be produced in court to-
day.
FEW WERE HURT.
Few Of the Northfeld's passengers
were hurt in the accident. The police
believe that some lives We're lost. Cap
tain Daniel Gully Of the tugboat
Mutual, who saw the ferry boats crash
together, says that Immediately after
the collision between Is and so Of the
passengers leaped into the water and
that many OF these persisted Captain
Gully also declares that he is sure a
hundred Of the Northfield's passengers
We're drowned. The captains of other
tug boats who We're early on the scene
are inclined however to think that the
disaster was not so serious as regards
loss of life.
The reason for such a difference of
opinion as to the extent Of the disaster
Is that the widest excitement prevailed
on the Northfield- The tug Mutual
saved in all about seventy-five persons
from the Northneld and the tugs Unity
and Arrow saved between them $50 per
sons Two policemen of the Old Slip
station claim to have rescued nearly
thirty people between them.
As soon as the crowd which had fol-
lowed the sinking of the ferry boat
along the river front were able to rem
der any aid they worked with viii and
IN many instances men Sprang into the
water to save life. The greatest service
was rendered by tug boats which circIed
around the Northfield and made a
bridge to the Spanish line pier
Men and women clambered over the
tugs to the shore.
LIFE BELTS USELESS
nile the Northfeld was we'll sup
piled with life preservers, which were
slowed in out of the wav places NOT
more than two dozen of the ENDANGERED
passengers We're able to get the life
belts on This state Of affairs was be-
cause the life preservers were nor
handily obtainable and the widest
sort OF panic followed when the hun
oreds OF passengers realized their
Qanger- Ihis was only a few minutes
before the Northheld sank to the bot
ton Of the river, and then all who had
not jumped to the tugs found them
selves in the water.
The swift running flood tide and the
question of which boat had the rfght
Of way was the cause of the disaster.
Capt Abraham Johnson was in charge
Of the Northheld. and Capt. s. c. Grif-
nm was in command of the Mauch
Chunk Each lays the blame for tht.
collision on the other.
HOW IT HAPPENED.
The Northfeld with a load of mass
engers variously estimated at between
500 and 1900. at SOL p. m. started out
OF the west slip at Whitehall street for
st George, Staten Island, and at 5.53
m the Mauch Chunk left the railroad
slip at Comminpaw for Whitehall
street The latter craft was abreast OF
the barge Office at the Battery when
the Northfeld came out of the slip. Tha
exchange OF whistles between the boats
was 1oAoWed by the crash Captain
SrlIiln apparently believed that the
Staeen Island ferry boat would be halt
ed until he had worked his boat into
khe uppeF slip, and on the other hand
%apta1n Johnson supposed that he