New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-12-14
MANY ON LINER
NEAR ICY PLUNGE
Mauretania Stops Moving lust
in Time to Avoid Hurting
Passengers Into the
North River. :
WOMEN FAINT IN CROWD
Failure Of Engine Room Force
to Hear Signal to Stop ID Be.
lieved to Have Caused In.
cident That Might Have
Been Disastrous.

cident That Might Have
Been Disastrous.
An incident, which might have been
a serious accident, occurred at the
Cunard Line pier late last night. with
the arrival of the steamship Maure-
tania from Liverpool.
Two gangplanks. filled with about
$50 passengers. were wrsnched from
their lashings on the ship when the
engines were suddenly sent ahead
without a telegraph signal from the
bridge. Had it not been for the sta :
bility and splendid balance Of the gang
planks, the passengers huddled on them
would have been slid into the water, .
distance Of about thirty feet.
The Mauretania arrived of her pier
about $40 p. m, and at 1913 p. M.
was in position to receive her gang
planks. Steam escaping from the eX-
hausts at each of the four tunnels
made II difficult for those on the pier
and on the ship to hear signals.
Passengers lined the port decks and
crowd had assembled on the pier.
AS soon as the liner was In place
Captain Turner blew the customary
blast on his whistle and the gang
planks were thrust out and made fast.
The skipper went below to his room A.
he had docked his ship, and a crush OF
passengers rushed down the planks to
the pier. Probably half OF those who
had filled the planks at first got ashore.
Presently without warning the Maurs-
tania began to move forward, dragging
the gangplanks with her. The motion
was not perceptible to Captain Turner,
but when an officer rushed into his
room and informed him the vessel was
moving forward he rushed TO the
bridge and took the situation in hand.
Passengers in Fright.
The passengers on the sangplanxs
became frightened. Some rushed to
the pier and those near the ship
rushed back to the deck
Those in the middle, unable to 80
I'D or down. became confused. There
was excitement on the pier when ths
crowd saw friends made prisoners on
the tilted gangplanks t
The vessel stopped moving just IN
time to prevent serious accident
When she stopped men rushed up the
nlanks TO assist ashore women who
were on the verge Of fainting.
Some of the women became hysterl-
cal and others cried for JOY when they
realized they were safe on the pier.
One woman in the excitement dropped
her furs over the side. but they were
on the lower floor OF the pier.
An investigation was started when
ordar was restored. While nothing Of
fetal was announced by the COMPANY
il is believed that the propellers were
turned over once through misunder-
standing in the engine room. the
winches. it is said, could not nave
driven the vessel ahead so suddenly
and so rapidly.
After a wait of about twenty min
,,,as the Mauretainia was hauled back
again to position and all the passen-
gers were landed.
Crew Gains Passengers
Unusual presence Of mind was dis
olayed by the Mauretania's officers and
and by the pier force under
I,etson At both ends of the
splendid work was done by
these men in shouting to the excited
what to do. The repeated
calls for them to come back to the deck
helped save those nearer the snip ana
Iiehten the planks at that end. Tnoss
IN the pier shouted TO those near tnsnl
TO rush ashore quickly, and In TINS
the congestion IN tns miouie
If the blanks was relieved.
Shouts OF men and women could De
heard above the din and roar OK TIE
steam. but it was the quick rouSh
orders of the seamen and the Pier
bands that reached the ears OF the
passengers and helped 10 re-
store order.
The Mauretainia went ahead about
tan feet. With drag OF that DIS
tance she wrenched and split the plates
at the gangway and fragments feii
into the water. Had she gone TWO fest
further the gangplsnks would nave
been smashed into bits and those on
them would have been thrown into the
water.
The Mauretania had perhaps the
voyage in her history on the
trim which ended yesterday. Stin west
erly gales and continuous high head
seas met her throughout the entire run
from Queenstown. She made thu trip
from Daunt's Rock Lishtship to Sandy
Hook in 5 days 13 hours and il MN
utes. Her average speed was 2l.2S
knots for the voyage. -.
On Tuesday the vessel went through
the worst weather of. the trip, when she
slowed down to IA knots for twelve
hours. She shipped several heavy seas
that swept over the sun deck, lifting
all the lifeboats out Of their chocks.
Her days run from noon Tuesday to
noon Wednesday was only 1868 miles.
Nine. Louisa Tetrazzini was pas