New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-01-24

scathed.
Most Of these persons were being driven north
ward by the strong south wind and were in dan
ger OF falling into the Allegheny River. Rescue
boats were quickly made ready to pick up such
OF the unfortunates came down in the water.
Some Of the lighter bodies were blown clear
over into Allegheny City, and two OF them, one
a man uninjured In any way landed in Expo
sition Park. where the Pirates and Giants had
Just begun the morning game of the Fourth OF
July double-header scheduled for the Smoky
City. Previously many of the spectators and
some Of the players had been slightly injured
by pieces OF flying wreckage, but there were no
serious casualties and the game proceeded.
The heavier bodies descended more rapidly
and directly, and most of these alighted between
Flith-ave. and the river. The greater part of
the heavier pieces Of wreckage struck the earth
"l'hih The four squares bounded by FIfth-ave..
Liberty, Smithfield and Sixth SITS
The pilot Of the excursion ship alighted on the
top OF The Associated Press Building. In telling
OF his experience he stated that he had first
seen the limited when she was about five miles
east OF the city, the excursion ship being about
three miles west of it. He did not at first at
tempt to alter his course feeling certain that
the limited was about to land, and supposing
she was travelling at Nv rate of speed with
II
somewhere in the vicinity of Pittsburg. but had
received no notification that she was to proceed
without landing
10 this fact the pilot ascribes all the respon-
slDihty Tor the wreck Had he sighted the lin
Ited at any other place he would have known
what 10 DO to avoid her. Under the circum-
stances which actually confronted him, being
compelled to act on the spur Of the moment
he considered it safest to fly high and straight.
he signalled the engineer to slow down but
as the ships were approaching each other at the
rate OF almost ten miles a minute and were only
elght miles apart the distance between them
was annihilated almost in a trice It took
MIN only few seconds to note that the limited
was not flying slowly and only u few more 10
throw the wheel to starboard
But seconds in such a case were precjoue He
Is sure the helmsman OF the limited also threw
MS wheel over, for he noticed that she veered 4
uNie Just before the crash came. His own ship
also turned a bit, but the speed Of the vessels
was so great that they were upon each other
before anything could be done for salvation.
The impact was terrific in the extreme How
single person on board either shin escaDed in
slant annihilation is a mystery. The survivors
believe it was the terrible force with which the
shlps met who's sa ed them. 1t hurled hun
dreds Of persons from the ships far into the air
"H1iIOe lIey Hpdleu 10 safety, and carried others
who happened TO be in protected positions on the
limited, through the wreck without injury
Some idea Of the terrible force Of the collision
Is gained from the fact that pieces Of iron which
fell to the streets were too hot to bear the hand
upon. and appeared to have been recently In a
semi-rnolten state.
Only indirect causes for the collision are as
signed by the officials of the company These
are a change Of orders to the limited and a de-
Walton from her original course by the excursion
ship.
The direct cause is a mystery. The air was
perfectly clear. and the lookouts should so the
ohclaIs think, have been able, with the aid of
their glasses, to any ship within a radius
OF hundred miles. The wind while brisk was
not strong enough to interfere with navigation
The only explanation which is vouchsafed Is
that the wireless telegraph operator on the linn
tied must have misunderstood the orders which
were sent out to look for the excursion shin
near Pittsburg and that the officers were there
fore unprepared and the two ships were upon
each other before either knew danger was i'm
minent. AS the operator is among the dead |
this theory cannot be verified.
When the excursion ship left Chicago at a |
m. she under orders to proceed direct TO !
New-York; but hardly was she out of sight be- !
fore instructions were sent her to pick up some |
passengers at Columbus who had been unable |
to obtain accommodations on the st. Louis ship |
1t this which caused her to lay her course |