New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-05-22
DESTRUCTION OF THE WHEE,. LING BRIDGE
FULL AND THRILLING ACCOUNT

FULL AND THRIJLE.SG ACCOUNT
Lar week rnder The TnID JsEs telegrsphc ho.d, oar
readers were informed of the destruction of the w AZ sus-
pension Bridge at Wbeelw., Va. We now give them a
full OF the ais;. taken from TIE Irke.tag Ias
hsenoer:
With feelings Of unr .ter,be sorrow we announce that
tia; noble and wor' d-renownei structure, the Wheel
ing snspenon Bridf e. bas been swept from its strong
lods by terrihcr torn and nes hes mas OF runs
Yesterday moTnir thousands beheh thi- 'isI,eaiou,
strength, mgp ~ pathway spsnhng the beautiful water.
Of the Ohio link in the asbroken chain Of trade ard
travel between the Ea. and the West and look ID upon II
Of Tho proud@ monuments Of the enterprise flour
cliizen, nothing remains OF II but the dismRiel
towers cor ing soe the sorrow fu wreck that es burned
aeoirst hr hug, and tesn ribs andron siDews, snapped
asnndcr, the dnsbing scorfuly, lending up
sound ID rnct dolei tho; over fell UPON the ear "i our
Dur ny the forenoon % ,s,elay, high storm Of wind
pe'n led, which tFnr noon increased 10 almost num-.
along the vHey al The rycr breaking vessels a.
tieiT Inoor1ngs asa causing great devastation About
oet ock walked mp tofsard the sn.penson br1s ana
We n ys il jn.rndr 70 take walk IT for plea
al m a. we havv done enjoying the cool breeze
I'd the unduls1sng melton Of ie bridge We Discovered
nat o Of the guys or small IRON caees e1'eing ron
was steniugs and several OF the stones
wrenccd apart. About hundred yards further on, W.
saw at and only oi the suspcnders to which the
floor j. swung broken. Tbese bui slight dam
ages bu had before the bridge effected
TO this extent 10y gales, and az It begun to SWAY yo,
lonty thought Il prudent TO rerace step. We had
been of ie flooring only two minutes, and was on Main
st., when We saw rsogs running toward the rver bank
we followed Just :tDe the whole structure Of
cables and flooring dvng and dashing with treAiendous
force 49,,
icty uneag like nip in the storm at one time rose
70 nearly the hisa towers then fell and twisted and
wrhed and dashed almost bottom upward. AT Last
there -s,ned be determined twist along the entire
span, onehelf of the flooring being nearly reversed
ind down went the immense structure from rs dizzy hight
TO the stream below, with an appalling crash and roar.
Nearly ,hc entire structure struck the water at the same
nste dnshing up unbroken column of foam across the
/ river TO the hight Of at cas forty feet
Amid the confOn Of the wreck, we cannot accurately
estinie the Of the damage All the cables, except
two on the north side from the towers On the
ou,b side all the cables except small from
/ their anchorage in the boavy masonry on Main-s and
with such violence they ierScd from tins piece OF
Masonry that stone weighing about 800 pounds wa
oyn distanc Of some feet The large iron gate at this
end of the bridge shveed to atoms and the dollhouse
completely demolished. Mr.. james Bell, The tokeeper,
making escape with his life. On the island al
the west end Of the bridge we learn that but one cable
bIokcirom the anchorage The entire woodwork lies IN the
river and on The shores The cables also Setcn across
te river sunk to the bottom So far az we can discover
only Of the cables snapped assunder and that on The
outside Of the towers the rest Of the breakage being at
their connections with the anchors.
The SUBMITS of the towers each side are several feet
above the orch which untes them. Upon the submits the
cables rested on iron rollers and it is supposed by
that the jar produced by the sudden falling OF the cables
side from the roller to the connecting arch below,
the Of the Disaster Whether this IS phioso-
different il the had not been separated II ques
ton which leave TO future Investigations.
The flooring struck the water was broken into
three sections and extended the river entirely
, blockodng the channel for while Last eNning thai
portion the channel cut away and removed by
The steamer Ihos. Swami that the channel Is now ree
/ for the passage of boats
For me clanica solution of the unexpected fall Of this
stupcrdos structure must await further developments
We witnessed the terrific and saw thai II was brought
about by the tremendous violence of the gale Inc great
body of the flooring and the susponders forming
a. ta.l bs
to- and fro Ike tie motion Of pendulum The cables on
tie south side finally thrown of the apex of the east
tower retaining their poson on the tower on the OPP
poetic side Of the river. This destroyed the equilibrium Of
The swinging body and each vibration giving II increased
momentum the cables, which sustained the whole struc-
ture were unable TO resist force operating on them IN
many iereni directions and were literally twisted and
wIonched from their iasenngs
] We cannot estimate the Inconvenience which Will be
caused trade and travel and the mail transit by the loss
Of This bridge II is Of the heaviest calames which
has ever fallen city, but believe the enterprise
and public spirit OF citizens will repair the loss speed
lily any community could possibly do. Temporary ferry
boats have been provided and their places will soon besgp-
piled by the best boats which can be procured For further
arrangements we look hopefully to the future
Of graduation that no lives were lost by this
disaster. We among the last persons who left the
bridge from this side and although many on boh sides
just waiting 70 go upon it, they were fortunately de-
tered. We saw no one upon when el AMI so Tar "a
have learned Little girl, daughter of Mr.. Lukens
lie island is the only who injured and she not dan
gerousy. She standing on tins side waiting for the
wind to subside, and struck by something which
bruised her We trust that further examinations viii
disclose more bodily injury.
LTER.-IIe Gazette says, it is evident that the
Of the fall of the suspension bridge not the wire
for very little of it is at all broken 1t the guys
having become loosencdr the bridge swayed and was
tossed UP and down until the cables removed from
the hearings and The bridge brought down with rresist
/ bic force.
At meeting of the Directors Of the Bridge Company
the 18th inst they resolved proceed TO reercct the struc
turc forthwith.
The wreck of the bridge has been cleared TO admit
tie passage OF steamboats,.