Evening star., 1909-05-12
RATES FOR .TAX|CABS TWENTY ARE DROWNED
District Commissioners Auree 0vercrowded Launch Sinks
on New Schedule With Thirty WoFkmen.
TO BE EFFECTIVE At ONCE 1.-TWO MEN SWIM TO SHORE
Charges Substantially the Same Eight Others Picked Up BY Boatman
Heretofore. in Skin.
LOWER THAN WANT PASSING CRAFT GIVE NO AID
Which Must Be Displayed Midst Of Catastrophe and
- Vehicles
TWO MEN SWIM TO SHORE
Eight Others Picked Up by Boatman
in SkiR.
CRAFT GIVE NO AID
Did Not Realize That They Were In
Midst Of Catastrophe and
Moved On.

PITTsBURG. May la.-survivors of
last nights accident in which twenty
men were drowned tell thrilling stories of
their experiences.
When the gasoline launch In which the
men were crossing the river to their
homes after completing their days work
left the shore 1t had thirty men crowded
into a space that was not meant to hold
more than twenty.
Pulled Down by Drowning Men.
Harry Gotheridge, one Of the survivors.
whose brother was lost. said when he
was brought to shore:
I'VE had got about one-third OF the
distance across the river when I sudden
ly felt as IL were sinking. In another
minute ! felt the cold water about my
legs.
Albert Graham. who was running the
boat. shut down the power. but 1t was
teo late. l looked at Graham and noticed
he was very pale. but he did not say
MY brother and I. who are both good
swimmers, started to get loose from the
boat. l yelled to him to dive. We went
overheard and came up together.
He made 4 grab for me. But was
suddenly dragged under water by fel-
low who grasped me by the waist. /
went down the second time.
Under the surface the man let me
go; ] came to the top aand began TO
swim for shore, when a skif came up
and / was pulled on board.
"Ail this happened in about three min
utes. l have not seen my brother since"
Svam Mile tn Shore
William H. Williams SWAN to the
shore. From the point where the acsi-
dent occurred to the place where he
reached the shore was fully mile
Clad in heavy underwear, working
clothes and shoes, he managed to keep
UP and reached the shore.
Mr.. Williams said:
When 1t became apparent that the
power. The boat shot forward like a
torpedo She ranmed her nose into the
water and started under.
AS 1t did SO I rolled of the stern Of
was swimming a tewboat passed, but
offered no help. / was just about ex-
hausted when I reached shore"
One of Three Brothers Lost.
Edward vegelei, one Of two brothers
who were saved, while third was lost,
said:
THE boat was overloaded when we
got into It, Some Of the men seemed
afraid, but were reassured
when the boat went down started
to swim and kept UP for time. 1t
was 50 cold and was SO heavily clad
longer had l not been picked up and put
tnto the boat rowed by MT Deer.
While ! was struggling in tho water
and trying to keep up steamboat went
by. Rcalled for help. but the boat went
on. Some one on board called out, You
are crazy"
Had It not been for John Deer. the
ferryman, through whose efforts eight
men were saved. there would have been
but two survivors Of the thirty persons
who started across the river in the
launch.
Deer. when he heard cries for help.
jumped into a skin and rowed into the
middle Of the stream. With such help
AZ these he rescued could give him, he
pulled eight men out Of the water. These
were all the survivors except two who
swan ashore alone.
John Graham. aged father of the
drowned ferryman, and another son
hastened to the assistance Of Deer when
the faces of those saved. the old man
missed his son. Not a word was said
about It. Tho cold and vet survivors
were taken into his houseboat. Gfaham's s
two daughters minIstered to their wants
and made them comfortable.
Boats Fail to Give Aid.
The ferryboat Steel Queen crossed the
river shortly after the accident. 1t Is
said to have had no light in front and
to have plowed in the darkness through
the very waters in which the score Of
helpless men were struggling.
The towboat Tornado passed upstream
while the men were In the water Hear
ing cries for help, the officers Of the boat
had searchlight turned on the water.
When they saw Deer rowing out into
cr,es for help we're made by persons CALI
Ing to the oarsn1en and shut off their
light, passing on upstream. without stop
ping and without the knowledge that they
had been passing over some Of the
drowning men.
Searching parties We're out all night
watching along the rivers edge tor
signs OF any straggler who might have
swan ashore and found himself too much
exhausted to climb the steep banks OF the
river.
All the men In the boat except Gra-
ham. the ferrynaan. were employees of the
Pressed Steel Car Company, on their way
to their homes in Woods Run. after their
day OF labor.
The missing are:
Albert Graham, pilot and par, owner
Of the boat: George Thompson, formerly
OF Altoona, Pa; Boots O'Neill. James
Conner, Walter Low. Thomas Kennedy,
William Guthrie: Henry Vogelei Dennis
Murphy, Tony Bole. Ruskey and
nine others whose names have not been
learned.
Launch ovefcrowded.
All the men had been working over
time until o'clock. and left the works
to cross the river in the launch about fif-
teen minutes later.
The boat is said TO have been intended
for not more than twenty persons, and
it is said it was dangerous to attempt to
carry az many as twenty-five in It.
Ali the men were anxious 10 get across
the river on the first trip Of the boat and
thirty Of them crowded in.
As the men started out in the boat one
sufA IN