The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-05-05
Appalling Disaster at
Dixon!
SHOCKING FATALITY TO A
BAPTlSMAL PARTY!
An Iron Bridge Gives Way, Precipi-
tating Hundreds Of People into
Rock River.
GREAT LOSS OF LIFE--A LARGE
NUMBER SEVERELY
INJURED
EEAaTRENDMs SCENES AND INCIDENTS
Forty-Nine Bodies Recovered
from the River!


| One OF the most shocking accidents
which has occurred of late, took place IN
Dixon, Lee Co., this State, on Sunday at
midday, by which great number Of lives
were lost and a whole community thrown
into mourning and distress.
The Baptists were about to perform the
ceremony Of immersion, in Rock river,
near the large, FIVE span iron bridge which
crosses that stream at the village of Dixon.
1t was at the hour when the churches had
Just closed morning service, and the people,
from all the churches, gathered in large
numbers on this bridge, where good view
of the ceremony could be had. The
bridge was an iron structure, of FIVE spans,
of the Truesdell patsnt, and was some ten
to fifteen feet above the water Upon this
bridge hundreds of people and a consider
bic number Of horses and carriages, had
assembled Most of the gathering was on
the north span, as the immersion was to
]
day was charming and the people had fill
ed up the bridge, and in their holiday at
tire were enjoying the scene intensely, all
seeming as happy as possible; when sud
denly the north end of the north span be-
gan to give way At once the scene was
changed to one of unutterable horror
horses reared and plunged in wild confu-
sion upon the people, and all struggled
with all their might to get up the falling
span. Terrible screams rent the air. PEG
pie jumping from the falling structure,
and the great mass sliding down this
trough in helpless, hopeless confusion, in
to the river below. At about the same
time the south end of the south span
dropped in the same way, but few if any
people were upon it. The other three
spans sagged away in bent condition, but
did not 60 down entirely.
The scene which followed beggars all
description. Here were hundreds of the
best people of the town, just coming from
the churches who stopped to witness a
solemn religious ceremony, and were sud
denly plunged into eternity with scarcely
moments warning while hundreds of
families were bowed down in grief for the
loss of relatives and friends.
Those that could render assistance went
to work, with every means available, to
rescue the people from the river. The
telegraph flashed to adjoining towns a cry
for help, and very soon trains from Sterl-
ing, Amboy, and other towns, came thun-
dering in, with all the physicians at com
mand, and crowded with people anxiousIy
looking for relatives and friends.
Among those who went up from Sterl-
ing was Mr.. A. H Pollard, conductor on
the Rockford, Rock Island 4 st. Louis
Railroad, and he, having reporterial eye,
Immediately set TO work to get the names
Of the dead and the injured, as they were
rescued from the water. He left there
about : O'Clock in the evening, arriving
here this Monday morning, and to him
we are indebted for what particulars we
are now able to give Of this most appalling
disaster. Up to the time he left, the
bodies of 40 persons had been recovered
from the river, some of them as far down
as the railroad bridge, half a mile below
where the accident occurred The follow
ing is partial list of
THE DEAD:
Mrs. Col Noble, Miss. Baker, Mrs. j.
Lottie, Maggie 0'Brien, Miss Kempner,
Miss Gilman, two Misses Stackpole, Ida
Drew, Miss Hodgedon, Nettie Hill, ]. Ma
son, Miss Wade, G. W. Kent, Kate
Sterling, Miss Wilhelm, Mrs DR.. Hapman
Mrs. Peterburger, and daughter, Miss
Rayn, Tom Haley, Mrs. Cook, Miss Dana
Mrs. Carpenter, Robert Dyke Frank
Hamilton, Miss Deming, Mrs. Peter Car
ney, Mrs. Van, Mrs E. Hope, Mrs Wallace,
Mrs. H. Sellman, Miss Nixon, Mrs Wilcox,
Mrs Dominick, Miss Mackey, Mrs Goble,
Mrs. Rainier, one unknown.
THE INJURED.
VIII Hart Mrs. Lhlhe, ,. II. Wilmer,
Miss and Mrs. Murray, J. B. Countrymen,
VIII Cook, Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. p. d.
Alexander, E. B. Baker, Mrs. DIR. S. S.
Smith, Miss Page, Mrs Dan Cheney, Miss
Mary A. Thatcher, J L. Camp, Jr-some
of them seriously.
MISSING.
Miss Mackey, three children of Mr.. and
Mrs. Rosenthall, two children of Mrs.
Hendricks.
This was all the information Mr. Pol
lard could procure up to the time he left,
except that trains on the Central had ar
rived with derricks to raise the broken
bridge.
The Chicago papers of this evening will
probably contain more detailed accounts of
the affair