Evening journal., 1913-01-10
SEARCH SEARCH FOR FOR
VICTIMS OF
PIER TRAGEDY
Women Probably in Party That
Plunged Into Delaware
at PennSyilIe, N. J.
DEAD MAN CARRIED
WILMINGTON TICKET


PENNsvILLE. N. j., Jan 1o.-At
least two bodies are believed to be
at the bottom OF the Delaware river,
off this place as the result of 10y
ride" which is believed to have had a
tragic ending come time Tuesday
night, when horse and spring
wagon was driven off the end of a
long pier in a thick fog. The body
of the man, found by fishermen soon
after the drowned horse and wagon.
were discovered floating in the wa
ter. yet remains unidentified, although
nearly every man in this little village
has viewed it,
Search for the other supposed vic
Tins was continued at daybreak yes
terday morning A sturgeon boat
manned by Sidney Jenkins and Henry
Eckert worked over the spot where
the wagon went off the wharf all dur
ing the day, dragging the river bot
tom for the bodies. At a late hour
their quest had been without result
and the villagers has become hopeful
that the tragedy has not claimed so
many victims as was at first feared
The report that two hats had been
founL ailOat in the river is denied by
the villagers. but a report that two
Salem women are missing is being
investigated by Coroner Hitchner.
A mall boy declares he saw two
men and a woman I'm the conveyance
when it left Salem, which was about
nine o'clock Tuesday night, and that
some of the residents of Pennsville
heard a woman or women shrieking
as If in danger about A o'clock We'd
nesday morning.
One theory yesterday was that the
victim of the tragedy was tryin to
get away with the horse and oper-
ated alone The stable of F. H.
Lloyds mill had been broken into
to secure the horse and wagon A
peculiar feature of the affair is that
the harness was taken from Gay
uor's glass works. although there
was plenty of trappings hanging in
Lloyds place. The belief is that the
man removed the horse and wagon
separately after first securing the
harness, and geared up lie rig at
some out-of-the-way place. where he
was not likely to be discovered
The certainty of the man being a
stranger is further shown by the ease
with which he lost his way and drove
out on the long wharf near Acton s
Hotel.
Villagers here say that anyone at all
familiar with this region would not
have lost his way at this part of the
river, even in the worst fog 1t is
surmised that the driver let the
horse. which had been accustomed TO
going to the wharf with loads of
feed from the MILL find its own
way
II is altogether guessworlS, how
ever, as 10 how the outfit happened TO
go off the end of the pier into the riv-
er The JOY ride" theory has strong
support in the gossip of the village,
and rumors were current through
out the day that woman was among
the victims So far there is no evil
dence to substantiate this The prin-
cipal weight given to the Joy ride the
ory is from stories told by residents
of this and nearby towns OF their hav-
ing heard a party of jewellers gallop-
ing along the road in a wagon dur
ing the night
The body recovered is that of a
man about 80 years of age weight
1S0 sandy hair. skin very white. cal
lous places on fingers. .tattooed on arm
insignia of Improved Order of Red
men. with initials IN. r. H." under
meath. He wore two sets OF under
wear and a dark suit Of clothes. He
apparently was a carpenter by trade
as a rule. pencils and steel bits were
found in his clothing. There was als5
about 81 in money and railroad
ticket from Wilmington to Philadel-
phia. There was no writing by which
he could be identified. In a mans
hat picked up in the water are also
the initials M r. f." If the mar
was alone it is believed that he was
heading for Pennsgrove to take ar
early boat to Wilmington and becam,
bewildered in the heavy fog. Unles:
claimed today the body will be buried
in the county almshouse lot
Michael Smith. fisherman Of this
place, recovered the body He caugh
IL on the end Of a sturgeon hool
while graphing soon after the horse
and wagon We're found
Rivermen and persons living neai
the river shore who tell Of hearin.
shouts during the night say that tn
failure to find the bodies of the othe
supposed occupants of the vehicle
may be due to the fact that they at
tempted to swim ashore. becam
confused in the fog and were carriel
out into the river by the current.
The pier from which the horse wa
driven extends at least 100 feet int
the river and at the end are safet
gates. but these had been opened.