The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-03-08
WAS LIKE THE STYX
HUDSON WAS THE RIVER OF
DEATH FOR MANY.
NINETEEN MEN DROWNED
AS THEY WE'RE CROSSING IN A
FERRY BOAT.

Victims Were LabOrers Upon n
Great Dam - Seventy or Eighty
Men Were Being Ferried to Their
Work When a Frightened Boy
Caused the Boat to Capsize-SwOII-
en- Waters of the Hudson Swept
Many to Their Death-Search For
Bodies.
Glens Falls, N. Y, March Mime
teen men are dead as a result of the
capsizing to-day of the ferryboat used
by worklnen at Spier Falls, about ten
miles west of Glens Falls, on the Hud-
son river.
Over a thousand men are employed
there at present in the construction OF
the power dam of the Hudson River
Power Company. The laborers and
live in shanties on the north side of the
river. The main portion of the work is
carried on at present at the opposite
side of the river.
The men have been in the habit of
crossing a small bridge, where the river
flows through the unfinished portion OF
the dam, but the river has been rising
for several days, and the company,
fearing that the bridge was unsafe, de-
stroyed it with dynamite. Below the
work, about half a mile, is a ferry. The
boat is a scow-shaped affair, thirty
feet long and thirteen wide, and is OPP
Grated by means of cables. 1t is large
enough to carry a heavily loaded team,
and as many as $50 men have been
taken across at one time.
"Cigarette" Was Nervous.
Yesterday when the men were being
ferried across,an italian boy, known as
Cigarette" became frightened and
fell overheard. He was rescued, how
ever.
This morning seventy or eighty men
got aboard, and the boat started, leav-
ing a big crowd on the bank whiting
for the next trip. When eighty feet
from shore the water slashed against
the rail, and the Italian boy who had
fallen overheard the previous day
seized one of the tackle ropes, which
ran from the overhead cable to the
stern of the boat. Some of the men
started toward him and instantly the
boat careened and filled, everyone be-
ing thrown into the water.
The Hudson, swollen by the freshet,
bore a score or more of the struggling
men down the stream Many others
succeeded in catching hold of the boat,
which had righted, and they chung
there until pulled ashore.
The widest excitement prevailed, but
the current carried many of the men
in toward shore, where they were res
cued.
Lumbermen Are Searching.
Teams were quickly harnessed and
loaded with skilled log drivers and
sent down along the river to points
where the bodies would be likely to
land. Dozens Of dinners pals, hats and
coats were fished out, but it was near
ly o'clock before the first body was
found. This was found in a log jam
two miles below the dam, and was
recognized as that of Fred Foran, an
italian interpreter.
The river for miles is being watched
and dragged in hopes of finding bod
les of the other victims. There were
but two or three English-speaking
men on the boat. the Italians being
designated by number. The rolls of the
men were called and this evening
everybody had been accounted for ex-
cept sixteen men. and it is certain
that these men were drowned. Those
known to be dead are:
Michael Kennedy. married, leaving a
wife and four children.
Fred Foran, Italian interpreter, mar
ried.
Cigarette" the Italian boy who
started the panic.
Sixteen others are missing.
1t is unlikely that all the bodies will
be recovered. The river is full of logs
and at the big boom. five miles down
the river. there are many thousands