Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-06-08
Seventy Excursionists Fall from
Frail Structure Into Lake at
Vaudeville, La, in About Eight
Feet of Water.
CROWD HAD. HURRIED
TO BOARD STEAMER
TO NEW ORLEANS
Boat Did Not Land At Wharf
Where She Was Accustomed to
Tie Up, But At Another Dock.
IRY Assoeiated Press. }

collapse of a frail wharf here. upon which
about IS people had rushed early yester-
day evening to board the excursion
steamer Margaret, on her return trip to
New Orleans, ten persons are known to
be dead and a rescue party is early this
morning searching for the bodies CT
seven other persons who are missing,
and whom ii is feared have been lost.
THE DEAD.
MISS LIZZIE LOTT, 10 years of age.
MISS LAURA RAY, IS years of age.
MIS- MARIE GOTTEN, aged is.
MISS KATHLEEN GOTTEN, aged 20
years.
MISS ENGENIE PABsT, 10 years.
MISS ALICE DONNA chopin.
MISS EBERHARDT, S-year-old child
OF Mrs. Eberhardt.
MRS. CHARLES BRUNO.
Child of Mrs. Bruno.
RESIDENTS OF NEW ORLEANS.
All were residents of New Orleans.
The Margaret did not land at the
wharf at which she was accustomed to
tie up Instead she ran into a dock
built especially for skins and small
craft. This small wharf was pulled by
the steamers ropes entirely away from
the main pier and some seventy people
went into the lake in about eight feet of
water.
CRIES AND sHRIEKS.
The cries and shrieks of those precipi.
tated into the lake were heard all over
this place and many men rushed to the
wharf to join in the heroic work of res
cue which had been begun.
The officers and crew of the Margaret
did excellent work by throwing life pre-
servers, and some of them going into the
water.
The bodies were all taken to New Or
leans last night on the Margaret.
TO FIX BLAME.
Following the collapse of a wharf
last night at Vaudeville, La which
resulted in the death of ten people, a
preliminary investigation is being con-
Quoted here today for the purpose of
fixing the blaem Cor the accident.
49, While Vaudeville is in St. Tammany
parish, thirty miles across Lake Pont-
chartrain from New Orleans, the
steamer Margaret, which figured in the
accident, is owned by the Pontchartrain
Transportation company, of New Or
leans, and Captain William NJ. Neihysel,
her master, took out his license as
pilot in New Orleans.
WAVED STEAMER AWAY.
The little wharf which gave way
while the crowd was running out to
board the steamer is owned by the st.
Tammany and New Orleans Railway
company. Employees of this company
claim that they ran out on the wharf
and waved the steamer away, proA
testing against her landing there.
Captain Neihysel says that If they sig
nailed him to keep away he did not see
them. There still remains some doubt
as q to whether the wharf gave way
under the weight of the crowd, or
whether a line on the steamer pulled
out one of the corner piles.
Practically everybody in the crowd
on the wharf was from New Orleans,
and most of these were on an outing
being given by the New Orleans lodge
OF the Benevolent knights of America.
PREMONTTIOT OF DEATH.
When Misses Marie Gotten and Kath-
leen Gotten, aged is and 20 years re-
spectively, babe their grandfather good
bye yesterday morning, he begged them
not to go on the lake, saying that he
had a Rremonition that they would be
drowned. As they had often gone before
and he hid made no objection, they soon
persuaded him to let them make the trip.
Their bodies were among the first which
were recovered after the accident.
Those who figured in the accident to-
day told of the usual heart-rending in
cidents that mark such catastrophies.
young mother who was thrown into
the lake, with her baby in her arms, was
stunned when struck by a piece of pill
ing When she was finally rescued the
tody Of the infant could not be found
and II required the efforts OF several
strong men to prevent the woman from
throwing herself back into the lake.
WAS TO BE MARRIED.
Miss Laura Rays, a young woman who
lost her life in the accident, was to have
been married within few months. w hen
the crash came and she was carried
down into the water, under the wreckage,
those near heard her calling pitifully,
Save me, JIM Save mer'
Her fance followed her into the water
and worked heroically around the wreck
age until borne out exhausted. short
time later the dead body of his sweet
heart was recovered. bearing a deep
cash above the right temple.