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Show I ill WHEN PIEB BREAKS Collapse 'of Crowded Landing at Binz Plunges Excursionists Excursion-ists Into Sea. Special Cable to The Tribune. BERLIN, Aug. Mi- A fearful accident, which brought death by drowning to at leapt, fourteen persons and placed the lives of 1000 others In Imminent peril, took place at. Blnr. a bathing resort on The Island of Rugon. yesterday evening. The disaster was due to the sudden collapse col-lapse of an overcrowded landing stage known as the "Frlnce Henry bridge." Contrary to the official statement of the local harbor authorities, who estimate esti-mate the death tH at the figure named, reports from privoto sources place the mmber of deed at twenty-one. Blnr lies upon the northeast roast of Rugen and Is an Intermediate station for the excursion excur-sion boats plying between the mainland and various sports of the Island. At this season of the year the excursion traffic among these popular resorts is alwavs heavy, but yesterday, owing to the intense "heat and the Cct that, the eecond squadron of the high seas fleet lay In view off Binz, It was swollen beyond be-yond normal proportions. By o'clock fully 1000 rersons had crowded On the landing pier to awatt the steamers to take them on the return Journey home Suddenly, with a startling crash, some thirty-live feet of the structure on which they" were standing gave way. Nearly 1000 persons were plunged into th water wa-ter and Struggled helplessly amid the mass of floating wreckage. In their terror ter-ror many of the unfortunates endeavored to clamber m'er one another to a position posi-tion of safety. Those who succeeded in securing a hold m the pilings were speedily rescued, but others, caught amid th" beams and timbers, tim-bers, could only be reached with the greatest difficulty. Thul such a latee number wer saved Is largely due. to the prompt action Of the officers and sailors "f the warships In the harbor, who hurried hur-ried ashore to lend the work of rescue. Many sailors plunged Into the water and pulled OUl drowning persons at the risk of their own lives. Of the fourteen persons known to have been drowned seven were, women and on a boy. The others have not yet been Identified. Several persons were severely injured The exact cause of the accident acci-dent has not yet been ascertained, though It is supposed to have been due to the giving way of a defective beam in the supporting structure of the pier under the great weight placed upon it. |