The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-04-28
PRESIDENT BARELY
ESCAPES ACCIDENT
Change in Boats at Last Minute
Pfevented Chief Executive
Possible Injury.

POINT PLEASANT, Ohio, April 27-
President Harding's trip up the Ohio
river today to participate In the ono hum
dredth birthday anniversary OF General
Grant, narrowly escaped serious disaster.
when part OF the third deck Of the
STEAMER Island Queen crashed TO the
deck below carrying with 1t some 200
persons, Only half a minutes warming
by cracking timbers gave a school chil-
]dren's band and many others on the deck
below time to get from under the crash
ing deck
That the President and Mrs. Harding
and others in the presidential party were
not aboard the Island Queen. was due
to advice Of government inspectors. late
last night. They advised against the
President making the trip on the old
pleasure boat because of her condition.
Consequently the President and hts party
were assigned to the Cayuea. govern
ment boat, which led the hotilla OF seven
steamers from Cincinnati bearing be-
tween ten and fifteen thousand people,
The fotilla was passing New Rich
mond, Ohio, seven miles below Point
Pleasant,
The Cayuga with the President aboard,
leading the procession had cleared the
village. New Richmond citizens. how
ever. did not know OF the changes in
plans which put the President aboard the
Cayuga they began firing rockets as the
Island Queen with it's 5000 passengers
came abreast Those on board crowded
to the front decks to witness the spec
tacle ashore. Bands aboard were playing
and everybody was in high spirits.
Suddenly there came the crashing and
grating OF timbers under the feet of the
three hundred on the third deck, They
felt the, floor sink, they stood silent, ap-
parently awe-struck for half a minute.
Then came a deafening crash. The en-
tire forward deok dropped. Still there
was no panic,
The Manchester Ohio school band had
been playing Immediately under the deck,
there were So boys and girls. many boys
in knee trousers.
But the half minutes warning saved
the boys, At the first crash they began
to hurry toward the stern, Some how
ever did not make It In time and were
caught, The chairs on which they had
been seated however, held the load for a
second, long enough to permit them to
crawl to safety before the tons of timber
and human weight crushed the chairs.
The crash OF the falling deck resoupded
from bow to stern. Many thought the
steamer was sinking. Others thought the
boilers had exploded. Women tainted
and became hysterical. One girl attempt
ed to jump overheard. Officers caught
her.
Officers shouted orders for people to
remain In their places and keep quiet,
Military officers and Cincinnati police OF
whom there were many on board. also
cautioned against becoming panic gtrick-
en-. The eleventh division band was on
the dock Immediately above, but which
did not extend all the way over the III
fated deck They heard the crash and
saw the deck drop. True to their mill.
tary training not a bandsman stirred.
They were playing soft air and sensing
the situation the director Immediately
struck up lively tune. The music
drowned out the cries of children and
women, II no doubt had great effect In
preventing panic throughout the forward
decks,
Tho Island Queen was the fourth line
OF tha hotllla, President Harding did not
learn of the accident until the Cayuga
moored at the Point Pleasant landings.
The Island Queen Is q pleasure graft.
plying principally between Cincinnati and
a pleasure resort up the FiveF and is an
old river. craft.