Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1901-06-15
FERRYBOATS CRASH.

FERRYBOATS CRASH.
The wooden eide wheel steamer
Mortified, which hes been in the ser
vice of the New York and Staten Islant
Ferry Company for the last 38 years
wss rammed les, night by the steel
hulled propeller Mauch Chunk, used al
ferryboat by the Central Railroad
Company OF New Jersey.
The collision occurred just of the
Staten Island ferry slip, at the foot O
Whitehall street. 10 less than 10 min
ut3e the Northfeld, which was crowd
ed with passengers, sank at the outer
end OF the Spanish Line pier ip the EasI
river.
The Mauch Chupk, which was badly
IaWeged, landed the two dozsn passen.
gers who were aboard her.
Hundreds of passengers OF the sunk
en- NOrlhfield were dragged out OF the
water by persons along shore and the
crews OF the feet OF river tugs, which
promptly responded to the ferrybosts
call for help. a few of the Northfeld's
passengers were hurt in the accident,
and II g thought that some lives are
lost.
Capt. Daniel Gully, of the tugboat
Mutual, who saw the ferryb pats crash
ogether, says that Immediately after
the collision between 25 and 80 OF the
passengers leaped into the water and
that many OF these perished. Cap
tain Gully also declares that he
is sure over 100 OF the North
fields passengers were drowned. The
captains of other tugbosts who wer-
-arIy on the scene are Inclined to thi. X
that tue disaster was not 80 serious es
co the loss Of life. Thus far no dead
bodies have been recovered.
The reason for such q difference OF
)piaion as to the extent of the dis .ster
is that the widest excitement prevailed
On the North Fl sid. The tug Mutual
saved iu all about 75 persons from the
Northfeld and the tugs Unity and Al
row saved 150 persons. Two police
men of the Old Ship station say they
rescued nearly 80 persons between
item.
As soon as the crowd which had fol-
lowed the sinking ferryboat along the
river front was able to render any aid
It worked with q will and 10 many In.
staucs s men sprang into the water to
save life. The greatest s,rvice was
rendered by the tugboats, which, as
,ooD as it was possible, crcled around
the Nortf field and made q bridge 10
ihe Spanish line pier. Men and wo.
men clambered over the tugs to the
shove.
While the Mortified was we'll sup
Piled with life-preservers, which were
slowed in out-oi-the-wsy places, not
more than two dozen of the endangered
passengers were able to get them Oh.
This state OF affairs was because the
life presei vers were not easily obtain
able, aud the widest sort of q patio
followed when the hundreds of psssen-
gers realized their danger. This was
only few minutes before the Nortt. {.
field sank to the bottom of the river,
aud then all who had not jumped 10
the tugs found themselves in the water.
The swiftly running foodtide and the
question of which boat had the right Of
way was the cause Of the disaster.
Capt. Abraham johnson was iu charge
of the Mortified and Capt. g. G. Griffin
was in command OF the Msuch Chunk.
Each lays the blame for the collision on
the other.
The Northfeld, with a load OF pas
seDgers estimated OF between 800 and
1900, at 6 OIL p. N. started out of tt
west slip at Whitehall street for ST.
George, Staten Island. At 5:53 p. m.
the Mauch Chunk left the railroad clip
at Communipaw for Whitehall street.
The latter craft was abreast ofthe barge
Office at the Battery when the Mortified
came out of the slip.
An exchange of whistles between the
boats was followed by the crash. Cap
tainlGriffin apparently believed that the
Staten Island ferryboat would be he lied
until be had worked his boat into the
upper slip. On the other hand Captain
Johnson supposed that he would be
allowed to cross the Mauch Chunks
bows.
When the accident appeared inevit-
able the speed of the Communipaw
ferrybost was reduced as much 81 poe.
SlDle uUutI buo OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES ou' =
borne along by the swift-running foe d
tide head on. the Mauch Chunk struck
the Northfeld on the starbosrd side at
the hood of the forward ladies' cabiu
on the main deck. The blow was q
terrific one and the force OF IL wrecked
the steering gear st the forward end OF
the Mauch Chunk, tore up about ten
feet Of the main deck, wrecked the
deckhouse on the port side, broke
through the deck rail and threw down
the stanchiops on the forward part OF
the Central Railroad boat.
As the humping OF ferrybosts is not
unusual in that harbor, the passengers
on the North6eld did not for minute
or so realize the seriousness OF the col
llsioD. When two fremen ran on deck
to save the mselves from the inflow OF
water and the Northfeld was being
driven at full speed up North river In
stead OF down toward Staten Island the
passengers knew that something seri-
Gus bad happened. Then began the
ma mic which continued until the North.