Arizona republican., 1922-06-13
Marine Police Grapple Pol
ham BayAnd Long Island
Sound Searching For
Bodies Of Storm Victims
Tide Brings In Over Score
OF Bodies; Police Fear
Many Never To Be Recov-
cred From Watery Grave
Republican A. p. Leased Wire1

NEW YORK, June 12-Morgues
and undertaking establishments OF
the metropolis tonight held the bodies
of more than three score men, wom-
en- and children, victims of yester-
days brief cyclonic thunder storm.
Marine police, who continued all
throughout the day their work OF
grapplfng in Pelham bay and Long
Island sound off Island City, where
the greatest toll was taken among
Sundays canoeists, and flshermen
predicted they would find at least a.
score more victims, enough 10 push
the death toll past so.
EYewitnesses of the tragedy placed
the number even higher.
AT least 250 canoes, row boats ana
small motor boats were bobbing about
off the island, witnesses said, when
the storm came screaming down on
the resort at velocity of so miles an
hour or better. Occupants of the ut
tie craft. sensing their danger, scam
pered for shelter: but scarcely had
they got under way when they were
engulfed in a binding storm or RAIN
and hail. As quickly as it had come
the storm vanished It had lasted less
than five minutes. But scarcely
dozen of the ESQ small craft had es-
capped. Horror struck, but helpless 10
aid, the crowds on the beach and
about the casino pier saw scores OF
men and women clinging to wreck
age of overturned craft in the choppy
sound and bay One by one they gave
up the struggle and dropped quietly
off, to be carried out toward the open
sea by the tide.
Some of the bodies, the police say,
probably never will be recovered.
The tide, tuSling. brought more than
a score of. them back today.
Eve witnesses estimated that there
were between 500 and $50 persons in
the wrecked craft Heroic work by
United States life guards, members
of nearby Yacht clubs, and volunteers
from the shore crowd, saved hum
dreds.
Among the first to put out were
Jack Murray, ]. G. Bower, Jack Nal
10y and Frank Warttinger. Manning
two small motor boats they saved
more than a dozen men and women
whom they found clingiing to over
turned canoes and row boats. They
were followed by others and soon
more than so craft of all sorts were
out, dragging TO safety the survivors
of the disaster. A score or more
saved themselves by clinging to the
sides of Cornelius VanderbIlts
schooner yacht Intrepid until they
were hauled in or picked up by rescue
craft.
The waters had been cleared by
nightfall of all the living, but the
search for the dead continued through
the night. Guided by searchlights OF
the police boat John f. Hylan, score
of boats cruised about, occasionally
finding bodies.
Meantime chaos reigned on shore
where darkness descended unbroken
by the usual glare OF electric lights.
The island lawer plant had been put
out of commission by the storm. as
had the telephone and telegraph lines
Mothers. fathers, wives OF the miss
ing besieged the police station where
a temporary morgue had been set
up, gazing fearfully at the faces or
the dead by the Pickering light of
andes and lanterns. Others crowd
ed the wreck strewn beach waiting
for the rescue boats to come in with
more bodies.
Fresh crowds hurried to the island
today when they had first news of
the tragedy through the morning
newspapers Police directed them to
the Bronx morgue where the 34 bod
les SO far recovered had been re-
moved. The City Island calamity,
while the greatest. was not the only
havoc wrought by the storm.
Pending investigation, a charge of
homicide was lodged against Paul
Simon, owner of the rs foot Ferris
wheel at Clason Point park in the
Bronx, which VISA blown from its base
and hurled Its so occupants on the
beach off Long Island sound in
tangle of steel wreckage. Seven We're
killed and 81 injured.
More than a score OF Isolated
drownings, electrocutions by touching
fallen wires, and deaths beneath fall
ing trees were reported from various
parts of the metropolitan area.