Norwich bulletin., 1912-06-24

Buffalo, N r, June 2S.-Between 15 and 20 persons were drowned and a number injured tonight when a 50-foot dock at Eagle park, Grand Island, Ni- agara river, collapsed under the weight of 250 people, precipitating them into F feet of water Up to midnight eight bodies have been recovered, of whom six have been identified.
 The Known Dead.
 The known dead are:
 Mrs. Mckee.
 - Mckee, Mrs. McKees 10 year old daughter.
 Mrs. Rtchmeyer and her 10 year old son.
 Mrs. Gallagher.
 Cecilia Kelly, g years old
 The Missing.
 Missing:
 Mrs. Heilstrom and year old baby. Viola Semi
 Miss Irene Thomas.
 Mrs. Westfau.
 Mrs Hyde.
 So far as known all of the victims were residents of Buffalo.
 Dock Was Crowded.
 The steamer Henry Koefber had just warped infG the dock to take on load Of returning excursionists The dock Wes crowded with peorie and more were coming down from the grove above. The gangplanks were thrown ort and the section Of She crowd near est to the steamer began to move for ward. Captain Fix on beard called out To them to move slowly. The words were no more thar out of his mouth when the center of the dock, half way between the place where the boat was tied ED and tie shore end, sank with a l crash.
 Fully t5o Fall Into River.
 The Dlanking held fast to the timbers on both si6ss of the dock, forming a 1 pocket iG tEe center into which the 1 struggling ns ss of people were thrown 1 Many were caught in the wreckage o1 the dock, but fully 150 went into the water, which beneath the dock was rom 10 to 12 feet in depth. with g current of about 10 miles an hour. Many Bodies Fioated Away. The wreckage served to hold tht bulk of the struggling crowd, but sev. era1 who fell clear of it began to float away. RoWboats and motor boats We're pressed into service and some 0. these were rescued. It is certain. how. l ever, that in addition to the bodies rescued in the vicinity of the docI many were swept away and it will bt some time before their identity can b, l established
 Rowboats and motor boats were useC to release many damned in the broker i tlmcers, and men who could swim stripped and dove into the river to hell the women and children.
 Rope Saved Two Lives, ! Supervisor Henry Lieh, who was il she center of the th1ong that wen down. was rescued after being in thi water for over 30 minutes.
 ' believe that over 20 lives ver, lost said Mir. Lieb. There were full 25G people on the dock, and three quarters of them went down with if There vas but little warning befor the crash came. The dock tremblet sugntly and I thought it was causet oy the steamer coming in closer. Bu a second later we went down. I swan clear Of the jam and got hold of splIe, but owing to my weight I wa unable 10 hold on there very lons someone dropped a rope through th opening and helped me over to tn I sioe where I could get a better hold T l then fastened the rope around th waist of woman who was drawn Il, on the dock"
 Launch Resoues 25 People. 1 A. Stocker and M l.. Martin rescue aoout 25 people, mostly women an children. in their launch in which the were just about to start for Buf9alc | When I saw the extent of the dis aster. said Stocker "I called to Mar tin to lie up 10 the dock, and both G us stripped l was hard work to d anything against the current under th dock, but as fast as We could get hol of anyone by working together " would get them on the motor boa rom which they were taken on boar the Kioeber."
 First Aid Corps Organized. l Many of the women taken from tn