The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-18
THREE KILLED IN
FERRY SMASH
Ithaca, With 700 Aboard,
Rammcd in Hudson
by Car Float.
FIVE MEN INJURED
Passing Boat Shuts Out Sight
of Danger Until
Too Late.
CAR RAMS HOLE IN FERRY
Drops TO Bottom Of River as
Vessels Pull Apart After
Accident.

tan. o few minutes after 8 o'clock yes
terday afternoon.
All the dead and injured were com.
mutcrs In the mems cabin on the main
deck Of tho ferryboat-eight OF 700 who
were crossing to Hoboken at the end OF
Q days work In New York.
The float. towed by the tug Freehold
hit the Ithaca amidships. protruding
freight car bred into the mems cabin,
wrecked V and then. whe- .he tug backed
away. dived to the bottom Of the river.
The accident occurred because neither
the captain OF the ferry nor the captain of
the tugeoat saw the others craft in time,
~ an Erie ferryboat. bound for Jersey
City. was crossing between them.
MEYER. H. J. so years old. OF watsessinr
avenue. Bloomfield. n J.
SMITH. GEORGE j. SO years old. OF ls3
Hillside avenue. Glen Ridge. y. J.. jewelry
salesman at 10 Broadway and a classmats
Of ex- President Taft at Yale.
WILLIAMS. r. GEORGE. 70. Of So Hill
side avenue. Orange; died In st Mary's Hos
pitsL Hoboken. Mr.. Williams was head OF
he arm Of John c. Roach, lace manufac-
turers, of 1871 Fulton street, Brooklyn.
The Injured.
BARR. ROBERT. 10 Berkeley avenue,
Orange. n. J.; scalp wound; went home.
FRENZ. EDWARD. Isl Garfield avenue.
Madison. n. J.; thigh cut and legs and arms
cut: at 81. Marys Hospital.
MULRooNEy WILLIAM j.. IFS Broad
way. Manhattan; left hand badly cut; went
home.
zIMMER. JOHN. mechanic. II North street.
Jersey City Heights less arms ana head
cut and bruised; at St Mary's Hospital
UNIDENTIFIED MAN who refused 30 give
his name; head bruised: went home
u was a remarkable accident in two
ways: Il happened an hour btfore sun
Get on the brightest d1y OF spring. when
any good eye could sweep the river and
harbor for miles and miles, yet all rail-
road marine experts were agreed last night
that II was unavoid BILE, though there will
be Investigations.
The Ithaca. newest of the Lackawanna's
fleet OF double deckers. LEFT her clip at
the foot of Barclay street at O'Clock and
headed northwest toward Hoboken. 1t
was just on the edge OF the rush hour
Most OF the 700 passengers went to the
upper deck for air and sunshine.
At the same moment the Erie ferryboat
Goshen waddlcd out OF her berth at the
foot OF Chambers street. Capt. Alfred
Housman was at the Ithacas wheel
twenty-eight years in the Lackawanna's
service and never an accident against his
name.
TuE and Float Rush Down.
Tho Ithaca was steaming slowly. bent
On crossing the Goshen stern. when the
latter got out of the way on her direct
Journey across the river. About 500 feet
UP the river. forging rapidly downstream
On the ebb tide. was the Jersey Central
eueoost Freehold smuggling against the
uoat laden with ten freight ears. which
she was towing TO Communipsw.
Tho part the Erie ferryboat played In
what followed was, OF course, absolutely
innocent she was on her course and
schedule. She passed cheerfuly on her
way. Across her disappearing stern tho
ithaca and the Freehold saw each other
for the nrst time.
Instantly tho Ithaca whistled twice.
signalling that she would pass to port OF
the noat. The tugboat captain reversed
his engines. Tug and ferryboat were now
600 feet apart, the unwieldly float bear
ing down on the Ithaca
When Capt. Housman from the pilot
house OF the Ithaca saw that there was
going to be a smash anyway he had the
engines stopped. knowing that II his boat
were moving the lower deck OF the Ithaca
would be raked by the oncomlng float.
From each end OF the lthaca's main
deck q Observation-Disclosures Peters and
william Ryan tnty WcTe-TdCtu INTO the
mems cabin shouting: Run to the o. her
side OF the boat Run to the other side
Of the boat"
But before much running could be done
the noat struck the Ithaca and made II
reel. Passengers were jolted from their
oeats and sent sprawlins across the fioor.
Car Tears Way Through Wall.
The freight car above the Prov OF the
hoat crashed through the side OF the mems
cabin, urched across the cabin and
Tammed the nn,r wall so violently that II
Dulged into the roadway. where a dozen
truck horses were doing In harness.
Tho tugboa- finally backed the noat
away from the Ithaca and the deadly
steel freight car, crammed with mer-
chandiso, toppled into the Hudson. At
the noat the rearmost recoiled from tho
collision and nearly went into the river
too Its rear trucks did go.
The ithaca kept on to the Lacka wanna
station In Hoboken.
Smith and Meyers were already ,cad
Williams was carried to the Lackawan-
mas emergency hospital and then to St
Mary's Hospital He died about . O'clock
The Others who were hurt win recover
The Ithaca was unnarmed below the
water line. Capt J. NJ Emery the Lack
awanna's marine superintendent. says she
can be repaired for $4,000. She cost
S225.OoO nve years ago. Capt Emery
says that until now there had been no
losses OF life on Lackawanna ferryboat
In twenty-six years.
Both the l.a"kawanna md the New
Jersey Central railroads win start inyes.
tigations this morning
DR.. Shaw and Ernes' rTssys OF Glen
Ridge identified Mr. Smith body In the
Hoboken morEue. Mr.. Smith was born
N Brooklyn. lie moved TO Glen Ridge
four years ago with his wife and son
DR.. Shaw said that Mr.. Smith and ex-
President TAN. Yale classmates Of 1878,
were warm friends
Mr.. Williams was a civil engineer In
Manhattan. He was on his way to his
home In Orange. He leaves a widow
and daughter IL years old. Mrs.
Williams started for HobOken when she
heard Of the accident last night.
The body Of Mr.. Meyers was Identified
~ baoemasld clergyman