The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-06-15
FERRY BOATS IN COLLISION
4 SERIOUS ACCIDENT IN EAST
 RIYER LAST NIGHT.

Chunk-Fear That Many Passenger
 Were Drowned-Over 100 Dragged Gu
 of the Water-Captain of the North
 field Arrested for Criminal Negligence
 New York, June 14-The wooden sid
 wheeler Northfield, which has been il
 the service of the Staten Island com
 pany for the past thirty-eight years
 was rammed tonight in East Rive
 just off the Staten Island ferry slip a
 the foot of Whitehall street by the stee hulled propeller Mauch Chunk. The Northfield sank shortly after the acci- dent and it is feared that many pas sengers were drowned.
 The Mauch Chunk, which was badly damaged, after landing her two dozen passengers, proceeded under her own steam to Communipaw Channel, where she was laid up for repairs. Over a hundred of the passengers on the sunk en Northfield were dragged out of the water.
 Captain Daniel Gully, of the tugboat Mutual who saw the collision, says that immediately afterwards, between twenty-five and thirty of the passen- gers. leaped into the water and that he is sure over hundred of the North fields passengers were drowned.
 The captains of the other tugboats, !, A1 ,t,,Jr fho% 1,A disaster was not so serious Thus far no dead bodies have been recovered and at the slack of the tide a diver will make an effort to explore the cabins of the ferryboat.
 While the Northfeld, in accordance with the federal regulations, was well supplied with life preservers, not more than two dozen of the endangered pas sengers were able to get the life belts on and a wild panic followed when the passengers realized their danger. Many were rescued, however, by the boats that came in numbers to the scene.
 The swift running flood tide anl the question of which boat has the right of way was the cause for the disaster. Captain Abraham Johnson was in charge of the Northfield and Captain s. c. Griffin was in con,mand of the Mauc. Chunk. Each lays the blame for the collision on the other. but by crders of the officials of the ferry, co 1l rany neither os the captains would make a statement concerning the oc- currence.
 Captain Abraham Johnson of the Northfield was arrested about midnight on a charge of criminal negligence. He is held without bail and will be ar- raigned in the Center street police court tomorrow.
 Captain Griffin of the Mauch Chunk went to his home in Jersey City not long after the accident occurred, but will appear in court to answer to the technical charge of manslaughter.
 The only person reported missing up to midnight was George H Coppers, janitor of the criminal court building. His home is at New Dork, S. I.
 Captain Slater of the tugboat Unity accuses the men passengers on the Northfield of having pushed the women to one side when there was chance to save themselves. He said a hundred men got aboard his tug boat before one was given chance.
 Two divers were placed at work this | but owing to the strong tide were unable to make headway
 Up to 1 o'clock no bodies had been | discovered. There were twelve teams | 1n tn Northf1eld and they all perished. The Northfield, which was built in Brooklyn in 1863, was 600 tons gross and '88 net register. She is of wood and is .02 feet in length. 94 feet beam and 13 ,eet deep.