The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-09-11
RTYBARCES BREAK
LOOSE IN EAST RIVER
Twenty-Five Women Rescued
i'm Midstream as Coal Flo
tilla Sweeps Down.
TUGS CATCH STRAGGLERS
Yachts Flee Danger, but Men
ace Is Reduced by Light
Sunday Traffic.
TUGS CATCH STRAGGLERS

Forty coal barges loaded with from
700 to 1000 tons of coal each, broke
from their mornings at Ninety fifth
and Ninety seventh streets late yes
terday afternoon during the ebb tide,
and went floating down the East
River. forming a considerable menace
to navigation. Several of the barges
were occupied by women and children.
members OF the captains families, and
some of the women became panic
stricken when they found that their
homes were afioat and headed toward
the ocean.
The barges. in strings of eight or
ten, completely blocked the west chan
mel OF the East River between Black
wells Island and Manhattan. but
fortunately, the day being Sunday.
there were no other boats in the river
excepting two private yachts which
were coming north when the barges
broke loose. The people on the yachts
saw the fleet of barges coming down
and realized that they were not under
control in time to turn around and
go south. They went at fun speed
and the barges did not come closer TO
them than a few hundred yards.
Bump Into Docks.
They bumped into a few docks and
scraped the paint off the sterns Of a
few vessels lying In the slips. but mostly
they stuck to the middle of the stream
Had they been loose an hour earlier they
pprobably would have caused trouble.
for some OF the sight seeing boats. and
had they got loose an hour later some
of the big Sound boats might have run
into them. But the barges and tugs
that usually fill the west channel of the
river were not navigating yesterday and
the rnaways had clear channel before
them.
The first of the barges broke loose
at Ninety-seventh street. and as they
flosted south knocked others loose at
Ninety-fifth street Then. twelve or
fourteen abreast. the whole flotilla
started down stream in the west chan
mel Capt. Harry Daniels OF the ferry
boat Bronx, which runs between Black
wells Island and Manhattan. was in the
Cygnet Boat Club and Life Saving Sta
ton when the barges broke loose, Real
ling the possibilities OF danger IL there
were any other craft in the river. he
telephoned the Police and Fire depart
ments and asked them to send some OF
their most powerful boats to get lines
aboard the barges and tow them to
dockf.
Tugs TO the Rescue.
The departments sent two boats eacn
and later others came. The New York
and New Haven Railroad also sent
tug, as did the Lehigh Valley and the
Long Island railroads and the Merritt
Chapman Wrecking Company. The tugs
and the police boats surrounded the
bsrges, their crews shouting encourage
ment to the women and children. who
looked over the sides of the runaway
craft, and tied them TO docks from
Twenty-socond to Thirty-eighth street.
some being taken into tho Newtown
Creek by the Long Island Railroad tug
officers or the tugs and OF the police
boats said that II was a fortunate
thing that the barges broke Loose on a
Sunday. as on any other day the river
is filed with boats. Had this been true
yesterday there would have been much
property damage and probably loss Of
life.
Two OF the barges, tho Wilbur and
Burns Brothers No. II. drifted across
toward Hell Gate from Ninety-sixth
street after breaking away from their
fastenings and became stranded on
Hogs Back Island.
The fireman Of Long Island Railroad
tug No 5 collapsed In the rescue work
The rescues by the fircboat and tug
boaf crowe affcrded tbt-iflr Tho .ueptv.
five women, twenty-five men and fifteen
children that lived on the barges were
taken Off In midstrean. and they spent
several hours attempting 10 locate their
respective craft after the latter had been
touycI aehnro