Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1873-05-09
The Dixon Calamity-A Graphic De-
scriptiOn.

Especial dispatch to the Chicago nter-O ocean,
DIXON, ILL.,, May 5.
This is a dark day for Dixon. Over
the whole city there is pail of sadness
that the most disinterested cannot help
feel. The calamity strikes at nearly every
household, and the rich and poor meet
together in mourning. So closely bound
are the citizens by the ties of blood and
intermarriage there is scarcely family in
the whole place but takes the sorrow to
it's home. The stores are. closed and the
houses darkened. Everybody is on the
street, and all the country around has
emptied itself into the town till the roads
and walks are crowded, and both banks
of the river by the wreck are black with
human forms. The meager information
published this morning gives but faint
idea of the disaster-and as details de-
velop-as survivors tell the story of their
escape, as fathers report the names OF
missing children, and friends of friends
who are missing-the catastrophe grows
in magnitude and it will be days before
the horror can be fully comprehended.
Sabbath morning dawed warm and
bright. The ceremony of immersion by
the Baptist Church, which had been sew
eral times postponed, was announced for
twelve O'Clock, and eleven converts pre-
sented themselves for the rite of baptism.
The mildness of the weather drew large
crowd to the river, which gathered upon
the steep banks and upon the bridge, at
the north end of which the ceremony was
to be performed The morning service in
the other churches was just closing, and
as the bridge was thoroughfare the
throng received constant accessions, till
nearly two thousand souls were gathered
at the place. The bridge, which stretches
not more than fifty or sixty feet above the
natural font which was used for the bap-
tismal ceremonies, was the favorite out
look for the women and children. just as
the third candidate was presenting him.
self for baptism there was sharp, quick
crash, heavy rumbling, and prolong-
ed, soul-rending shrek from 500
lungs. The main western strlnger
of the north span of the bridge broke
like reed, tipping 800 persons into the
stream, and falling fifty feet with crushing
weight upon them. The fall dislodged
the stays from the abutments; the shock
ran along the whole length Of the bridge
like flash of electricity, and span after
span was drawn from the piers and sunk
sagging to the waters surface, till the
whole five were coiled up like massive
bags holding a bruised, bleeding, fright
ened, frantic mass of men, women, chill
dren and horses. The imagination can
scarcely conceive of a more terrible ca
lamity. The situation was so terrible the
chances of escape so few, the sources OF
aid so scanty that it is merely marvellous
that the loss of life is comparativly so
small. The water runs in swift, frothy
4o dom fh0n
wards above, and it was so swollen by re-
cent rains that it's depth was about twenty
feet Not only those who were precipi-
tated with the falling span went under
the water, but many on the other spans
were either thrown by the shock into the
stream or plunged in themselves to escape
being crushed by the crazy crowd.
The scene cannot be de-
scribed The fancy cannot picture
it. The eyes of those who witnessed it
were blinded with horror, and the whole
crowd on the banks stood paralyzed for
moment, unable to think, speak, or move
till the mind could catch faint compre
hension of the awful situation. An old
man who sat on log near the bank when
the bridge went down says, 81 heard the
crack, saw a swaying, rolling line; l
heard voices, and then my head was dizzy,
and whirled till the sky looked black"
AS soon as the fact was felt in the crowd
on the banks there was arush to the water,
strong men plunged in to rescue those
who came to the surface, boards and
blanks were thrown to their relief, and
number of boats, which were fortunately
at hand, were sent Immediately to the aid
of the wounded. Few of those who were
saved can tell who rescued them, and most
of those who were most instrumental in
saving life are unable yet to recall what
they did or whom they helped in the mo-
ment of frenzy. There were stretches still
clinging to the abutments, which were not
loosened by the fall, and to these were
cl1nging persons desperate for life.
As soon as the observers fully compre-
hended the horrors of the situation messen-
gers ran over the city to the hotels and
churches where Sunday schools where in
session, and for the rest of the day the
town was one grand chaos. Men were
working and women were weeping at the
bank of the river; mothers rushed franti-
cally into the crowd half crazed with