New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-09-10
IMMIGRANTS IN PANIC
AS INSPECTOR BROWNS
Three Federal Employees Res
Cued When Guardrail Breaks
on Ellis Island Boat.
OTHERS MAY BE MISSING
Some of the 500 Excited Pas
sengers Say More than Four
Men Were Struggling in the
Water After Accident.


Water After Accident.
ono man was drowned and three
we're rescued in New York Bay last
night. while five hundred panicstricken
immigrants on the government ferry
boat Ellis Island stood watching the
men struggling for life. several hundred
feet away, after the collapse Of rear
guard rail on the lower deck. Charles
Waldo. an inspector in the immigration
service, was dead when picked up.
Albert Foster and Ernest Stotenberg.
who managed to keep anoat, aided
Thomas O'NeiI until rescued by the
tngboats Michael j. Coffey and Daniel
McAIlister. The men were treated by
DR.. Howe, at the Hudson Street Hos
pital.
IT was the last trip Of the day for the
ferryboat, and she was jammed with
immigrants. government employees ana
baggage. captain Mcclellan had just
swung aft 10 allow a tug with two
SfbNS III AbN W FH'a '''S'' ~
screams and cries for help. The boat
was I'm midstrcam at the time, and be-
fore orders TO reverse the engine could
be obeyed II was several hundred feet
from the struggling men. The shouts
Of the frightened passengers, many OF
them jammcd in the cabin, added 70
the excitement.
Captain Mcclellan signalled Tor help
and attracted the two tugboats. BY
the time the boats had reached the eX-
hausted men the police boat Patrol was
making it's way in their direction.
Ropes were quickly thrown TO Foster
and Stotenberg, who assisted O'Neil
into the tugboat Daniel McAllister and
then pulled themselves out of the
water. one Of the deCkhands dlved for
Waldo Just as he was going down for
the third time.
According to several of the federal
employees the men were laughing at d
jokc. and several Of them pushed
against Waldo, wedged up against the
rail. as it gave way.
The three rescued men denied this
last night They said they were lean
ing against the gate and looking out
toward the bay when they heard Waldo
give a warning cry. Then they found
themselves struggling in the water.
Waldo had told them he was a strong
swimmer but Foster and Stotesberg
knew that O'Neil could hardly take
care Of himself, so they took turns
bracing him up in the water until aid
arrived.
For more than an hour Captain Nc
Clellan had his men in rowbOats
been thrown into the water. 1t will
not be known until to-day whether any
ether men are missing.
Although eyewitnesses Of the acci-
dent were positive that only four men
were thrown into the water, several
excited immigrants. through al inter-
prefer, said there were more.
Charles Waldo lived at No. 69l Rog-
Gently transferred here from the border
service, near the Canadian line. AL
bert Foster lives at No. III Sherman
avenue, Tompkinsvllle. Staten Island;
Thomas O'Neil at No. 3l2 East 9TH
street, Brooklyn. and Ernest Stoten-
berg at No. 532 Wales avenue, The
Bronx. They were employees OF the
immigration Department.
Daniel c. McCIatchey, treasurer of
the Stanley Hosting Company. of No.
$50 West 25th street. late last night
reported through Police Headquarters
that Michael Gum, an employe who
had been doing work on Ellis Island
yesterday, was missing. He said he
thought he went overheard when the
railing Of the ferryboat Ellis Island