New-York tribune., 1911-11-27
AUTO HURLS MAN FROM
FERRY; GOES INTO RIVER.
Crashes Through Gates. Knock
ing Passenger to Death and
Injuring Boy.
STARTS WHEN CRANKEO UP
Owner and Companion, Who Are
on Deck, Try to Hold Machine,
but 1t Jumps Over Nose of
Boat Into Ferry Slip.

The modern juggernaut accomplished
its act Of death without human aid yes
terday afternoon, when an automobile
or the ferryboat Oswego. Of the West
Shore Railroad line knocked man
from the boat into the river at West 42d
street. The car then leaped after its VIC
tim and followed him to the bottom Of
The ferry slip.
The automobile was a high powered
runabout the first to board the ferry
boat on the Weehawkeu side. its owner
Edward Barry, saloonkeeper. of No.
242 4th street. Jersey City. had been
speeding about the Jersey roads with
William Lawler Of No. 800 West 9th
street. Manhattan. and they had decided
10 come over 10 New York for dinner
and an evening ride. When shey board
ed the ferryboat the machine was run ~
TO within about twenty feet Of the front
gates and Barry and Lawler went into
the mems cabin 20 smoke and keep
warm. Two other automobiles and p
horse drawn vehicle followed and tool,
places behind Barry's car.
The boat was we'll filed with rassen
gers on both the upper and lower decks.
many Of whom crowded out 10 the from.
gates as the Manhattan slip was neared.
One man stood directly In front OF
Barry's car. whilc other passengers were
crowded around. Henry Heimau. seven
years old, Of No. 19I Union street. Union
Hill, was standing in the roadway near
the guard posts with his brother George.
ming out, and Captain Thompson turned
his boat upstream TO make the slip.
Automobile Jumps Ahead.
According TO LAWYERS account. when
the Oswego was little north Of the slip
the engines were stopped and the boat
drifted into the slip the current carry
ing her down in the fashion familiar TO
al ferry travellers. He had begun to
crank the engine Of the automobile. pre-
paratory TO leaving the boat when the
landing was made. The Oswego. he
says, sidewiped the slip on the port ide
and the jar started the automobile lie
caught the wheels and tried to hold the
machine and Barry sprang for the
clutch, but the car Jumped away from
him.
fhe Heilman boy was knocked down
and his leg broken. The shouts Of the
passengers warned the man standing in
fr'nt of the car and he tried TO dodge,
but even as he was in the act Of jump
ing the automobile struck him i'm the
back, knocked him through the iron lat
tice work gates, and following, struck
him again and knocked him into the
water. With bound the car then
plunged over the nose of the boat into
the stream, while the numbering ferry
boat passed over victim and destroyer.
Captain Thompson reversed the en-
Z les Of the Oswego, and Frederick
Stoner, deckhand, hung over the bow
with a boathook, but the churning of
the water by the engines mGde the re-
covery of the man hopeless, even had he
not been so injured by the blow of the
automobile that he could not rise 10 the
surface. The Oswego remained outside
Of the slip for twenty minutes before
Captain Thompson would give up the
Sc rch and run her to the landing.
Lawler and Barry were taken to the
West 4Ith street police station, but were
allowed to go after a brief examination.
Lawler told the police that though the
lattice gates were closed the iron guard
chain on the ferryboat was lying on the
deck. He said that If the chain had
beon up the car could not have gone off
the boat
Henry Moffett, a deckhand on a New
York Central grain boat, who was on the
Oswego confirmed Lawer in saying
that the guard chain on the Oswego
was not up. Moffett however. gave a
different reason for the starting Of the
c: He said that Lawlcr began to
crank up when the ferryboat was about
twenty feet ouside the slip. and il was
biz belief that the automobile was
started when Lawler cranked it, He
said tina. both Lawler and Barry tried
TO hold tn car back and shouted a
warning to the other passengers.
The Heilprin boy was taken To the
North Hudson Hospital, at Union Hill.
under orders from his brother. The po-
lice Of the harbor squad grappled un-
successfully for the body of the drowned
man, and the West Shore Railroad sent
for q wrecking tug 10 raise the auto
mobile. The man was described by the
other passengers as man Of middle
age, dressed in dark clothing and wear
inC long black oyercoat and carrying a
cane.
EhQX I0I TEN 0IIT tn RTATlI