 |
| William Rockhill. |
Cortland Evening Standard, Saturday, June 15, 1901.
WILL ACCEPT BRITISH PLAN.
American Suggestion of Referring Indemnity Question to Hague Conference Rejected.
PARIS, June 15.—Dispatches received here from Pekin say the foreign ministers are considering fresh propositions from Mr. Rockhill, affecting the Chinese concessions, looking to the payment of the indemnity. The propositions concern minor matters and may or may not be accepted. But, until they are disposed of, the ministers will not pronounce a decision as to the manner in which China is to pay the powers, though it is virtually settled that the British proposal will be accepted. All hope of the acceptance of the United States suggestion to submit the matter to arbitration at The Hague seems to have disappeared.
FERRY BOATS COLLIDE.
Old Wooden Boat Sunk by Steel Craft In East River.
MANY PERSONS WERE DROWNED.
Captain of One of the Rescue Tugs Says One Hundred Perished, but This Is Hardly Credited—Captain of Each Boat Blames the Other.
NEW YORK, June 15.—The wooden side wheeler Northfield, which has been in the service of the Staten Island Ferry company for the past 38 years, was rammed lust night by the steel-hulled propeller Mauch Chunk, built in 1893 and used as a ferry boat by the Central railroad of New Jersey.
The collision occurred just off the Staten Island ferry slip at the foot of Whitehall street and in less than 10 minutes afterward the Northfield, which was crowded with passengers, sunk at the outer end of the Spanish line pier, No. 10 East river.
The Mauch Chunk, which was badly damaged after landing the two dozen passengers which were aboard of her at the slip adjoining the one occupied by the Staten Island Ferry company, proceeded under her own steam to Communipaw channel where she was laid up for repairs.
Over 100 of the passengers on the sunken Northfield were dragged out of the water by people along shore and the crews of the fleet of river tugs which promptly responded to the ferry boat's call for help
A few of the Northfield's passengers were hurt in the accident and the police believe that some lives were lost.
Captain Daniel Gully of the tugboat Mutual who saw the ferry boats crash together says that immediately after the collision between 25 and 30 of the passengers leaped into the water and many of these perished.
Captain Gully declared that he is sure over 100 of the Northfield's passengers were drowned. The captains of the other tugboats who were early on the scene, however, are inclined to think that the disaster was not as serious in regard to loss of life as Captain Gully says. Thus far no dead bodies have been recovered and at the slack of the tide Diver Albert Bloomberg will make an effort to explore the cabins of the ferry boat, the pilot houses of which are now awash.
The reason why there is such a difference of opinion as to the extent of the disaster was because the wildest excitement prevailed while the Northfield, at full speed and with a strong flood tide, was pushing her way along up the river and the crews were so busy rescuing the unfortunates from the water and the fast sinking decks of the Northfield that they were unable to keep track of all that was going on.
Work of Rescue Was Quick.
Captain Gully, however, was alongside the ferry boat from the start to the finish and his estimate of the loss of life may be correct. The tug Mutual saved in all about 75 persons from the Northfield, more than the decks of the boat could accommodate and the tugs Unity and Arrow saved between them 150 people from watery graves.
Policemen Michael F. Walsh and John W. Walters of the Old Slip station claim to have rescued nearly 30 people between them.
As soon as the crowd which had followed the sinking ferry boat along the water front was able to render any assistance, they worked with a will and in many instances men sprang into the water to save life. Men and women clambered over the tugs which formed a bridge to the Spanish pier, and as soon as they reached the wharf many of the women became hysterical.
While the Northfield in accordance with the federal regulations was well supplied with life-preservers, they were stowed away in out of the way places. The wildest sort of a panic followed when the hundreds of passengers realized their danger.
The swift running flood tide and the question of which boat had the right of way was the cause of the disaster. Captain Abraham Johnson was in charge of the Northfield and Captain S. C. Griffin was in charge of the Mauch Chunk. Each lays the blame for the collision on the other, but by orders of the officials of the ferry companies neither of the captains would make a statement concerning the occurrence.
How the Accident Happened.
The Northfield with a load of passengers variously estimated to be between 800 and 1,200 at 6:01 p. m. started out of the West slip at Whitehall street for St. George, Staten island, and at 5:53 p. m. the Mauch Chunk left the railroad slip at Communipaw for the East slip at Whitehall street. The latter craft was abreast of the barge office at the Battery when the Northfield came out of the slip. An exchange of whistles between the boats was followed by the crash. Captain Griffen apparently believed that the Staten Island ferry boat would be halted and worked his boat into the upper slip and on the other hand Captain Johnson supposed that he would he allowed to cross the Mauch Chunk's bow. When the accident appeared inevitable the speed of the Communipaw ferry boat was reduced as much as possible under the circumstances, but borne along by the swift running flood head on, the Mauch Chunk struck the Northfield on the starboard side at the hood of the forward ladies cabin on the main deck. The blow was a terrific one and the force of it played sad havoc with the two boats.
The guard rail of the Mauch Chunk unfortunately was built nearer the water line than the guard rail of the Northfield so that when the boats came together the guard rail of the former crushed in the wooden hull of the old Staten island ferry boat.
As the bumping of ferry boats is not unusual the passengers on the Northfield did not for a minute or so realize the seriousness of the collision. When, however, the two firemen ran upon deck to save themselves from the inflow of water and the Northfield was being driven full speed up the East river instead of down towards Staten island they knew that something serious had happened.
Then commenced the panic which continued until the Northfield went down off pier 10, East river. The alarm instantly attracted thousands of people. At no time was the Northfield more than 500 feet out in the river beyond the bulkhead line but the tide was running with the velocity of a mill race.
All the passengers rescued were landed at pier No. 10, East river, and they looked a sorry sight, indeed. One young woman named Lizzie Ivers of Sailor's Snug Harbor, was the most seriously injured so far as known. She was in the forward part of the Northfield's cabin when it was crushed in by the collision. Her face was lacerated and she was injured internally.
Says Men Acted Like Cowards.
Captain Slater of the tugboat Unity, who was one of the first to reach the side of the Northfield, said last night:
"The men passengers on the Northfield acted like cowards. There was a lot of women alongside the ferry boat's rail waiting to be taken off when we came up. Then to my astonishment the men crowded the women to one side and frantically clambered over the bulwarks of our tug. I shouted 'give the women a chance' but I should say a hundred men came aboard the Unity before one woman was given the opportunity. I did not see any one drown."
All of the crew of the Northfield were saved. Captain Abraham Johnson of the Northfield was arrested about midnight on a charge of criminal negligence. He is held without bail.
Captain Griffin of the Mauch Chunk went to his home in Jersey City.
Officials of the Jersey Central railroad said that Captain Griffin would make his appearance in the Center street police court to answer to a technical charge of manslaughter.
Sampson Medal.
PAGE FOUR—EDITORIAL.
The medal which is to bear the likeness of Rear Admiral Sampson on one side and the battleship Oregon on the other is to be known as the West Indian medal, so that it will be given to all who participated in the West Indian naval campaign which Sampson directed from beginning to end with such eminent success. A token in commemoration of the naval battle of Santiago will be a bronze bar attached to a ribbon, and this will be given to those who participated in that sea fight. The skill with which the department has avoided the Sampson-Schley controversy in this matter will impress every one. A few of the critics of Rear Admiral Sampson have taken delight in asking if the bronze bar will be given to the officers and crew of the New York but, says the Springfield Republican, they merely excite sympathy for an able and gallant officer by the rancor of their pursuit of him. History will record that the fleet commanded every hour of the campaign [as] Sampson struck the blows which ended the Spanish war.
 |
| "Buffalo Bill" Cody. |
BUFFALO BILL'S SHOW.
Great Crowd Filled the Tent at Both Exhibitions.
Yesterday was Buffalo Bill's day in Cortland, and in respect to the crowd it was one of the greatest days the young city has ever seen. The town was full of people all day long. All railroads had extra coaches on their trains and all trains were crowded. The Traction company did tremendous business, its cars being crammed almost to suffocation. Every road leading into the city had a constant line of teams upon it and from the appearance of the horses the indications were that many of them came from a long distance.
The streets were lined with thousands of people to see the parade in the morning, and before 1 o'clock there was a steady flow of people toward the show grounds, going on foot, in carryalls, in private conveyances and on the street cars.
The tents made an imposing appearance upon the fair grounds. The dining tent occupied all the space at the left of the entrance and south of the hall where the "midway" is during fair time. Across the [race] track in the center of the grounds was the big tent with side shows at the right and with the horse tent and dressing rooms at the extreme west end. The seats were arranged to occupy three sides of a rectangle and were covered with canvas, while all the exhibition was in the open air with uncovered sky.
At the afternoon performance the seats were filled to their fullest capacity. The ticket man told a STANDARD reporter that there were 16,000 people in the audience. He said that the management was greatly pleased with the crowd and he felt very confident that they would not have to sell a horse to get money enough to get out of town with. The evening audience wan an excellent one, though not quite as numerous.
The Buffalo Bill show is unique. It is entirely different from a circus. It is in a class by itself. There is something to interest every moment and there is no delay for it proceeds with great rapidity. From the opening ground review of the Rough Riders of the world to the battle of Tien Tsin at the end the interest is sustained. As is to be expected much of the program is given to riding. Each body of horsemen gave an exhibition of the skill which is theirs, and in all the performances it would be difficult among these experts to find the best. The old feature of the Buffalo Bill show, the stage coach attacked by Indians, who in turn are repulsed by the scouts, was not missing, nor was the attack on the cowboys by the Indians.
Annie Oakley, Johnnie Baker and Buffalo Bill himself gave exhibitions of shooting which, as in days gone by, excited the wonder of the spectators. Buffalo Bill shot glass balls thrown into the air while himself and the thrower were riding at a trot around the ring
The bucking bronchos, the buffalo hunt and some like features have been seen before, but the life-saving feature was something new. Buffalo Bill carries with him a life-saving crew, who in a realistic manner show how sailors are taken from vessels which are driven ashore during a storm. A life line was shot over a spar erected in the middle of the arena. The line is making fast and the sailors soon come gliding down the line in the breeches buoy to the shore. The life-saving crew have all the apparatus used in the actual operation.
The tumbling and the feats of strength by the Arabs astonished every one.
The military spectacle is one of the most popular features of the show. Every one took pride in the skill and daring of the United States cavalrymen in their feats of horsemanship, and in the wonderful precision with which the artillerymen maneuvered, and finally the battle of Tien Tsin gave an idea of what happens when opposing armies line up for action. There was a lot of powder burnt and the machine gun, with which the walls of the old China city were defended, ground out a deal of harmless noise. This spectacle, participated in by several hundred men is, as an educational feature, really a most important part of the performance.
NOTES.
Buffalo Bill was in Cortland the last time on Monday, Sept. 16, 1895.
The Buffalo Bill show is now a stock company, of which Buffalo Bill is himself a one-third owner. It was said yesterday by one of the clerical force of the company that Buffalo Bill himself draws a salary of $3,000 per week for the use of his name and his presence with the show.
To guard against any possibility of interruption of the trip through legal complications a lawyer is retained in advance in each place in which the company is to show and he is given the power of attorney to sign a bond in the name of the president of the company.
The Erie &Central New York R. R. yesterday carried 1,015 people as a total of both east and west bound trips. This is 33 1/3 per cent, better then the best day the road ever had before—and it was also said to be the most orderly of any of the large crowds.
The Lehigh Valley R. R. brought about 700 people into town to see the show.
No figures can be given of the Lackawanna R. R. but there was a big crowd of people on all trains.
The Traction company yesterday rung up 12,716 5-cent fares. The cars were packed. Small cars that were expected to carry thirty had ninety fares rung up on them. In 1895 when Buffalo Bill was here and when the Traction company had the Groton-ave. line to use as a return switch the number of fares rung up was 12,799, a gain of eighty-three fares over this year. But it was a pretty even thing. But not all the people yesterday had a chance to pay their fares. The cars were so crowded the conductors could not get over them. On one car at least a man who sat in the third row from the back of the car noted the fact that when the car reached the fair grounds the conductor who had begun at the front of the car had just reached his seat and none of the seats behind paid a cent.
A number of cases of pocket picking was reported, but the instances are few in comparison to the usual record.
Two farmers from Solon were said to be in a clothing store in town this morning trying to match up coats and vests to go with their trousers to replace some they had lost during the night, so that their absence might not be observed when they got home.
KNOCKED DOWN AND RUN OVER.
Mrs. Geweye Left Unconscious In Road by a Reckless Driver,
Mrs. Charles Geweye, 133 Railroad-st., was run down by a reckless driver near her home this morning. She was thrown violently to the ground and the rig passed over her, breaking five bones, but fortunately she sustained no internal injuries, at least none that can be detected as yet. The driver never paused to pick up the injured woman, but kept on and it is not known who the party was. Mrs. Geweye was found shortly after the accident by a neighbor lady, who immediately informed the family of Mrs. Geweye, and she was carried to her home and treated by Drs. Sornberger and Neary.
Mrs. Geweye states, in reference to the matter, that at about 8:30 o'clock this morning [she] started to go over to the home of her daughter Mrs. Ryan, on Hubbard-st., and that while on the corner of Railroad and Hubbard-sts., near her own home, a bay horse, hitched to a platform wagon and driven by a man whom she did not recognize, came down Railroad-st. Instead of keeping straight on down Railroad-st., as she supposed it would, the rig was suddenly turned into Hubbard-st. and struck her while she was on the crosswalk between the streets. She cannot tell how long she remained where she was run over. Mrs. Geweye is about 60 years old.
The doctors found upon investigation that there were five bones broken as a result of the collision. The right wrist, the right leg just above the ankle, the eighth rib on the left side, were fractured and two fingers on the left hand were crushed and broken. Mrs. Geweye is resting as comfortably as is possible under the circumstances. The family and neighbors are justly indignant over the matter.
Traction Company Election.
The directors of the Cortland County Traction Co. held a meeting this afternoon and elected officers as follows:
President—Frank Battles of Philadelphia.
First Vice-President—C. D. Simpson of Scranton.
Second Vice-President—Hugh Duffey of Cortland.
Secretary and Treasurer—Edwin Dufley of Cortland.
The only directors present today from out of town were Frank Battles of Philadelphia and Herman Bergholtz of Ithaca.
Raided the Park Pavilion.
Arthur Cole and Benjamin Walrad pleaded guilty before Justice J. H. Kelley in McGraw this forenoon to the charge of breaking into the pavilion at the park June 11 and taking from it a small amount of money and some candy and gum. The case was put over till Monday, at which time action will be taken in it.
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
To be Repaired, Redecorated and Refinished During the Summer.
The Congregational church will be closed for services during July and August and during that time will undergo extensive repairs. The roof is to be reshingled and the exterior repainted, both brick and woodwork. The woodwork on the interior is to be refinished and the walls and ceiling to be redecorated in soft tints. The question of reseating is yet undecided and in the hands of the committee of repairs: Messrs. George Leach, F. J. Doubleday, S. N. Holden and A. H. Winchell. The proposition is to put in modern seats of the variety that require no cushions but that shape themselves to fit the person occupying the seat. This question will probably be decided in a few days.
Regents' Examinations.
The following is the schedule of regents' examinations to be held at the Central school on June 17 to 21:
Monday Morning—Algebra, advanced drawing.
Monday Afternoon—Advanced English, English composition, Roman history.
Tuesday Morning—Rhetoric, American selections, German, first year, Latin, first year, and Greek history.
Tuesday Afternoon—Caesar, Xenophon's Anabasis, botany.
Wednesday Morning—Plane geometry, physics, United States history and civics.
Wednesday Afternoon—English selections, physiology and hygiene, zoology, economics, bookkeeping.
Thursday Morning—Greek, first year, arithmetic.
Thursday Afternoon—Geography, Physical geography, English history, and Civics.
Friday Morning— Elementary English, Medieval history.
Friday Afternoon—Spelling, English reading, geology and drawing.
Reception for Principal Van Tuyl.
A pleasant reception was given to Principal and Mrs. Van Tuyl by the students of the high school last evening in the hall of the school building. Principal Van Tuyl leaves next week to spend his year's leave of absence at Chicago university and Mrs. Van Tuyl will accompany him. Light refreshments were served at the reception and Miss Stringer added to the pleasure of the occasion by singing two solos.—Hamilton Republican.
BREVITIES.
—Mrs. Roswell P. Flower has recently given $10,000 to the Veterinary college at Cornell university.
—It is said that the Sunday trains will be put on this division of the Lehigh Valley R. R. on June 30.
—New display advertisements today are—Baker & Angell, Shoes, page 7; Gas Light Co., Gas ranges, page 6.
—A special meeting of the A. O. U. W. will be held at 7:30 o'clock this evening at the office of city judge, R. L. Davis.
—The Dryden Herald says that Mrs. George E. Monroe of that place has received an order for 100 Black Minorca eggs from Honolulu. The eggs will be shipped by way of San Francisco, June 27.
—A special train on the Lehigh Valley R. R. made the run over the Erie tracks from Waverly to Elmira, 18 miles, Tuesday in 14 1/2 minutes, the speed indicator showing more than 70 miles an hour for the whole distance.
No comments:
Post a Comment