Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1854-05-23
y1. J.s,,v,,;on offbe Wheeling Bridge.

~
u-be Wheeling napers contain full accounts al
The destruction of the suspension brIdga py ihe
storm of Wednesday. 1t was erected at a cost VI
slfD 600. and the loss to the stockholders Is,
therefore, a serious one.while the lncohFeiie"ee
to trade and travel will be somewhat iet' FRY
boats, however, have been already PROVIDES, 20
that no serious detention VIII occur Mi. E,iio'''
the celebrated engineer, VINO bulit inc
one of the grandest structures OF the KIND prooa-
bly,. in the world-left Baltimore IN the cars yes
terelay morning for Wheeling and no doubt meas
nres will be taken at once for its immediate recon-
sruction.
The editor Of the Weeling Intelligencer, about
three O'Clock on Wednesday afternoon, started 10
take a walk across the bridge, but AFTER getiiis
upon il. discovered that one OF the guysor sihai,
iron cables extending from the flooring to the wall
near the base of the east abutment, was broken
from its fastenngs, and several OF the stones
wrenched apart. About one hundred yards iurlher
on he saw that one Of the suspenders to whieh
the floor is swung, was broken. These were but
slight damages, but as the wind was blowing
violent gale, and the bridge began to sway to AMI
fro be rptraced his steps, and had been OH I'll the
flooring but two minutes,whcn the alarm was CIV
en-, and lac returned Just in time to see the whole
structure of cables and flooring heaving and
dashing with tremendous force. The intelllgen-
Ger thus describes the scene that followed
For a few moments we watched it with breath
less anxiety, lungng like ship in the storm, at
one time il rose to near y the height OF the tow
ers. then fell, and twisted and writhed, and was
dashed almost bottom upwards. At last there
seemed to be a determined twist along the entire
span, about one-half of the flooring being nearly
reversed, and down went the immense structure
from its dizzy height to the stream below, with an
appalling crash and roar. Nearly the emit 9
structure struck the water at the same instant.
dashng up an unbroken column of foam across
the river. to the height of at least forty feet!
All the cables, except two onthe north side,a
torn from the towers. On the south side, all
the cables except one small one are torn from
their anchorage in the heavy masonery on Main
street, and with such violence were they jerked
from this piece of masonry that one stone weigh
ing about 800 pounds, was thrown distance
of some feet. The large iron gate, at the end of
the bridge, shivered to atoms and the toll
house completely demolished-Mr j. Bell, the
toll keeper, making narrow escape with his life.
On the Island, at the west end of the bridge, we
learn that but one cable broke from the ancho-
rage The entire wood work lies in the river
and on the shores. The cables also stretch a.
cross the river. sunk to the bottom. So far as
can discover on y two of the cables snapped
assundcr and that on the outside of the towers,
the rest of the breakage being at their connec-
tions with the anchors.
The flooring as it struck the water was broken
INTO three sections, and extended across the river,
entirely blockading the channel for while. On
the same evening that portion across the channel
was cut away, and removed by the steamer Thos.
Swami, that the channel is now free for the
passage of boats. Fortunately no lives were lost
! by the accident. A number of persons were
waiting on each side of the river, at the time,
for the wind to subside, that they might cross.
The Gazette says that several citizens of
Wheeling have already offered to make liberal
donations to aid in rebuilding the fallen struc-
ture.