Year: 1879

THE OvERCRowDING OF THE EXCURSION BOATS


coNTINUED-INsoLENCE OF AN OFFICER OF


THE TIGER LILY.


The throng of persons along the Harlem River and
at High Bridge yesterday was immense. The iron
bridge spanning the water at Third contained


dense crowd of spectators all day, while the stream
thicAy dotted early and late with all manner Of
craft All the passenger craft running to High
Bridge carried pretty large loads all through the
morning hours. These craft consisted of the reg
ular excursion steamboat Tiger Lily. the passenger
propeller Lafayette and the steam launches Deane.
Lille, Charlie and Hayes Early in the afternoon
the throngs increased in numbers. and after two
O'Clock the Tiger Lily and the Lafayette were shame
fully overcrowded


The propeller Lafayette left her dock adjoining the
Harlem Bridge at twenty-five minutes Of three P. NJ.
with so many people on her upper and lower decks
that her starboard gunwale with the water
while lying motionless at the dock. She is licensed
to carry 200 passengers according to the statement
OF Of her attaches, but at least double that
ber on board. Several passengers, who had
purchased tickets. seeing that she overloaded,
refused to go up in her and walked ashore. At least
fifty more who had bought tickets. clustered
the dock. and although urged by the officers to
go board, and assured by them that there was ye
..plenty of room on the lower deck" they refused





CHARACTERISTIC INSTANCE.


The Tiger Lily came to the same pier about three
o'clock and. after disom barking the passengers she
had brought down from High Bridge. quickly re-
ceived fresh load from the dense crowd in waiting.
In five minutes she fairly full and should have
off her lines. Instead of doing so, however, she
lay there until twenty minutes past three. constant
stream of passengers meanwhile trooping on board.
Finally she densely packed in every part except
the after cabin OF the main deck. which
was comfortably full. Her larboard gunwale
was submerged in water. and still she
showed no signs of going away. The captain
ordered the gangplank. which reached from the
shore to the upper deck. to be transferred to the
lower deck that still more passengers could go
board. Several passengers seeing the utter disre
gard of the safety of themselves and others which
shown by the officers walked ashore in indigna-
tion. At the gangplank a young man in a blue
uniform with the word CLERK lettered in gilt upon
his cap. Between his teeth was q lighted cigar |
stump, the fragrant smoke from which he conae- |
scenaingy blew in the faces of the and chill
dren who walked across the gangplank Apassenger |
who accompanied by his family approached this |
individual and mildly protested against such trhng
with human life as was evident from the condition
of the steamers decks.
The official cast look of whitening contempt |
upon the speaker. saying:-"we amt got half load
yet"


.rhat being the case" replied the passenger "you
will have three passengers less. and he passed on
shore with his family.


This action evidently aroused the ire OF the off,
cia who angrily exclaimed. 'lf don't think this
ere boat safe why you needn't sail in it; that's all,
aud II you make any noise around here well run
you up on the dock"


At least hundred passengers of both sexes leaned
the rail aud listened to the insolence of this
young official in mute astonishnent The passenger,
apparently. did not relish the idea of being run up
on the DOCK whatever dire vengeance conveyed
by tho threat for he walked to the ticket Office and
surrenerded the six tickets which he had pure hased
fcw minutes before The ticket seller refused to
fund the money aud the passenger went away, leav-
ing both his money aud the tickets In the possess
sion the ticket seller prccrring incur this loss
TO the risk of being drowned or trampled half to
death.


person who does business ut Harlem Bridge was
met by HERALD reporter as the Tiger Lily sailed
away with her larboard guards submerged in water
giving her such list that her fifteen
feet out of plumb Sad the former THAT Tiger
Lily is licensed To carry 800 passengers and has lot
now fully GOO on board. That sort of thing happens
every Sunday afternoon. shall be surprised to
serious trouble some day, especially as
she Is fully twenty years old and in oil that time
has been ovcrhauled but once"


The same crowded scenes repeated on every
trip OF the Tiger Lily up to six o'clock When the
throng began to return about ive O'Clock the vessels
were more crowded than before. The man
ayers of the steam launches yesterday evidently |
took heed of the complaints which had been made
against them for overcrowding. Az soon each was
comfortably flied its lines cast off and IL |
promptly steamed away. Even then there was only |
the water and the top Of the gunwale-a space suf-
sons.