The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-03-27
BOY JUMPS FROM THE BRIDGE
THE LONG FAN, NOT DROWNING,
KILLS PHYSICIANS S0N.

Edwin Ditmars. Needless Of calls 10 Him
To stop. PlunEcs over the RRi-Tug
Picks Him Up, but Death Comes QUICK.
ly-Hls Girls Pictures In Its Pocket.
Edwin j. Ditmars, II years old, a son OF
Or. James q. Ditmars a physician Of 5251a
sixth avenue, Brooklyn, stepped on the
rear platform Of a trolley car on the south
roadway Of the Brooklyn Bridge half way
across the middle span soor before I O'Clock
yesterday afternoon and ran toward the
railing. The conductor a the car bell
violently and three other passengers hur-
ried after the hoy and shouted b. him to
stop, but ne wouldn't look back. He went
over the railing head first and In tho course
/ of the fall, which IL about 1885 feet. his body
turned over several times, He landed
seemingly in an upright position; his head
was last to disappear in the water.
A bridge policeman at the Manhattan
tower, Who from his post a.oft had seen the
hoy 60 down, telephoncd n Sergt. Farrell
at the Manhattan a d A few minutes
later a fleet Of police launches started for
the scene from the harbor station at the
Battery
Capt, Herbert Russell, in charge Of the
tag Charles p. knper, up the river with a
barge Of humber in tow, had seen the boy
leap. He was near the spot where Ditmars
was seen 10 60 under and made for the
place. Passengers on a Fulton ferryboat
which was passing also Jaw the hoy so
down. but before the ferryboat could get
there Ditmars's body ca o to the surface
and was hauled aboard the tug by Russell.
Ditmars vas barely alive and was bleeding
at the nose and mouth. There was a deep
wound on the right side Of his head. Rus
sell slipped of his tow lines 10 another boat
standing by and made for the foot Of Dock
street, Brooklyn.
An ambulance was waiting there from the
Brooklyn Hospital, but DR.. Anderson said
that Ditmars was dead; that he probably
died from internal injuries, not from drown
ing. Capt. Murtha Of the Oak street sta
ton, in charge Of the bridge squad, took
charge Of the body and found a number
of cards with DR. Ditmars's name on them.
On the backs OF several were s%cribblings in
the Morse code
Young Ditmars also had in his possession
two icturcs Of Miss Lillian l.. Waller Of
s3l Thirteenth street, Brooklyn, with whom
the boy had been keel ing conn any. There
was a letter from NJ. J. Hayden. the manager
Of the Brooklyn office of the Western Union,
recommending Ditmars to W. II. Sombler,
manager Of the Sixth street Office Of the
COM any in South Brooklyn. and asking
Sambler to give the young man the liberty
Of ractising with telegraph instruments
in the Office.
DR.. Ditmars said last night that his son
had left home in the morning whistIinC
and apparently in the hest Of =, irits.
The DOR fellow may have ended his
life AT IN impUlslve moment because he
couldn't get a job, he continued, though
there was no reason why he should have
felt discouraged or that h. had 10 60 10
WORK. He had never worked oycer { 10
drive for me, He went TO the public schools
and after that To a business college. Of
lGt7 he had taken mp telegra, by. But
why h should end his life is more than |
know.
Edwin had been keeping company with
Miss Waller-she's q mics little girl-but
she tells mo that they had not tllkcd II
getting married. Nor had they any quFr-
rcls. The two were tho best Of friends.
1t was simply a boy and girl affection, end
so far rs knO the two were harry to-
gethcr.'
Miss Waller is II years old and Tretty.
She srent last evening at the DitmGrs
home heluing the family with thu mCny
things that are Is be done e. such an IN
harpy time. Sac said that she and Edwin
had been good friends end that they had
beer going together about a year, but had
not talked OF mGrriage. He always seemed
to her 10 he Of a chetrf dis osition, she
said, and had never talked Of death.