Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1854-05-23
5===5=77577 n THE SUSPENSION BRIDGE AT
U6S41S0S4AS$' TuHEEIIHG,

HurrnTNT May ia terr1hc storm OF VIM anu
IL; i;tsd This city yesterday afternoon doing I'M
M. 5ema0e The suspension bridge over the
I1 vas blown down. aud now lies IN the RI
sr totai wreck The violence OF me gaze was
such that ali the cables e1SeRs tTne8 bottom np
rorSs TThh abutments were slightly Injured. for-
tunately no lives we're lost' M I'd Iiryl+-
ne ~ 'ctty several houses were unrooed,
5 : ioT of besltifu shade trees uProoten1 WIN
dow shutters were twisted OIL anu cnnlneys D"
down On the other side OF tue rise[ my taken
have suffered eqGally, steps VII 9 9 pL
to haze the s,tsDension Bridge replaced
Tb. Wbee1;ng papers contain full accounts OF the
distrcor of the suspension bridge by the storm oil
wednesday, 1t was erected at the cost OF looooo'
and tho loss to the stockholders Isl therefore, ser
ons enc while the inconvenience to trace ana u'el
will he somewhat felt Ferry boats however, nave
been already provided, that no serious ao'en''on
,riIl occrr Mr. Elliott the celebrated engineer
,t t;1t ,so hriloe-one of the grandest structures
of the kind probably, in the worid-let II,
the cars Friday morning for Wheeling ana no Nouo'
measures will be taken at once for It's lnmeulale Fe
construction. oto,,.
The editor of the Wheeling lntelhgenceF, ABOUT
three o'clock on Wednesday afternoon starteu 10
take walk across the bridge but after ge'lns upon
it. discovered that one ofthe guys, or shall "'N
cables extending, from the flooring 10 tue van
esterpqs and several of the stones wrenched apart
! Ato,,+ = rr,5ra5 yards further on he saw that one
of the suspeuders to which the floor is swung was
broken. These were but Slight damages but as the
wind was blowing violent gale and the bridge De
pan to sway to and fro, he retraced his steps ana
had been off of the flooring but ito minutes, when
tho alarm, was riven and returned just in time 10
sne the whole structure of cables and hooring heA
! ing and dashing with tremendous force Inc AnNeA-
| ligencer thus describes the scene that IoiloWe"
For n few moments we watched it with GREATNESS
ANXIETY 1unginn like ship in the storm, at one time
it rose to nearly the height othe towers the1 zen
and twisted and writhCd, and was dastlen "iiiSS
bottom upward. At last there seemed to De i" uS
termned twist along the entire SPAN ABOUT 0"''t
| Of the flooring being nearly reversed ana Gown
went the immense structure from its dizzy helght 10
the stream below, with an appalling crash ana roar
Nearly the entire structure struck the water at the
same instant, dashing up an unbroken column {"
foam across the river to the height OF ut least forty
feet!
An the cables except two the north side, are
torn from the towers. On the south side an 'h'
cables except small one, are torn from tleIr hl
| Chorage i'll the heavy masonry on Ailih street. :tuI
with such violence were they crked from inns Pec'
of masonry, that stone weighing ABOUT A;Dv'
pounds. VAS thrown distance OF some ie"t' IN
large iron gate ut the end of the bridge was shlEer
ed to atoms, and the toll house completely deInotsh
ed Mr. james Bell, the toll! keeper, making narrow
escape with his life. On the Island, at the west eGN
of the bridge, we learn that but one cable broN'
from the anchorage The entire wood work lies II
the river and ills shores. The cables also Sretci
across the river sunk to The bottom. So far as WI
can discover, only two of the cables snapped aSSun
der and that the outside of the towers the res
of the breakage being at their connections with TIL
anchors.
The flooring ns it struck the water was broker
into three sections and extended across the river
entirely blGckading the channel for while. On th
same evening that portion across the channel wa
cut away, and removed by the steamer hos swami
so that The channel is now free for The passage o
boats Fortunately no lives were lost ny tie accI
dent. 4 number Of persons were waiting on eaG'
side Of the river the TING for the wind to SubSldr
so that they might cross.
The Gazette that several citizens OF W hee!In:
have already oTrdcd TO make liberal donations Il
aid in rebuilding the fallen structure
TuE NIxEs-The recent action of the Agents o
the Coal Companies in advancing wages to the FOR
MGR rates has been received with univcriI SiiSiac
ton al the mines. There is not now the sl!gstteS
trace Of dissatisfaction among the operatives but al
. are striving in concert with their employers, Il
redeem the time lost during the strike. and pro
ducc an amount of coal which will win for the re
riou the reputation i, is entitled to i'll the market o
the world.-MinCrS Journal