Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-05-07
Horrible Calamity.

DIXON, May A terrible catas
trophe happened here this afteroon,
nearly fifty persons being drowned aud
twenty or thirty injured, some of ttem
seriously. \ revival was recently
commenced in the Baptist Church.
Rev. J. Fl. Pratt, pastor, and quite "a
number of persons have been converted
This afternoon was fixed upon for bap-
Using about a dozen men and women,
and, as usual in the country, large
concourse of people assembled to wit
ness the immersion They collected
on the right and left bank of the Rock
River. at the foot of Main street, but
many, desiring better place to see,
went upon the bridge, about fifty feet
to the left of where the converts wer
to enter the water. This bridge was of
the TaesdelI pattern, constructed of
iron and supported by eight piers. 1t
was FIVE hundred and fifty feet long,
and thought capable of sustaining any
ordinary weight. Oyer two hundred
people were crowded upon it at l
O'Clock. aud the Rev Mr.. Pratt was
about commencing the services when
one entire span (that nearest the shore)
seventy feet in length, fell into the
river The water at this point is about
five feet deep, and the current very
rapid. When the mass of humanity
was precipiated iuto the water the great
est confusion followed. Those on
shore were aost paral yzed, and incapa-
Bile of exertion for several minutes
Gradually they recovered their pres
ence of mind, and ran down to the
waters edge and rescued all they
could The 200 men, women, child
rem who were an the bridge fell about
twenty feet, aud many were buried
and never rose to the service alive.
The bottom is composed of rock. aud
hence many are supposed to have been
killed by coming IN contract with Its
surface.
The scene on the shore Is indeSerib-
able. Mothers pressed their dead
babes to their breasts; husbands were
almost beside themselves at the los
of their wives; lovers were wild. one
or the otherin many Instances having
found watery grave. Up to SIX
o clock forty one bodies had been re-
covered 1t is believed that fifteen or
twenty more persons were carried away
by tie current, as fully tle larger num
Der are missing
DIXON, Ill aiay + Midnight
Up to this hour uuotEer bodies of the
victims Of tile brid &c disaster have been
recovered at this point, but several are
reported to have been picked up at
Sterling six miles below, and doubt
less the swift current has borne others
even further down the river. The
general estimate of the number lost is
from 80 to l00 and, as stated in a
previous dispatch, 81 bodies were re-
covered from the wreck before dark.
Five other bodies foated down past
those engaged at wreck, ADD have not
yet been recovered. There are. there
fore, supposed to be at least fifty bod
les still unbound. Most of them, it is
thought, are under the wreck OF the
bridge.
Workman are busy tonight putt ing
in place derricGs with which to raise
the fallen spans. and make arrangements
to secure the bodies beneath. 1t i:
now stated that there were nearly
three hundred people on the bridge al
the time Of the accident, and more sue
ceeaed in escaping than was at frs
faared. At the time of the acciden,
most ofthe people were near tho-ceatre
Some OF the latter remained where
they were when the crash came, anc
were afterwards taken off in boats
Several of the men jumped from theil
precarlous resting place and swan tC
the shore Two horses and buggie!
were standing on the middle spans
and are still there, there being no way
to take them off. There was a mum
Der of remarkable escapes ofa children
of whom they were probably not less
than fifty on the bridge when it went
| down.