On Duck 34, frantic efforts to send alarm failed

Hector Aguilar, a commercial diver hired by Weeks, descended 55 feet to the river bottom, where he found the duck sitting upright.

"The visibility was very short, probably two to three feet," he said. "I could only see bits and pieces of the boat. I couldn't see the whole thing until later."

The operation ultimately stretched into midafternoon, with a crowd of spectators that at times swelled to more than 100. Three day-care workers said they attempted to leave stuffed animals and a sign as a memorial on Penn's Landing, but were turned away by police until the salvage operation was finished.

"We've been on the boat before. We wanted to do something," said Jasmine Harris, 19, who works for Old City Childcare.

While most in the crowd were transfixed, James Carry, 63, of North Philadelphia, sat in the shade playing an African hand drum.

"I'm playing for their souls that perished in this water," he said. "I couldn't imagine what it is like to drown like that."

A subdued Mayor Nutter announced the memorial at a news conference Friday night at Penn's Landing.

He said a "public component" would follow the service, with a laying of wreaths and the release of doves.

"We'll do all we can do to work with those families," said Nutter, who spoke to the passengers on Thursday.

"It is very painful to have something like this happen," Nutter said. Of the 35 who survived, "it is quite frankly a bit of a miracle," he said.

Contact staff writer James Osborne at 856-779-3876 or jaosborne@phillynews.com.

Contributing to this article were Inquirer staff writers Nicole Lockley, Vanessa Martinez, Sam Wood, Allison Steele, and Jeff Shields.