, 1873-05-07

Sioli} 4'iu - M iaiatn''t tIo "hIer clohgu oeeF
down. henry weight el'l'oarctl to bc over mo.
l did not sink 10 tEo botion,. Wan PERFECTLY
conscious, md immediately thought Of gotti,,g
ascending asa''. a lndter, was fo'tl,nate inn
crAwlel nnd Immediately aSoao to Tho
about seventy Or eighty foet from tho pi'ors.
swain towartl tho hank, but when 1oar It my
strength gavo ont, nntl aank. Willis swimming,
soino porHotl. wlo rn,isL liaye boon under tlio
tight for a,im,inuto, preventing mo fronl eoing
bud taken hold and gave ntrole y, or two, wl'on
encountered tlreas. Thinkng y, It
Tas Ses!ao ny ny v'lls Wien H@0 io ss% ms' fe! s!f'f
grabbed 1t, but l,aying bcco,no o4orvntct was
obliged 10 let II 60. was almost exhausted Mt
tho time, atlsl do not know TINT Ito drcHn waB
TINT OF my wlfo. did not notico 1t artionlnrly.
My thoug ghts wore almost ao1oy confined Eo llor,
and I imagined. whom paw tho dress, 1t was
hors.
Whom sank WAS still sensible Of the Aur-
bottom. rho current rolloa no oyor mud over,
md my ~, ho4lda frequonsly camor i'll con;
fPd, {ssl tnP wsss or, IL, pns down ny
oncotl tho most delightful nonsaiion. seemed
to bo ut peace with everything. and perfectly
happy. My whole lifc passed. 6oforo nlo ,li1so l.
flash of lightning, tho, oventa appearing in
indoliLly impressed upon my mild. Uireum-
Rtancoa Ind forgotten appeared wildly, and 1
did not want to bo disturbed. I sl.oulet llavo
preforred to remain wllcro WIS. While in tho
vito would do If sho were suvod, and +
drowned, I felt band on my eloul-
dor. was pulled ont and pinccd OH
rock was nlaost insoneiblo, but gradually
came to myself. OIL how sick aud wrotchcd I
After ro1naining on tho rock about On hour,
WAS takon to my homo. Hero I commenced
vomiting, and frequently elected water md par
tinlly-digestcd food until O'Clock in tho attor-
noon: waa taken out Of the water about GOO
feet bolow tho bridge. I was very thirsty after
vomiting, and tried to drink somo water, but tho
tasto was 30 diaagrocablc tllat could not bear
IT. Tie 7 only nf wf2 could Sogass auen'h ntS ny t1s the
wator, VAT about ats''s m ounce md halt to 10
quarter OF pint. THAT struck mo M n rather
curious circumstance. was greatly aatonislcd
mind while undor tho water. Nothing that oc-
CURED during childhood was cyiaont, but eyory-
thing ainco l was about ~ years old appeared
before me as II photographed Tho sensation I
experienced while tue water was going down ny.
throat was not unpleasant. It Bcomed az II
WAS going on journey. and WAS surrounded by
oil kinds Of beautiful things. While on tho rock
folt very bad and dtsired to be lot alone. Tho
sudden Transition from tho beatifio state in tho
water to tho dry lnnd scomed to hayo bad
effect, and made mo indifferent to What WAS 60
ing oil around inc: Several people cane to mo
and wanted to take mo homo, but told them to
lot mo alone. WINS go miserable. Tho corpBo
Of my vito was found aftor she lad boen in tho
water about throo hours. It is aaid TINT Mrs.
Ho1fmnn's countcnanco was lighted up witl, u
lifo-liko smile, 30 peaceful aud suggestive OF
such pleasant thoughts whom dying, that overy-
body's attention WINS attractod to her.
n
Mr.. Ja1nos G. Mead, newsdoaor, who was
standing on tho Hpan at tho time ii feh was also
interviewed. He said that his wifo, Mrs. Ezra
Beckor, mud himself were about thirty foot from
tho first pier. Flo hoard slight noiso but did
not realizo what Ind taken place for moment or
| two. Observing tho bridge going down into tho
water, he thought it waH time to move. The
| lados with him screamed arld criod out Help
| mosllcH in the trestlo work toward tho pier.
| Just ns Ao reached tho roadway whore they took
shelter in security, tho plank on which ho and
tho ladioa had boon standing gavo way md foil
10 enw tho bridge wrigglng lko n enako, aud
| tho different .sections sinking down, tho por-
tions resting on tho piers remaining almost in
their original position. In addition to hia vito
to tho pior, and subsequently conveyed them
Hafoly TO the boutt shore, over, the
| riclletty span. Tho journey WIS not unattended
with ominous signs. The timbors cracked ut
y 7ory insecure Tboy expected to DO molno.l-
| tarlly thrown into tho wator,. aud crushed to
! death or drowned. However, they reached tho
bank Of tho river without 4 miAllap, and wero
very thankful for thcir narrow escape, The
bridge did not appear to go straight down. 1t
fell over to tho right, the paoplo in the foot
path being hemmed in l'y tic trestlo work anG
tho outside guard5,- 5,-hence, were unable to crawl
| out.
s1n. D1xoN's STATEMENT.
| h1r. Dixon, merchant tailor of this city, q
particularly cool sort Of citizen In circumstances
Of danger, gavo 80 good all acco'int Of hill 6erHa-
tons TINT they deserve q word horo, tho narrator
being ono Of tho few who escaped after boing
caught in tho wreck who is abe to give toler-
ably sucoinct idea Of what hnpponetl. After
describing how ho was ongagod at tho time
Of tho accident. ho continued I had
my arm .t around d;m AFm,s1trEong ,1Eng whom the tho
gayc way, felt myself going, and, before be-
can,o conscious of fMlljng, struck the wator.
Thnn folt that had struck tho railing and was
entanglsl in it. also felt that my right foot
was held by some ono who was underneath me.
Without knowing exactly how did it, kicked
for dear life aud got looBo, roso to tho surfaco,
and took breath. When kicked him OF I think
h.z was t on tle botto bottom Ny recollection lEst nd il
4'zY fe's ~; my hoei sses 20 nf 'as' sa deS
deliberately, md scizing llold OF something to
steady myself, then struck ont with my foot,
and found myself FREQ. On being asked what
| LIB heI5Al@oAs VI tlohu1AS hpIG, Lt H44G: LIZ
first thought Of which was conscious Was tho
horror of boing ontanglod, followed lilso d lnsh
by tho sens:tion OF being, caught in tho iron. |
had no recollection Of going into tho wator. A
man says ho saw inc falling tlas was leaning
agninst tho bridge when it gave way, and that
foil outward, turning BomorHn'''t in
tho fall. I don't know how Il. t wau.
becamo first really conscious Of my .anger
when was at tho bottom, with my foot caught
under tho rails and what boforo described took
placo, I Ind no fooling Of nuirocation or dis
treBs. hold my breath aud swallowed no water.
When came to tho surface, Ind perfect con-
sciousncBs, drew o deep breath, md struck out
for the ahoro, All aroslnl n.o,woro heads ap-
poaring aud disappearing, but nono WIS closo
enough to mo to lay hold OF. WLon reached
near tho Shore they took hold Of me- Ny fuce
WAS CIT aud bleeding. and my logs mud fcot sore
aud aWollon.
MIR. COUSTnYMAS,
Of tic firm Of ". G. Btoyons t. Co., merchants,
gives al entirely different account from any Of
Tho others aecn to-tlny, as to tho manner in