Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1854-05-25


The Wheeling papers contain fnIi aeccants oflhe
destruction o. The su,pensioa britge b o. storm
Il Wednesday. Il was erected a. ! cost ~ si6e.-
0o0 ard The ises 70 The stockholders Il thsFeiore
serious one. while The ineonvenience trade and
travel vii Be someuhat fsIt Ferry bot's, ho.-
ever, have bern already provided 80 shs1 70 .eE'-
Gus detenlion VIII oeeuf. Mr. Elicit ~ eeis0Is-
tedengiaeer, Who bailt The bridgeone siiee grsno-
ess slrpcturrs Of he kind. pro ably, q thi vqIa-
lefl BaIiinore a he cars Friday m97i's 'oI
wheeling and 10 doabi measures VII ps = teh =
once Tor iis imnediaie reconstruction
The eiiior of The Wheeling lntsiligenekr, about
three o'clock ca Wednesday afternoon, ttarisd 10
take wax sero5s. he bridge. bal afief g.;iing
upoa II discovered hat one Of the guYs sor small
iron easses breeding from the flooring to'she wall
"a, ,k. oase Of the east abutmsni. was broken
fom II steIings, and several osihe stones wrench
a s.srt Aboat hu1drei yards funhFr on, he
thst one Of the suspenders 10 which TIE Hopr IS
swung. was broken. Tsese were bat slight Gam
sses 81. as the,wjnd vas blowing aviofent gale.
and t bridge bkgaa TO sway 10 aud if5, be retrac-
"a his steps. and had been OF Of the fooring bot
two niantes, wheDthe alarm wasg given, and re-
turned iasg ia time 10 see the whole structure Of
cables aud flooring heaving and rdashins With ire
mendous force The Inislligeneer thus describes
the scene thai followed:
Fora frw moments we watched IL viii breath
lsss anxiety. lunging like ship N the storm, al
one tineit rose 10 ueaTy The neigh OF tf towers,
ihea fell and twisted and wThgd, and rs dashed
slmost bottom Upward. AT lasI there ssened 70
De determined twist along the enare span, aRouI
oae half OF the flooring being nearly revefsef snd
4 down went The immense ssragtale IRON Us uitzy
height = the stream below with an apPal Ing clash
anf roar Nearly the enltfe structure sifack the
water al the same instant, dashing up an eatreNen
column OF foam scgoss the riyer, 70 the heigd N 81
I al ies5l forty ieeil
Aslthe cables, exce?I two on the north kide, .ats
4 torn from The low u. On the south see theea
kies except one small one, are torn ifomt helr an
4 -ckofake 10 The heavy masonry on Maia steet, tDd
eth sneh violence were they ierked from lis PCS,
Of masonry, that one stone weighing aelu4 RVS
rounds wa hfown adislzbee Of some ~ Ihs
large iron gate at The end Of the bridge, Vas silly
cred 10 atoms, and the iof house completely de
rnoHsked Mr. James Bell, the toll keeperi making
Il aInarrow escape wiihlhis Iife. On the Hand a
Il The west end Of the bfidSei We learn that bui sn'
cable broke from the anchorage, The enfre wPoS
i work lies in the qver and on the shores. The Ca
hes also stretch across the river sunk ~ The bet
! tenn SO far as we can discover, only twp OF lht
4 cables snapped alsunder, and that on IND oaisit'
Of th8 towers; the rest Of the breakage being {
their connections with The anchors.
The flooring as il struck the>waier wagbroseI
into tHree sections; asa extended across b. river
/ entirely blockaoihg The channel for while. %
Ire same evening thar portion across ihetchanAe
was Getaway, ard removed by the steamer TlEos
swami 50 ikat the channel Is now free fos the pas
/ $.gs jill boats, Fortunately motives VOID lost b
II ne adti1ent A namber-ot persons were iwaii.nl
IN each side of The river at the time, fJr,Ae via,
10 subside.. sd that they might croes. as
The G. zste says thai scvefal citizcns al W heel
ing have ALREADY offered pmake liberse DONNA
II lions 10 aic i'd Re building The fallen srucpfe.