New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-09-12
Men Fight for Life Preservers
as the Perseus Struggles
Toward Pier After
Striking Reef.
TUGS AVERT BIG DISASTER
Arrive Just as Water Extin-
guishes Boiler Fires-Hudson
County Democrats Were
Returning from College
Point Outing.

The Pcrscus. of the Iron Steamboat
Company. which for many wears has
piled between New York and Couey
! Island lies at the bottom of Flushing
| Bay. in twenty feet OF water. The ves-
Sci struck a reef there last night at
| low tide and il was with great difi-
Guilty that her fifteen hundred passen-
| gers were landed.
Almost q panic prevailed aboard tile
| Perseus after she hit. and when the
water became 40 deep ;hat the dynamo
VAS stopped and tho electric lights
went out men rushed about in tho
darkness strappng on life preservers.
Some 300 members and guests OF
the Hudson County Democratic Asso-
citation of Jersey City chartered the Per-
seus and her sister vessel, the Sirius.
for days outing. l. was reviewed
at Jersey City by Governor Wilson
and then went to Donnelly's Grove.
College Point All started back for
home at about 80 o'clock last night.
The Sirius, with fifteen hundred per-
sons on board, left the dock first,
Had to Dodge Schooner.
Both boats were headed across
Flushing Bay in what their captains
believed was ample water. and every
thing went well until the Perseus was
about half mile offshorc, when she
struck a submerged rock while trying ~
avoid striking q three masted schooner.
Captain Osborne said he had been going
into Flushing Bay nine years, and
never knew of that rock before
At first 1t was not believed that much
damage had been done, though the
captain ordered distress signals sound
cd The Sirius came about and stood
By. using her s'archlight on the Per-
seus. but her captain was afraid 20 go
very near because he did not know the
extent OF the reef and was AFRAID tho
Sirius might meet fate like that OF
the Perseus
IN few minutes Captain Osborne
decided that the Perscus had been
damaged much worse than he at first
believed. and. knowing that he would
never be able TO reach Jersey city. he
headed for the ferry slip at College
Point.
When the steamboat Vas within "A
few hundred yards Of the shore the
water rose 10 such height that her
Dynamo was submerged and the lights
went out. Then the order for every
man 10 get a life preserver went about
and there was general scramble.
Two hundred yards from shore the
Perscus was unable to use her own
Iwwer longer, because the water had
reached her fires. But two tugboats
had an-wercd her calls for help, and
they showed the steamboat alongside
the ferry slip where the passengers
hastily disembarked.
They went back - Jersey City by
various routes, some taking ferry yDodts,
some the tube and others trolley cars
over the Greensboro Bridge.
Great Alarm in Jersey City.
In the mean time there were many
excited persons in Jersey City. An
anxious throng gathered along the
waterfront TO await the return OF the
Perseus, because long before the Sirius
arrived with her half Of the association
Il had been reported that the Pcrseus
had sunk With ali on board and that not
n soul had been saved.
Those who reached land safely on the
Sirius were besieged by anxious in
auirers, and when II was learned that
all had been put ashore at College
Point and would come back later there
were enthusiastic yells. Those who re-
turned marched through the streets
and were greeted by crowd Of more
than ten thousand persons
Mayor Wittpcnn was among the
crowd that went To College Point. He
had intended to go back TO Jersey City
on the Perscus, but just before The
DOdI itlt lJt SioNt SpHi' ~ ''O'N
him in their automobile, and so the
Mayor was saved considerable discoIn-
fort.
George Logan, night watchman at
the City Hall, in Jersey city, was one
OF those on board the Pcrseus. He said
there was a biz scramble for the life
preservors and that men pushed each
other about In their rush
Logan is all old man. veteran OF
the Civil War He said he was showed
about by the younger men, who fought
for the life prese,vers in the darkness.
No one seemed TO know where To look
for them, and IN the blackness Of the
night, and with the boat seemingly
about To sink. the struggle for the life
preseryers was terrinc. he said, while
il lasted.
SIX RESCUED ON SOUND