Daily national Democrat., 1860-11-25
A Catastrophe.

Yesterday morning, at about eleven o.
clock, tremendous crash was heard in the
direction of Yuba City, and, few moments
afterwards, the news came that the Feather
River Bridge had fallen, with man and a
six mule team, and that the driver and ami
mails were crushed to death beneath the fall
ing tmbers. Hearing the intelligence, we
started for the scene of the disaster walked
a short distance, but Tretty soon hailed an
express wagon, mounted it and rode forward
at a rapid gait. On the way we were in
formed that at least four men had been in
stantly killed. and that John c. FALL one Of
the owners of the bridge, had narrowly es-
capped instant death. In tremendous state
of excitement, the crowd from the city rolled
on, in buggies, in hacks, in express wagons
and on foot, to learn, ON their arrival, that
nobody was killed and no living thing very
materially injured
Arriving on the ground, we discovered that
the two central sections of the bridge had
completely given way and sunk to the level
of the water, leaving a perfect flotilla of in
terminged beams, cross beams, posts and
planking, with sprinkling of iron rods and
chains, of various dimensions. In the con-
fused heap We saw two wagons, in a toera-
ble state of preservation, one empty and
standing upright, the other partially capsized
and partially loaded with wood
II soop,s tLof man fay,;l;or1,- 1.no,rn =.
Dutch Fred" was driving across towards
Marysviile with load of wood, drawn by
two yoke of oxen, and another individual
whose name We did not learn, was driving
over in the direction of Marysville with n
load Of vegetables. They were both on the
central section of the bridge, though going in
different directions. On a sudden, there was
a sound like the noise of dozen thunders-
down went the entire centre of the bridge.
Dutch Fred was at the time walking on the
bridge with his team to the right of him. A
plank sprung beneath his feet, and threw
him clear over his load of wood into the
middle Of the river, whore it was about
twenty five feet deep. Amid the general
crash he arose, there being spectators on the
bank, and, as he shot his head from the water
exclaimed, Here | am |" and pretty soon
scrambled upon the floating mass, entirely
unhurt. A most miraculous escape! The
driver of the vegetable wagon sat in his cart,
drawn by two horses, and dropped the whole
distance from top to bottom without losing
his equilibrium, distance of about thirty or
forty feet. The fallen mass buoyed him and
his horses above the water, and he and they
got ashore without trouble. He was injured
somewhat in the breast by the falling of a
beam, but We understand not seriously.
At the moment of the catastrophe, a driver
for Mr.. Graft, of this city, was coming over
with load of bricks from Yuba City, drawn
by two horses The horses were upon the
falling section, as it broke off, but the wheels
on the solid wood. The driver gave q sud-
den jerk of the reins, the wheels rolled back
and the horses springing backward at the
same moment, stood with their fore hoofs Just
on the edge of the line of separation, as the
mass went down. This was also most mi
raculous escape, and could not have occurred
once in thousand similar instances.
We understand that John c. Fall had Just
passed over, in an express wagon. short
time before the bridge went down. A prov
idential escape for him
A couple of cows with their calves were
on the bridge, and went headforemost into
the confused mass. Pretty soon, however,
their horns were seen emerging from the
wreck and they struck for shore with their
offspring behind them.
1t is said that the females residing on the
bank rushed forth frantically and added
greatly to the excitement Of the scene.
AT the moment of the catastrophe, ss we
are informed, the steamer Defiance was ap.
preaching the landing and her passengers
had the fall benefit of the unlocked for sight
We have no comments to make, exeent 70
say that this bridge has been uniformly lieen.
sed by every Board of Supervisors that has
ever sat in this county, since its construction.
and condemned by nearly every Grand
Jury.
AN Agricultural Society has been organi-
zed in Humboldt county