Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-09-12
DEMOCRATS FACE
DEATH IN SOUND
Boat Bringing Hudson County
Association Picnickers Home
Strikes Submerged Rock.
SINKS AFTER UNLOADING
CARGO OF PASSENGERS
Bravery of Captain, Engineer
and Bandmaster Averts a
Panic After Accident.

JERSEY CITY, Sept. 12.-The mar
row escape of 1900 members of the
Hudson County Democratic Club
from going to the bottom of Long
Island Sound on the iron steamboat
Perseus last night is about the only
topic which Democrats in the county
can discuss today.
1t was on the return from the
twenty-ifth annual outing of the
Democratic Club. formerly the
Robert Davis Association, that the
Perseus, which divided with her SIS
ter ship the Sirius the task of trans
porting the Democrats to and from
Dennelly's Grove, College Point, Long
Island, struck a submerged rock and
stove an immense hole in her bottom.
This was just a half mile off Dom
nelly's pier, and the Perseus came on
the reef when her captain, Moses Os-
borne, steerd her out of the way of
an anchored schooner. 1t was dark,
and 1t vas several minutes before
members of the party on the Sirius,
which had left the grove ten minutes
before the Perseus, were aware of the
plight of the other boat.
Cool Heads Avert Panic.
That a wild panic, which might
have resulted in the drowning of hun
dreds did not ensue was due to three
persons, These were Captain Os-
borne, Chief Engineer Peter d, Froe-
LIGHT and Moses Emblem, leader of a
band which a on board.
Captain Osborne shouted orders to
his crew to circulate among his pas
sengers, distribute life-preservers
and calm their fears. Froelicht drew
his fires and exhausted the steam in
the boilers, lest the incoming water
cause and explosion, and Emblem
kept his band playing lively airs until
the Perseus had been rushed to zeh-
denis dock and her passengers dis
charged. This dock is about a quar-
ter of a mile from the place where
the General Slocum was beached In
the accident that cost hundreds of
lives.
Under her own steam the Perseus
would probably never have reached
the dock. The tugboat Alice, of AS
toria, however, came in answer to the
sinking boats distress signals, and
the little boats sturdy engines were
taxed to their utmost in pushing the
larger craft to safety.
Boat Sinks at Dock.
Ten minutes after the P%erseus's
passengers had been placed on the
dock the boat sank in twenty feet of
water. Captain Osborne remained In
his pilot-house until the thrush of
water forced him to ee.
The return of the outing to Jersey
City last night was far from the tri-
umphal procession that is usual.
Passengers who were on the Perseus
came in small squads, as trolley cars
and ferry boats brought them back
from COLLEGE Point. The Sirius ar
rived here a little more than a half
hour late, and a huge crowd which
had heard of the accident to the other
boat waited for her at the pier.
Some of the prominent persons on
boar the Perseus were Sheriff N.
Peter Wedin, Congressman James
Hamill, County Supervisor Luke
Clark. Chief of Police Frank Mona
han, Assemblyman Charles M. Egan,
Joseph Brenegan and Thomas Griffin,
County Clerk John f. Crosby and
County Register John j. McMMahon.