New-York tribune., 1921-10-31
400 Marooned
During Night
By Ferry Jinx
Uniucky Mayor Gaynor Hits
Floating Derrick, Sticks
on Reef and Staten Island
Folk Are ''Shipwrecked''
Fogbound for Six Hours
Police Boat Hylan and Ten.
der Tulip Finally Locate
and Rescue the Hoodoo

The Mayor Gaynor, smallest and Tn
1uckiest of the fIotilla of municipal ferry
boats plying between South Ferry and
late Saturday night of ROBBINS Reef,
tangled its propellers in the cables.
showed its snout into mudbank and
gave more than 400 prosaic commuters
a six-hour taste of shipwreck.
1t was 1880 when the Mayor Gaynor
crashed into the floating derrick. It was
$50 when the lighthouse tender Tulip
and the police boat John F. Hylan,
helped by the tide, managed to haul the
hobbled and Inud-bounfl little hoodoo into
deep water and start her for St. George,
Staten Island undey tow.
From 1880 until $50 the 400 and
more men, women and children aboard
the Mayor Gaynor were prisoners of the
fog, which was responsible for the acci-
dent. Until after $3.50 o'clock they had
not even the consolation of knowing that
their plight was known and help WAS at
hand.
Isolated in Upper Bay
They were isolated in the midst Of
the upper bay, one of the busiest water
ways Of the world, by fog which Cap
tain Ryan, skipper of the Mayor Gay
nor, said was about the worst he had
struck in twenty years.
Grunts and bellows as Of huge sea
creatures sounded on this side and that
as tugs and other craft, bent on urgent
missions, nosed their way through the
fog. Two or shree times the strident
and imperious quintuple hootine of
fireboat cut through the pillows Of mist
that rolled across the Mayor Gaynor's
rIv7t. ~
OF her lights. Sometimes 8 passing
craft was so close that the ferryboat
lifted to its swell.
Not boat, however, was seen by the
passengers, many of whom kept cease
less vigil at the rail, until the John r.
Hylan came plunging through the fog,
so close that the watchers involuntarily
drew back. That was at $3.50 a. IN. The
Manhattan, another of the municipal
fleet, had located the Mayor Gaynor
almost an hour earlier by the constant
footing of its whistle, but neither the
Manhattan nor any other of the larger
ferryboats dared venture so close to
the reef.
Until the Manhattan reported the
distress signal off Robbins Reef the
tate OF the Mayor Gaynor had been q
mystery at both ferry terminals. She
. W
utes late, and vanished.
Captain Ryan, laying his course by
compass for Robbins Reef, had en-
countered car float just before the
Robbins Reef light showed.
Rams Floating Derrick
He gave the unwieldy wayfarer a
wide berth, passing it to starboard.
AS he came up to port to get back
on his course the red light of the
floating derrick, owned by the Merritt
Chapman Wrecking Company, and used
IN connection with sewer construction
for the City of Passaic, glared sud
denly through the fog.
Almost at the same moment the
1erryboat ground against the floating
derrick Part of the Mayor Gaynor's
port rail was splintered and she heeled
lazily to starboard at the impact. csus
ing moEentary alarm among the pas
scngers
The engines we're stopped and in the
few seconds that elapsed before it was
ascertained that neither boat had sus-
tanned serious damage, the Mayor
Gaynor's hoodoo slipped a couple Of
turns of the derrick's cables around
the terryboat's propellers. The Mayor
Saynor CRIPPLED herself at the first at
tempt to turn the propellers Then she
drfted into mudbank.
The police boat was unable TO get
her on alone and sent a wireless call
Tor help, to which the Tulip responded.
after the passengers had been landed
at st. George the Mayor Gaynor was
towed to the Staten Island Shinhu;ld