New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-18
HARB0R ICE BLOCKED
RIOT At FERRTHOCSE.
Shipping Practically at a StdndstH
FTebOdts U'Ould Be HELPLESS.

The weather OF the last two days has resulted
In much hardship and suffering. caused colIi-
sions and accidents and suspended navigation
in the harbor delayed incoming and outgoing
trains. and has half isolated New-York from
Long Island and New-Jersey.
Conditions in the harbor yesterday were the
worst known in the history OF the port The
Brooklyn shore was Jammed with ice and from
the Battery and weH I'D both the North and
East rivers there solid sheet stretching
to Brooklyn and the Jersey shores on either
hand. and reaching south Sar beyond Gov
eruors. BedIoe's and Ellis islands. II was
sight that old men along the waterfront say
they have never seen before.
Instead of the usual mushy, narbor ice. the
n--ls we're composed of great cakes ~ hard
fresh water ice. covering hum eds Of square
feet. and often standing ten or dozen feet out
Of the water, where cake after cake had been
piled NJ. one on top of tn other. and had
frozen there
Two days ago the Cornell Towing Company
sent two big tugs up the North River 70 Tarry-
town and beyond to release a feet OF scows and
barges imprisoned IN the ice. The ice there was
two feet or more thick. and hnd to 10 dyna-
rnited Great cakes. often more than an acre
I'm extent were released. and floating down on
the tide were caught by the strong nOrtherly
and northwesterly winds. and jammed Up
against the South Brooklyn shore doing much
damage and oftectuaIIy tying UP al the ship
ping in the numerous docks and basins
Ferryboats in the North and East rivers were
tied UP by the ice SO great was the delay in
the ferry service between Long Island city and
New-York that there was a riot among the i'm
patient passengers and the reserves Of the
Fourth-st station had TO lie called out TO queu
It.
Tho wind piled UP the greater quantity Of Ice
IN the East River along the eastern shore. fill
ing the ferry slips At the Long Island city
terminal Of the Thirty-fourth-st- line crowds OF
men and women waited for hours for boat to
cross the river. The ferry house was soon
filled and In n few minutes there was crowd
OF half frozen people outside the ferry house,
standing I'm the nipping wind, Finally five men
waited on the manager with a protest against
the delay
They were told that It was impossible for the
boats 70 cross the river. They returned and
shouted 20 the crowd that the only thing they
could do would be to wait for a thaw TO loosen
the ice In the slip Most OF them wanted to get
TO New-York somewhat sooner, and they seized
whatever lay nearest and began to break down
the doors and gates leading 70 the ferryhoat.
The station agent and his assistants could DO
nothing to control the mob, and the single po-
1icernan was almost as helpless. He telephOned
o
were rushed 10 the scene with their nightsticks
Before they arrived the mob had become half
frenzied. and more than two thousand people
had been crowded into the ferryhouse.
Women. I'm danger OF being crushed and
trannnIed on. became hysteTicaI. and the police
had hard work 10 bring the crowd under
tro1 again At last n boat, loaded down to the
guards with people, forced her way through the
,ce which was piled up several feet deep in the
slim out into the river, and after long delay
managed to reach the Manhattan side.
The reserves stayed duty at the ferry
rorsA for more than two hours. until the ferry
sa-vice improved enough TO care for a portion OF
,bA lighter traffic which succeeds the morning
c7,sb All the other East River ferries had
their schedules disarranged. and were. particu-
iarlv in the morning. more than an hour making
their trips across the river
Between and o'clock the tide cleared away
sor,a Of the ice in the ferry slips for time.
b,,t the Ice soon fioated back The Long Island
railroad. soon after the riot in the Thirty
to,,-tb-st. ferry house telegraphed the conduc-
+orz NJ Incoming trains at points from ten TO
e,tv miles from Jamaica TO tell passengers that
Tho safest way to get to Manhattan was by
ether the Atlantic-ave. ferry OF by the Brook
l,, F2rIdze and large numbers changed cars at
Jamaica for the Brooklyn route.
The lam on the bridge in the morning was
,,,nreredented and the new Williamsburg
Bridge was filed with thousands that could not
reach Manhattan by ferry
The managers OF the Long Island Railroad
have discontinued the James Slip service. Their
eoat service is also extremely irregular and the
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