New York Daily Tribune

CITY ITEMS.

Serious Accident—Two Lives Lost.—About noon on Saturday the town was startled with the most frightful accounts of loss of life at the Collins Steamers' pier, at the foot of Canal. The story was confused and exaggerated, some saying that a hundred men were killed, and others being content with a dozen. Visiting the place we found that the accident, though serious, was not so great as reported. There was an immediate panic, another fire, and thousands on the way to the scene of the disaster.

Pacific had come in contact with the timbers which supported the immense roof over the pier, and had torn down some fifty feet of the shed.

The cause of the accident was the united force of the wind and tide, which swung the heavy ship against the end of the pier before the helm could have a counteracting effect. The guard of the larboard wheel caught in the framework of the shed and dragged the timbers apart. The paddles of this wheel struck on the string piece of the pier, and were all broken off at the junction with the iron rim; some of them were split and the open framework of the wheel house was broken to pieces. The large timbers of the pier were broken like reeds, and the piles at the end bowed down like rushes.

Beneath the shed an immense crowd of people had assembled to witness the departure of the ship, and when the roof came down, a great many were crushed under the timbers; fortunately, the breaking down was gradual, and thus the larger number had time to escape. One man was instantly killed,—Mr. John Wilson, of 78 Watts st. He was on the roof, and fell among some of the heavy timbers, whereby his skull was broken. His body was taken to the Fifth Ward Station House, where an inquest was held, and the following verdict rendered: "That the deceased came to his death by injuries received by the falling of the pier shed, foot of Canal, caused by the wheel-house of the steamboat Pacific coming in contact with the said shed." Another man died at the Hospital yesterday; his name was John McCormick, an Irishman; his injuries were fractures of the pelvis and left thigh. Only one other man was taken to the Hospital; Patrick McIntee, an Irishman, residing at Colenberg, up the River. He has received severe internal injuries. John Gardiner, a merchant of this city, was considerably injured. Capt. Woolsey, of Jersey City, received a fracture of the small bone of the leg. Benjamin Laird, 151 Franklin-st., was badly bruised. Stewart Brown, Thos. Jackson, Wm. J. Connelly, Jas. Greenwood, John Wiseley, James Turner, David Murray, Richard Berryman, James Sheridan and James Johnson are reported as injured; but it is probable that their hurts are generally very slight. One gentleman got a slight blow on the nose, causing the blood to flow, whereupon some zealous friend, with the best of intentions, put a host of friends in agony by reporting him dangerously hurt. Some persons jumped or were pushed overboard, but no one was drowned, as far as can be learned. Col. Walker of Milwaukee was rescued from the water by W.C. Connell, pilot, of 213 Avenue B. Mr. C. assisted in getting out two others, and while doing so somebody ran off with his watch and coat. Pawn-brokers and others will note that the watch is an English lever, No. 2,221. The ship was stopped as quick as possible at the time of the accident, so that the passengers on board might ascertain if any of their friends were hurt. It was also found that the ends of the paddles of the larboard wheel were broken off by contact with the pier, and new plank would be necessary; consequently the ship was detained until yesterday morning. Mr. Collins was on the ground at the time of the occurrence and volunteered to pay all the funeral expenses and medical bills that might be incurred by reason of the accident. The tremendous fuss made about this occurrence twenty-four hours after it happened was a trick of the press more conspicuous than just. We cannot hear that any person attempts to blame the officers of the ship; there can be no blame in the matter at all—the accident was one which could not be foreseen or in any way prevented.