New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-11-11
BEAM FALLS ON FIREBOAT.

The freboat David a. Boody. Of Brooklyn, was
directly underneath the bridge. near the Man
haitian shore when the footbridge fell. A heavy
iron beam fell on the deck Of the boat. smash
ing the wheel and putting the rudder out Of
commission. The boat drifted down the stream,
and for nearly hour lay helpless in the mid
die Of the river. Nobody was injured, so far as
was known at midnight
The ferryboat Vermont. Of the Grandst-
Broadway. Brooklyn. line. had just started out
of her slip two blocks below the bridge. when
the officers saw the framework fall. The boat
put back into the slip and lay there for two
hours The ferryboat Virginia. of the line be
tween Grand-st and Greenpont. had also start
ed out laden with passengers. and was almost
underneath the bridge. Her engineer had time
70 reverse his engine and turn back He lay for
the rest Of tn. night in the slip. the passengers
leaving the boat.
The police boat patrol piled up and down
underneath the bridge, or as near underneath
as she could safely get playing on the fire with
her searchlight, and showing the damage being
done.
The Sound steamer Plymouth had turned into
the East River. after rounding the Battery,
about 6 o'clock the time when the foot bridge
fell She was almost underneath the bridge,
but had time turn back. She lay in the
river for some time. and then put back to her
dock The steamboat fremont of the Joy
Line running between here and Providence,
steamed up the river just afterward AT that
time the deuge Of falling planks hot bolts and
iron beams seemed to be about over. and the
captain OF the fremont braved the danger. and.
under a full head of steam. ran through under
the bridge Several burning planks two inches
thick twelve inches wide and some ten
twelve feet in length fell across her decks. but
so far as known nobody was injured. The
boat did not slacken speed, but steamed on up
the river
Just afterward the steamer Priscilla, of the
Fall River Line steamed up. The rain of fire
brands of an astonishing size and of falling
planks had again begun, and Captain Collins
of that boat put back 20 his dock. The night
Iy trip was postponed. the passengers going by
train.
The river was full of craft of all sorts. Tug
boats steamed in and out among the fireboats
and the waiting steamers and ferryboats. and
several slight collisions occurred. The freboat
Roodv ran into a small tugboat. and the
steamer Puritan one OF the first TO get into the
danger zone and back out, also ran down a
small tugboat but the police say no one was in
jured.
The police reported that the tugboat Hugh
NcFadden a small and new boat, was passing
underneath the bridge about o'clock, when
the first of the beams and planks fell. and that
an iron beam struck the smokestack and the
engineer. knocking him into the river This
could not be verified
In the mean time the firemen on top of the
tower-Chief Guerin. Captain Howe, Lieutenant
Ruckholtz and Firemen Mccormick and Oppe-
discovering they could do nothing on top. had
started down. They got as far down as the
stone masonry at the foot of the steel structure
of the tower some thirty feet from the bottom
o,d couId get no further. The irebOat Zophar
Mills and a tugboat tried to get close enough to
take them Off but the burning planks and red
and white hot bolts falling continually from the
Continued sixth page.