The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-03-13
A CAR-FLOAT CAPSIZES.
SEPENTEEN LOADED FREIGHT
CARS IN THE EAST RIVER.
Accident to Long Island Railroads
Floating Equipment Supposed TO
Have Been Caused by Collision WIN
an Unknown VesseI-Loss S34,OOO

Floating Equipment Supposed TO
Have Been Caused by Collision With
an Unknown VesseI-Loss $4,000.
New York, March 12.-Seventeen load
ed freight cars, in transit from Jersey
City on a car-foat belonging TO the
Long Island railroad, were tipped into
the East river off Grand street early
this morning by an accident to the float,
supposedly in collision with an I'M
known vessel The captain of the tug,
Peter Nelson, forty-seven years old, OF
No. 161 Hunter avenue, Long Island
City, the only person who could be ex-
pected to know why the accident occur
red, has not been seen since, and is be-
lieved to be drowned.
The cars were loaded with coal, and
went Immediately to the bottom, tip
ping out the coal as they went. Each
car held twenty-five tons, making In an
a loss of $4,000, which cannot be recov-
6TGu. lie cars CGli NC lethNii $500 49,
river. In capsizing they tore away the
upper works of the tug Syosset, which
was doing the towing, and damaged her
to the extent of $4,000
Very few accidents of this sort nave
occurred in the port, and sufficient mys-
terry surrounds this one to make the
railroad officials uncertain as to the
cause. Not the least mark which would
indicate a collision, either with another
vessel or with an obstruction IN the
bottom of the river, is visible on the
float, which now lies bottom up at the
piers of the railroad company. a Hoat
of this sort carries eighteen cars. Con-
seuuently it could not have been I'M
properly loaded with seventeen cars.
The Long Island railroad tug Syosset
was taking the big railroad float to the
yards of the road at Long Island CITY
some time before daylight when OIL
Grand street some unknown vessel IS
believed suddenly to have bumped into
the port side of the float. she coulo
not be seen by the tugs pilot, who was
on the starboard side, but she gave the
float big list to starbard and things
began to look interesting for the tug.
Lest the tug should be pulled under, the
pilot had her cut loose at once, ana the
tug drifted away from the float
Immediately afterward the float turn
ed quite upside down, and the freight
cars were precipitated into the river.
The smokestack of the Syosset had
been knocked off before she got free,
and it lay across the bottom of the hoat
as it drifted down the stream. The pilot
house Of the tugboat was also smashed
and the machinery somewhat damaged.
An oiler on the ting was thrown into the
water, where he was picked up by tug
of the Consolidated railroad.
The aimless drifting of the big rail-
road float and the tug down the stream
attracted the attention of boatmen, ana
when off the Battery some Long Island
railroad tugs, headed by the tug Leader
hitched to the float and towed it up the
East river to the piers of the railroad
company The Long Island tug Mon
tauk went to the rescue of the Syosset
and took her to the same place.
The superintendent of the floating
equipment of the Long Island railroad
went out to make an investigation.