New-York tribune., 1902-01-28
TUG RAMS FERRYBOAT.
WOMEN IN CABIN MIRACULOUSLY ES-
CAPE INJURY-TOwBOAT HUR-
RIES AWAY.
RIES AWAY.

Nearly third OF the deck and superstructure
Of the women's cabin on the ferryboat Yer
mont, which phys between Broadway Brook
lyn. and Grand-st.. Manhattan. sheared OFF
by the big steel ocean going tug n. and W. =.
owned by the Norfolk and Western Coal Com
pany. yesterday, at % p. m Miraculously no
injured the tugboat. 125 feet long
ploughed her way into the forward end of the
cabin until the pilot house was lost to view
beneath the roof of the ferryboat and the stack
appeared he a fixture it.
The passengers became greatly excited, and
rushed for life preservers. The tug W. Free
land Dalzeu. Captain John Cannon which
chanced to be at hand. alongside and
took aboard about fifty of the passengers, and
landed them. 1t found that. while the
steel hull of the ferryboat had been pierced.
water entering. and under her own steam
she landed the remainder of her passengers at
her Grand-st slip She then laid off. and
the Columbia took her place.
The ~ and w. ? was coming down the river
with the tide which had just turned down.
stream. New-Haven Railroad tug. with two
car floats. going upstream. and the tug
Dalzell was coming down. the former the
NewYOrk side. The Vermont was crossing the
stream. The n. and W. passed down between
the floats and the Dalzell, and then turned
off toward the New-York shore, as if to
the bows of the Vermont.
When almost ahead of the ferryboat. for some
unexplained reason the wheel of the n. and
w. was thrown over to starboard and the
tug veered around and rammed into the star
board bow of the Vermont. head on cutting
into the women's cabin. After backing of
the hole the tug got away so quickly that it's
exact injuries could not be learned although it
appeared that her bow was damaged and two
IF heT MIA StO in She UaS Ia in he
eddy off the Navy Yard She could not be
found last night.
The circumstances suggest that. fearing that
he could not get across the ferryboats bows
safely, the captain of the " and w. decided to
go astern. and the tide carried him down the
ferryboat. Captain l.. p. Decker of the Yer
mont said after the accident:
came from the slip in Brooklyn on my regular
stream l saw a New-Haven railroad tug with two
floats in tow going upstream. Just behind this
w 2 passed the tow and headed in toward the
New-York shore, and supposed she was intending
the course accordingly. Suddenly the tug captain
/ gave him whistles a signal to pass TO port,
but heard no answer. Then | gave him two whis-
ties again but still he did not answer | save my
ly and brought the Vermont TO a standstilL We
into us. Her captain made no effort avoid run
ming us down, did not even slow up, and after he
he could go. simply backed out and left us without
even asking If any one was hurt or whether We
in danger of sinking. L sent man below at
and went myself TO the passenger deck to see how
many Were killed, for could not believe that any
thing but a miracle could have brought out of
IT without terrible loss of life could not find
a single passenger who bruised. but they
all in panic of terror. Finding that We
were not in danger Of sinking. l proceeded 10 my
NewYork slip as soon as possible and laid the
Vermont up.