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rmoring, they set about opening the pontoon bridge and in order to

do this they had to stop the pedestrians who were crossing .t the

time. The apron was lifted and the Pickstock Street barge started

to swing over to the Pickstock Street side. Wien the Pickstock

Strict barge swung away there were a few people stA.nding on the

apron which was now suspended over the centre of the river. The

people from the swing bridge continued to come via Zegent Street

West to the Richard Sidewalk side of the bridge and as the

crowd increased more people came on to the apron. These people

became restless and kept shouting to the workers to bring the barge

so that they might cross. Both the workers and the people in the

crowd kept shouting,at each other. The people wishing to cross

were clearly annoyed because they were not able to cross. However,

the workmen had their instructions and were merely carrying them

out,

19. About this time, Mr. Smith, Milan Building Foreman, who was

at the swing bridge, saw the crowd on the apron of the pontoon bridge

and jumped on his bicycle and went via North Front Street to the

pontoon bridge and gave instructions for the Pickstock Street barge

to be swung back towards mid-stream. His reason for doing so was

that he was alarmed because of the danger to the people who were

standing on the apron which did not have the other barge to support

its weight in mid-stream. Ho therefore told his workmen to hurry

and swing the barge back to the apron which he said was holding too

much weight. While the Pickstock Street barge was coming towards

the apron to make connection with the other barge, the crQwd on

the Richard Sidewalk side surged on to the barge and the apron as

they jostled for first place to get across. One witness said that

he was pushed by the surge of the crowd from the barge on to the

apron. Before the Pickstock Street barge reached the apron, the

apron collapsed and the people who were on it, men, women, and

children, fell into the river. When this happened some of the

 .. on-lookers