Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1873-05-16
The Dixon Bridge Disaster,


Scene Under the Water-Some of the Incl
| dents.
For days after the late fearful bridg,
disaster at Dixon, ILL.,, the town wore {
sad and funeral aspect; the tolling o
bells, the constant passing of professions
Grape on many doors, and the almost to
tai suspension of business proclaimed
the terrible aifliction that had come up
on its people. Almost every family il
the village are in mourning: for where
the family circle is yet unbroken, there
are the dear friends to grieve for
Those lost were mostly women-wives,
mothers, young women and bright young
girls-whom all the villagers knew and
loved. 1t is a general grief, and one
that will not be so quickly or easily for
gotten.
According to the most reliable data
thus far obtained, there were probably
no more than $50 persons upon the
bridge, and of these large proportion
we're women and children. OF this
number more than one-half we're rescued,
and the escapes in some instances were
simply miraculous. The river was quite
high, even for this time of the year, and
its deepest and most dangerous place,
ranging from II to 20 feet in depth, is
under the span that precipitated the peo-
ple into the water. The iron-work i'm
mediately fell upon the struggling mass
below, crushing and mangling those who
were not thrown beyond its reach. Some
bodies foated down stream, and were
picked up along the shore. Many we're
taken out dying or dead, or were extri.
Gated from the wreck. and others are still
held down upon the river-bed by the tan
gled debris. The work of dragging the
river and searching for bodies continued
all night long. AS the bodies were re-
covered, some touching circumstances
were brought to light. Mrs. Grover and
her daughter Emma were found with
hands clasped together in death as they
we're often together in life. Several in
fants that went down in their mothers
arms were found still tightly clasped
mother and child crushed by the cruel
iron work, or drowned in the dark waters
The work of recovering missing bodies
was proceeded with as fast as possible
but the character of the bridges con
struction rendered it very difficult tc
pull it apart, to as to release the corpses
which could be felt lying beneath. A
few bodies were got out by cutting away
the iron network. but one body, a young
woman's could only be rescued by saw.
ing off limb. The bridge was common.
ly regarded as weak one, and the pos.
sibility of an accident occurred to many.
The old bridge-tender warned the people
that they were over-crowding the struct-
ure, and several of the more prudent left
it for terra frma only few minutes be
fore the crash.
Miss Irene Baker, who was lost, wal
standing with Miss Marshie Page. In s
joking way, before there was any though
of danger, Miss Page said to her com
panion: "When the bridge goes down
you will fall on the dry rock and be
saved" Miss Baker said: 81 would rath
er fall in the water and be drowned thai
to get my bones broken" Ere the sen
tence was fairly concluded, the bridg
fell. Miss Baker was drowned, ant
Miss Page was very badly injured o.
the rocks beneath. Mrs. S. S. Smith
wife of the manager of the Nachus
hotel, and her little girl went down tc
gether. The child was recovered un
harmed, but the mother was badly bu
not fatally injured in the back. Mrs
Brantigam and five children went dow
with the wreck, but all were rescued
the mother being slightly injured.
Jacob Armstrong, a shoemaker,
young fellow about 20 years of age, VIII
went down with the bridge, but escape
by being penned between the falling la
tice-rods separating the roadway fror
the sidewalk was instrumental, thank
to his proficiency in swimming, in savin
the lives of several persons. Jacob is
stalwart young fellow, and told his stor
as follows: II was on the center Of tn
span between the abutment and the shor
when the bridge went down. As th
whole thing went under water woma
fell on me, and some one caught hold {
me. There was little space of tire
feet in size in the iron network, throug
which | managed to crawl, and thus &C
beyond the iron-work. This is whs
saved my life, for the trellis-work of iro
rods fell over and crushed many of th
people, so that they could not get FIRE,
l had kept my breath as | fell, and ais
| had my eyes open at the time. | sa'
fearful sight as | was struggling
Under water there were women an
children, and some men, all striving t
clutch hold of something to save them
selves. Some we're held tight betwee
the fallen irons, and could not free then
/ selves others had got clear and wei
{ frantically wrestling with death. The
looked like dark objects wrestlin
| about"
The scene under the water was d.
! scribed as terrible, the whole mass {
, $50 or 200 persons being engaged in on
, grand awful struggle for life. 1t passe
, Imagination to picture the horrors {
that subaqueous fight, the grimness {
which was not lessened by the franti
struggles of the horses attached to til
buggies which were thrown off the bridg
to make their way to shore. Young Arm
/ strong, raised on St. 10 river, and /.
home in the water, shuddered as he spok
4 of its CHASTITY horrors May l nevt
I see such sight again good God ~ W;