, 1870-11-15
TIE BRIDGE ACCIDENT.


OF Tho niss.terz a. ST.
Charles mo- =:
-Fte,a aA< s. Lossis RrpsbFteon, Sos-ll. = =
Later information Respecting the disaster 1t.
be S.. Charles bzi3se dooa not modify she
erious aspect cf it, hut throwa moro light on
I, as one Of those accidents vhish almost
tways aye attendant upon the earring for-
rsrd Of 50 extensive engineering uorks- |
even men we1e killed and ssyen injured, one
/ Is supposed fatally. Below will be souud
o.ne further particulars respecting tho dis
ater:
The bridge which is being built by the St.
cba1les Undge Company, corporation in
which the Moth Missouri RailruAd Company
onna most Of the ttoek. Ia 70 span the Mis-
aouri at > point little below the business
portion Of St. Chszles. + has ssyen spans.
three spins Of slsX feet oyer tbs claupel ct |
tho river. There are seven ple1a Already
built and nuo in courea OF -coostru.tion.
The euparetructu1e Of tEo OF the spans on
tpo eoutn bank htH been completed, and
false works or scadalding had been erected
superstrueturo from thb first pisz On tho St.
Charles bank to the second pier in the stream.
This aupertt1usture il to consist Of what Is
known "a Fink trusa deck bridge. Tbs
srsn was one Of the smaller Ques- Thc false
works we're Howe bridge truss supported on
,hreo pieces, and which was constructed Of
tlruhes, br: strong enough for the running OF
railroad trains over It had 1t bean available.
On the top Of this trues WAS treatle work,
rising thirty-seren feet aud level With tho pra-
posed track. Tho distance between the ap1ns
Of tie bridge tnppoItirE tho tsest!e-Tork Eas
portion we1n finished last weak. and were
tsstod on Wednesday bs the placlnR on them
a locomotive and cars loaded With lumber. c1-
tending from pier to pisr, and weighing. 1t is
estimated, 15u tons. The teat waa uaada for
the purpose Of ascertatniDg whether food
which hal occurred had afocted the staoilsg
Of the il.eo small piers. and not for deter
mining whether the false wotks bad hasn
constructed Of sufficient strength. The test
was entirely satisfactory, showing ~ it did
detIection Of not ceore than d quarter OF an
inch.
The mass Of iron which created the suaah
ou Friday was the first chord Of the span. It
was wrought-frou, worked in tho form Of
hollow column, was two feet oitianaetcs, nine
teen feet in length, and wei5Led fur tons
sad 4 half. Il wa4 cslie1 the bait chord. aud
bad bten supplied BY Garsrd R. Allen 4 Co.
Tia chord aas elevated to = height Of somc
the tsestle-work, On Tuesday evening, bat by
didt1eut hois:ing tackle to that uusd alter
ward. 1t VISA placed On small track, and
ruu ont to tie cid of tie truck. Near TO i,
there was car On which there was doubls~
m,sted derE7ck and holttius engine.
eequcn.ly, was IN ordinary sixteea-inch oae,
with Wiro rope thtee-qHartera Of an iuch
thick, passed through Il, 10 ~ to incre1as ils
bearing capacity SIX times. It was the nan-
ner of tbs fastening OFT this rope IN the
beckett Of tho block which played 80
me had been passed through I
cene-sEaped aperture II the plate. the stsa1
in turned down into the upper and broader
portion OF the cavity, ateel wedges driven be-
tween them, and multen lead poured into th4
iute1eticcs. This is the fastening USUALLY
adopted, and was thought to be secure. Il
had been made two weeka before, and ths
rope Was now one-
Tho work Of placing tbs chord in position
| was proceeded With on Friday morning
| when the men commenced work. gang oi
| Is employees, under the direction Of OAptAit
ment, took tho mass In charge and tho Wiz.
rope began to tighten on the passive instru
ment Of destruction. It WAS known that tht
work was to be attempted that morning, AMI
quite number Of people had assembled o.
the bank to sec It effected. Ono end OF th!
chord lsd 10 rest on bed plAtes On n1nal
tower Of the second pier and Lie horizontally
Tho mss vas raiaed from the truck On whicl
It had been placed and Was elevated, 1t ia sup
poeed. htsEo too high. Stu nosHanger ma
anticipated,
| While there was 10 apparent danger
human life, thers was ca1se for fear th1t th
stone work On tho top at the pier would
battered ~ reason OF tho swinging Of til
chord againstI It. and Odel shouted 70 Howart
the engineer 1t the brake, to stop: hoissine
Particular instructions had be-n giTen not t
deface the pier, and Howard appeArs TO h1s
I h2d the Injunction In his mind. He4toppe
suddenly, and the lowering process con
: mepced. In two minutes tho fastening Of th
dead line in the block gaze way. the rope vi
/ ha]f weight had cloar fall Of forty fec
, The irnn struck the lower chord Of the temps
| rafy bridge, and false works, men, engin,
derrick, md CIR, in one confused mass. wel
submerged In seventeen feet Of water. Abot
sixty feet cf the false werks we're involved
the destruction, and the remainder xas 1e
intact. Tue nature Of the death ot nunh'
: Of tho wotlmen naa beeu previously describe
: aud It Is not necessary sga!n 70 give any ha
} ! rowing details. 1ist OF the victims xud M
fe1ere must suffice. Thcro wese killed:
Captain f. s. odel1 young man OF u1u!
. premise, Who his lett : wife and three ch
: dreu, whose residence is in Charlotte, N. G.
r Captain 8. P. Thompson, formerly employ
q rs foreman IN the air~chAmber Of tho eastp pi
: of the 81. Louia bridge He was very et
It Gent workman and min Of superior intel
. sepce, He resided At No. 700 North -Four
o street., St. Louis, and has Left = wife snd O
!. child. His Sudden desth Vas lsa1ned With
i other gentlaznen of our bridge works II
= knew htm we'll.
r Killed, resided on Second, between HoHi
+ and Main et1cets. BE was msxEied, snd la:
II Da1iel c. carr. single. Residence, No.
1t Tracy street, Cleveland, O..
J. C. f. JoScf. BIEgEe. Chicago.
10 Jamcs Conway. Single Cincinnati
l. Walter Ro.A, Davenport, Iowa.
se INJURED.
y John Howard, St. Charles probably fata
f. injured.
- ". Residence, No. e. Centre avenue, I
" \. Mclaughlin and Ihoma. Clinton, Of
- Louis. and Gabriel De.kin, Of Nobe1ly, j
vera injured but not ser5oue3y.
~. Thomas Sheridan, Of ST. Louis, Is belle
=" to baye hAd = leg broken
ha Il ia reported that man nxmed Jar
No Fletcher. Of ST. Lo1is, was killed; but
~ lacks confirmation.
- An Inqueat Was commenced on the bodies
ng joyce, Thompson, Carr, and FanutnS, and
- itcnce given tending to thoE that the u
r. dtut reeu1tcd from the Imperfect fastening
ssn .he ruuc in the block, md that there waa
IN add,tiousl strain plSced upou 1t by sud-
eh ie,kipg, when tbs lowering OF the chord G
Ct, merged, The block, rhe condition OF wt
~ vii determine positively the eauss Of the
e4r aettr, had not been pulled ont OF the deb
TT It was stated It The inquest that the imp
feet nature OF the fastening Of the rope mi
shf have retulted from the !esd chilling az it
o. being poured Into this opering.
70 gang OF men were employed yesterday
dragging, By the aid OF stcam niuche.,
re- broken iimbers from the river, and thsE pr
.p- ecuted the work vigorously.
~. Tho bodies Of Odell, Conway. aad Ross b
%.o Ict been recovered
70 That Of Tanning Wa h.aught to st. L.
BY hs wife yesterday for intetment
4 donbt hAa been expressed shethcz Va
" nos., Of Iowa, placed In tho LIST Of Hi
-. w1a presert 1t the tiuae Of ths disaster,
~: xs two Or thrce Of the SURVIVORS state thu
9 VAS, it scarcely Eceds to BE- entertained.
Ths amount .hich vii be req1ised To 70
~ the damage TO the bridge works il esttm
~ 1t $3.50, and the Aecident will delA5 the
q | st1uction Of this portion Of than cue mo
- Traul Of nm nEx.ClerEyrnnn for Arr
oi Atrial OF someNhst more than osdin4rg
! il terett is IN progress besoxa tbs snorems
ter. diciAl Court Il Plymouth, u. E.. Gh:
,fr Greenwood. formerly Methodist clergy,
ia has teen Indicted for burning what Il It
.aia | - The Rsan House, IN Plymouth, On
8 fit 9Th Of March, 1853, for the purpose Of PIX
ing the insurance. The L1conia Denst