New Britain herald., 1928-02-18
TEN ARE MISSING
 AFTER fERRYbOAT CRASH IN FRISCO
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Peralta and from the ferry Hay ward which was but a short distance away. Several persons were fished out of the water, but whether all were saved was not known.
 Clothing Strews Water.
 The waves were strewn with coats, hats, wreckage from the cabins and life preservers which had been thrown to those overheard. In the rapidly gathering twilight it was dir ficult to tell whether more persons remained in the water,
 Prompt action by sailors stationed at Goat Island. naval training sya- ton. resulted in quick rescue of sc~- eral persons. Captain George Lan- denberger, commandant, and Lieu tenant H. V. Perron, who witnessed the accident, dispatched two parties of rescuers. The sailors were among the first to reach those struggling in the water. Those taken aboard the navy boats were suffering mostly from cold.
 Watches Disaster.
 "I watched the Peralta from shore. she being 300 to 400 yards from me-" said Perron. T could sec the crowds massed in the ferry's bow. She was travelling at good speed. Very suddenly, evidently from overcrowding in the bow, she was brought down by the head, and water rushed over the bow. could see that some people were swept overheard, but I could not tell how many.
 AS quickly as l could I ordered fifteen or twenty men into the cap tain's gig and all other suitable boats that were handy to get out and give all possible assistance. They acted quickly and were able to take sev- eral people out of the water" Captain Landenberger said the Peralta may have struck a swell made by another vessel and because of .the heavy forward load, nosed into it. The commandant said the navy rescue party picked up five or six persons. The ferry, Hayward res- cucd seven.
 Freak Tide Blamed.
 John K. Bulger, supervising in- spector of hulls and boilers for the federal government. expressed the opinion that the accident was caused by freak tide 'and other condi- tions not accountable to the vessel" He started an investigation, as did the state railroad commission. All agreed that many passengers in the bow of the boat suddenly found themselves engulfed in water higher than waist deep. Some were washed overheard. others leaped into l the bay in the belief that the Peralta had struck another boat. The passengers who were rescued suffered from submersion. but were revived when brought to emergency hospitalS in San Francisco. Their versions of the mishap and the eye witness stories of passengers on other ferryboats differed widely. Some said the Peralta ran into a big wash from a passing lumber schoon- oNlCIS bdlu 0u0uChly dipped" its bow beneath the waves, as if its water ballast tanks had shifted and unabalanced the craft. Safety Equipment. The safety equipment of the Per- alta included water ballast tanks which operate automatically to keep the boat on an even keel in the event of q rush of passengers from one side of the craft to the other. Police boats which cruised the scene reported that no bodies had been found, but that the bay was dotted by coats. caps and other gar ments. It was believed possible that sevral persons had been drowned and swept out through the Golden Gate by the strong tide. James w. Collins of Oakland, was 1 reported by his wife as missing. The accident was the second 10 occur to the Peralta, commissioned last March 29. On March 30, while | carrying 800 commuters, the steer ing gear failed to work, and the boat crashed into its mooring berth OH this side of the bay, resulting in $3o,000 damage and causing a mild panic among the passengers. Tales of Survivors. Tales of being buried under a wall of water that swept the deck of the ferryboat and of being rescued were told by victims of the strange acci- dent in the bay here late yesterday.
 Miss Peggy Naylor. 1e year old art student of Oakland, said:
 T was standing on the front of the boat, when all of sudden the water began to rise over the bsw. Then it came in a terrible rush. One of the rails was swept away and the next thing I knew I was under wa ter.
 Tt seemed as through I was never going to come up. When I finally got my head above water I manAged to get my hat and coat off and start. ed to swim away to get clear of the boat.
 Swam and Swam.
 'I just swan and swam and l was almost worn out when one of the life boats from the Hayward reached me-
 Ralph l.. Mack. Oakland. like