New York, New York Ferry Boat Wreck & Fire
August 2, 1910
PANIC ON FERRYBOAT
Vessel, Drifting, Crashes Into Ship and Dock.
FIRE ADDS TO EXCITEMENT
The Secaucas, of the Lackawanna Line, Gets
Beyond Control and Collides With a Pennsylvania
Railroad Boat, and Then Rams a Coal Pier-Fire
Breaks Out and Adds to Alarm of Passengers.
Special to The Washington Post.
New York, Aug. 2.-Twice drifting helpless,
and later afire, the Delaware, Lackawanna and
Western ferryboat Secaucus this afternoon made
an exciting trip from Hoboken to New York,
taking an hour and a half in passage and landing
a number of frightened pasengers [sic] and
fainting women. The injury was confined to one
deckhand, who was knocked senseless by a
snapping hawser.
The Secaucus started from her slip at the
foot of Fourteenth street, Hoboken, on a regular
trip and almost immediately the captain
discovered that he had lost control. The
ferryboat drifted down the North River, narrowly
missing several small craft, and crashing into a
Pennsylvania Railroad ferryboat, which was being
repaired there. Large chunks of the Pennsylvania
boat were knocked off before a tug could be run
alongside and attach a hawser to the Secaucus.
The tug started to tow the ferryboat back when
the hawser parted with a vicious snap, a loose
end knocking a ferryboat deckhand insensible.
The Secaucus was immediately “wild” again and
started to drift rapidly down stream.
Smashes Into Coal Dock.
Five tugs steamed eagerly around the ferryboat,
prepared to give assistance. They towed the
Secaucus back to the slip and as she entered,
the captain shouted that he had control again,
and the tugs cast off.
No sooner had they done so and the ferryboat
struck out for herself, then she commenced
drifting again and smashed violently into a coal
dock on the Jersey side, near Castle Stevens. On
this drift down stream, the ferryboat just
missed collision with a boat bound for Coney
Island.
When the tugs took hold again an alarm was
given that fire had been discovered in the
engine room, and the frightened passengers were
thrown into a more violent panic. The ferryboat
crew calmed them while the blaze was
extinguished, and the ferryboat, suddenly
righting herself, proceeded finally under her
own power to the Twenty-third street, New York.
pier, arriving there an hour and a half late.
The Washington Post, Washington, DC 3 Aug
1910
Transcribed by
Stephanie. Thank you, Stephanie!
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