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“THE STATEN ISLAND FERRY DISASTER” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Senate section on pages S12725-S12726 on Oct. 16, 2003.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE STATEN ISLAND FERRY DISASTER
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I appreciate the thoughtful words of my colleague from Illinois. Many sports fans across my home state have known both joy and anguish from our sports teams, and I assure the Senator that I sympathize with the sorrow that Chicago Cubs fans are feeling today over last night's loss.
And now, Mr. President, I rise to speak on a matter that has caused much sadness in my home state of New York. It is with a heavy heart that I come to the floor today to speak about the tragedy on Staten Island that took 10 New Yorkers from us too soon, and changed the lives of dozens who were injured. As you know, the ferry in New York crashed into a pier adjacent to its terminal, with tragic and unforeseen and unprecedented results. We mourn for the families of those who were lost.
Staten Island has had a very difficult time in the last several years. We know, for instance, 286 Staten Islanders were lost on 9/11. Staten Island is 5.5 percent of New York City's population, but on that terrible day sustained nearly 20 percent of New York City's September 11 deaths. Many of those were police officers and firefighters. We had the refinery fire on Staten Island not too long ago, and now this terrible incident.
One thing I can tell you is the people of Staten Island are strong, they are resilient, they are self-reliant. Many of them come from my home borough of Brooklyn and have moved to pastures across the narrows. But they retain the same feistiness and the same ability to bounce back from tragedy their forebearers did, across the narrows in Brooklyn. So Staten Island will bounce back and be stronger and better than ever. But, right now, we mourn them.
The Staten Island ferry's history is so important to our city. It is as long as our Nation's history. It has existed in some form since 1713, and 70,000 New Yorkers, mostly from Staten Island, ride it every day. That would be enough people to fill a medium-sized city almost anywhere else in the United States.
It is one of the great symbols of New York City, up there with the Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge, Yankee Stadium. It is one of the best ways to see the great symbols of opportunity in New York, the Statue of Liberty--Ellis Island, and, sadly, until 2 years ago, the World Trade Center.
The view of lower Manhattan coming into the terminal at Whitehall or landing at St. George has been nothing short of breathtaking, although I must admit, having taken the ferry since 9/11, it now has some sadness to it as we see the empty space on the skyline where the towers once existed.
It is a necessity for many on Staten Island. It is also a great opportunity for tourists to see New York. I might say, also, it is a very good first date, particularly at its price. The Staten Island ferry is free.
I am proud to say this morning, due to the resilience of New Yorkers and their transportation commissioner, ferry service resumed at the St. George terminal at 5 a.m., the site of yesterday's tragedy, befitting the spirit of New York and the spirit of Staten Island, where we bounce back quickly. The terminal was packed, the boats were crowded, and the people to a one, it seemed, were determined not to shy away but to go on with their lives as best as possible, while remembering those families who were suffering in the wake of this terrible tragedy.
We remember the lives lost, but not to stop living. This attitude is at the heart of what it means to be a Staten Islander: grit, determination to survive and move on, but to never forget what has happened and to never stop trying to make a better world for our children.
I would like to mention the names of those who passed away, and send my condolences to each of their families: Joseph Bagarozza, Pio Canini, John T. Healy, Vincent Ferrante, Darios Marshall, Guillermo Pagvay, Louis Robinson, Frank Sullivan, John Valinski, and the woman--our condolences to her family, too, even though her name has not yet been released.
Today Congressman Fossella of Staten Island and I are asking the United States Department of Transportation to pay for the repairs of this ferry. The Federal Government has been actively involved in the ferries. We have received money for them in the past and will ask once again that Washington rise to the occasion of another tragedy in New York. Our budget, as you know, is tight as a drum and these funds will not bring back a single loss of life and, in fact, pale before the loss of life.
We will move forward, hopefully, in whatever way, and make our city and Staten Island even greater than ever.
I yield the floor.
Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I also make a note of the fact that we, too, in New Jersey had two of our citizens perish in that terrible accident that took place yesterday, a Mr. John Healy from Middletown, NJ, and Frank Sullivan, from Red Bank, NJ. We send our sympathies to these families, but we are reminded at the same time that ferries play an important role in our region; that while the Staten Island ferry carries about 70,000 passengers a day, we have 60,000 people going from New Jersey to New York for their business requirements or their jobs on the New York waterway ferries. It continues to remind us how much of a need we have to make certain that the ferries operate safely, as well as efficiently.
I ask, along with the distinguished Senator from New York who made his remarks a few minutes ago, that the Federal Government do whatever they can to understand what took place, and we understand and know the facts; that we take all the steps we can to make certain it should not happen again.
One of the questions I asked in the committee in which I serve, the Commerce Committee, is take a look and see what the Coast Guard requires by way of licensing for captains of these boats. The ferry that had the accident yesterday can carry as many as 6,000 people. We have to make certain in that travel they are not careless.
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