The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1873-05-08
A CITY IN MOURNING.

thought is of whole community be-
ing visited by a calamity that takes
member from almost every family.
News comes from Dixon, ILL.,, which
will carry a thrill of sadness to every
heart where it is heard. BY the fall
of bridge over rapid river, swollen
with spring flood, 200 spectators of
the rite of baptism by immersion,
were last Sunday cast into the river,
with the timbers and frame work Of
the structure, and from the frightful
wreck only about one half were taken
alive and unlnjured. Many were car
ried lifeless down the current and
swept over the dam.
About fifteen minutes after one
o'clock, as Rev. Mr.. Pratt was pass
ing q convert for baptism into the
water of Rock River, just below the
bridge on the north side, there being
a large crowd of men, women and
children witnessing the ceremonies
from the bridge, the iron work gave
way, and without a moments warn
ing fifty or sixty souls were launched
into eternity. Words cannot de-
scribe the horrible panic that seized
the vast crowd upon the banks of the
river, and of course, spread through
the city. Mothers came to the river
bank, anxiously inquiring for children,
fathers for wives and children, and
all was horror and excitement. The
bridge was torn, broken, and hung
from the pier, an apr alling sight in
itself The bents at each end were
crushed into the river, that at the
north end held firmly to the bottom
of the river in its network of iron. the
children, relatives and friends of the
people.
Jacob Armstrong went down in the
crash and was compelled to crawl on
the bottom of the river out from un-
der the sidewalk Of the bridge, but
being an athletic young man saved
himself, and then helped to secure
others. Charles Mcbride deserves
great praise for saving many lives.
Col. II. T. Noble made a narrow es-
cape. He held Mr.. D. Smiths little
child, and went down with it and
came up, and saved the little girl and
barely saved himself Mrs. Noble was
several feet from her husband, but he
could not reach her in the fall, for
there was a mass of human beings
between him and her. Tony Branti-
gan, little boy Of eight years, chung
to plank and was picked up half a
mile below. Ed. Patrick leaped into
the water and saved several lives.
Will Daily, with noble energy, saved
many lives, and also pushed on a.
plank to the shore three women, and
then pulling off his coat and boots,
swan back and rescued DR.. Hoffman.
who was on the bar about half way
to the railroad bridge. VIM. Daunt-
Ter saved several lives. Fred. L.
Shaw saved five or six. Henry Wood
gett swan boldly into deep water and
rescued many. Will Sculer, Joe Hay
den and Isaac Shaw narrowly escaped
by swimming to the shore after extri-
eating themselves from the iron-work
by leaping from the bridge into the
river.
An Extra published by the Sterlipo
~1l'I) Gaaette, Monday morning, gives a
CLEAR idea of the manner and direct CAL, 8.
OF the accident: The people were clos
ely crowded on the footwAy, and ,be
Immense weight all on one side proved
too much for the bridge, one of the cap
strlpgers snapping asundsr, allowing the
north section to sag from the abutmen,
and plunge into tile river with it's LIVING
burden. Between he tott and wagon,
way was a network Of iron braces about