The sun., 1907-12-25
RIVER FULL OF LOST SHEEP
MANY CATTLE roo DROWN WHEN
BARGE TAKES IN WATER.

AAeg AAthNo NhNAh NAAp AhNNA NNAAa anhNu way
some That Didn't Go Overheard
Drown OU the Lower iDeck-EIard work
SOrthe Beef savers aE the Finish OG It..
Somewhere in New York Bay, between
South Brooklyn and Jersey and between
the Battery and the Atlantic Ocean, are
few hundred sheep and a hundred or so Of
cattle, floating about and drifting ashore
at the whim OF current and tide. By this
time some Of them may have started for
the broad Atlantic.
The chain Of events which led up to the
sprinkIing of beef and mutton over the
waters OF the bay began early yesterday
morning whom the cattle float or barge
No. 500 OF the Lehigh Valley Railroad Com
pany started from the railroads stock
yards at Jersey City to the yards OF the
United Dressed Beef Company at the foot
Of Forty-third street, Brooklyn. with 1000
head Of sheep and s65 head OF cattle. The
Hoat was tOwed by the railroads. tug Gene
see,
About O'Clock in the morning, Of Thirty
sixth street, South Brooklyn, the float
for somo reason began 10 list badly, and
in a moment both ting and Acat were in
danger Of capsizinG.
Cut the Ines!" shouted Capt. Eddie
Shoales Of the iioat to Capt Eddie SiHrns
Of the Genesee, which was done. The hoat
had already shipped a large amount OF
water, which was pouring in on the fright
ened animals on the lower deck.
"Oo to Forty-thrd street and tell the rail-
road 10 send help!" shouted Capt. Eddie
ShORles TO Capt. Eddie Simms; md the
Cencsee steamed away at top speed.
The crew OF the cattle float consists Of
one man. the captain, 50 Cap'n Eddie
Shoales was alone with the terrific 4. cattle
and sheep-Bnd the float was still listing
badly and taking in more water. The water
Was driving the sheep and cattle 20 one side.
and they were pretty we'll packed in at that;
50 the first thing Cap'n Eddie knew the stats
at the after end Of the pens we're coming
loose or were broken through. and the float
in It's drifting was leaving behind IL a wake
Of bleatinK, bawlinR, swimming. drowning
creatures. while in the pens Of the lower
deck the only safety for the brutes from the
water wss secured by climbin 4 on the macs
of already drowning brutes.
Pennsylvania tugboat No. II came
along and wanted TO know what was the
matter. On finding out. she picked up
No. 500 with its cargo, with its dead and
dying aud with Capt. Eddie shoales. and
towed il all the way up TO ATbuokls's stores.
A bridge was hastily thrown together
and the task of saving what could be saved
Of thea tNytner MA ha0VsU ThA ahaaVN
weren't so y cry hard 10 hendIe-some 900
we're pulled out Of the two docks of tho
float and corralled near by. BHt when IL
came TO the cattle il was a different matter.
Cept. Frens Gripp, who elternates with
Cspt. Eddie Shosles in commend Of No 500,
vss on the iob by this time. Gnd the psir Of
them with whst help could be secured tried
~ get out tho cattle A derrick IVES rugged
up end sling fnpllv got ground ? steer.
He was hoisted nut Of the weter end then
boggu 70 ci-kc things interesting on lsad
Two raan went down before he wSs finely
subdued and cttsntiOn could he iven 70 the
next
His successor wan little easier 10 get
along Nith-a terrified steer ia about the
limit according 10 the evidence of those
who did the work yesterday morning
IN faCt, tn''Se Hlep aver tnit eacn steer
wA little worse ,han the one thst CAME
before him. And still the dead wsre being
crowded out of the broken pens and were
floating out into the river.
When every living thing had been lifted
out Of the float it was found that ninety-two o
of the S05 cattle had been saved The beef
company couldn't very well identify the
shipment, 20 the ninety-twO cattle and the
600 sheepWere reloaded on another float and
taken back to Jersey City
Then No. 500 was tOwed TO Cranes dry
dock at the foot of Forty-third street and
all the way down bodies Of sheep and cattle
would rise TO the level OF the gap and fiOat
out and away. But there are still many
dead brutes in the hoat-perhaps half Of
them are still there; no one can tell Just
how many have been given to the waters
OF the harbor until the barge is raised
For she is now lying in 10 feet of water with
only her upper deck showing.