Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-05-05
FEARFUL HORROR.

Awful Scene of Confusion and Ex
citement-List of Killed
and Injured,
DIXON, Ill, May "A terrible aC
cident, involving a fearful loss of life
occurred here this afternoon. The rit
of baptism was being administered to
number of recent converts to one of tn
Baptist churches here, at a point il
Rock river just below the Trussdal irol
| bridge. About two hundred persons
| including many ladies and a number Q
children gathered on the bridge to wit
ness the ceremony, when Suddenly
without warning, the bridge gave way
precipitating its freight into the strean
! below. The scene which ensued wa
| indescribably terrible. Asthe struggling
victims vainly endeavored to free them
selves from the ruins of the bridge an(
from each other, large crowds of peO
pie on the banks rushed wildly to anC
fro, many of them SO distracted with ter
rOr as to be unable to render any assist
ance. Others, more self-possessed, speed
lily brought ropes, planks and boats, anC
went nobly to work to rescue the living
and recover the dead. Some of thOsG
who were on the bridge when it fell wert
so near the ends that they were able
to reach the bank without assistance,
while the Others were fortunately within
reach of those on shore, but up to six
O'Clock this evening thirty-two dead
bodies had been taken from the river,
and it is almost certain that there are
others still under the wreck of tn
bridge. OF those saved twenty-four
injured, some fatally. The following
is complete list of the dead solar asis
known: Miss Catharine Foley, Mrs.
J. w. Talla, Mrs. Maggie O'Brien,
Ida WanD, George Kent, Miss Bessie
Rayne, Mrs. Carpenter, Clara and Rosa
Stackpole, Mrs. c. w. Kentner, Mrs.
Ben Gilman. Mrs. Colonel II. T. Noble,
Miss Nettie Hill, Mrs. Henry Sillman,
Mrs. DR.. Hoffman, Miss Kittie Sterling,
Mrs. Z. Wallace, Mrs. Thomas Wade,
]. P. Dannerschild, Jay Mason, Mrs.
Petersburger, Miss Petersburger, Fred
Hale, Miss Emily Deming Miss Anna
Deming, Thomas Haley, Miss Ida Drew,
Mrs. William Cook, Mary Wilhelm, of
Nachusa, Mrs. Mary Sullivan, Miss
Irene Baker, Miss Wilcox, Mrs.
James Goble, Robert Dyke, Miss
Lizzie Mackey, Miss Martha Page and
Miss Mary Drinkwater. The following
were injured, Mrs. P. NJ. Alexander,
arm broken and injured internally;
Miss Burns, Addison Guerney, Sarah
B. March, Mrs. Captain Smith, Mrs.
Daniel Cheney fatally, Mrs. Charles
MurTy, Eliza Cuddingler, Mrs. James,
James Camp, jr., Mrs. Ada Clute, DR..
c. J. Reynolds, Mr.. John H. Moore,
Mrs. S. w. Whitman seriously, five
of p. Brantgan, DR. Hoffman,
Miss Thatcher, Miss Hager Plug, John
child, Miss Kelly, Miss
w, Lody.
ADDITIONAL.
MIDNIGHT.-Up to this hour no 9TH
ar bodies of the victims of the bridge
disaster have been recovered at this
point, but several are reported to have
been picked up at Sterling six miles be-
ow, and doubtless the swift current has
borne others even farther down the riv-
sr. The general estimate of the num-
Der lost is from ninety to one hundred.
Five other bodies floated down
past those engaged at the wreck
and have not yet-been recovered. There
are, therefore, supposed to be yet at least
fifty bodies yet unbound. Most of them,
It is thought, are under the arch of the
bridge. The bridge was constructed
If iron, of the Rusden pattern, and
lad five spans elevated about twenty
eet above the water, which at this
loint is from fifteen to twenty feet deep. |
The three middle spans are still stand |
ng, but in such a condition that it is |
hought they will fall when the wreck |
If the end of the spans is cleared away. |
Norkmen are busy tonight putting in |
llace derricks with which to raise the |
allen spans, and are making arrange |
{ is now stated that there /
we're nearly three hundred people on the
ridge at the time of the accident, and |
more succeeded in escaping than was at
lrst feared. At the time of the accident /
post of the people were gathered at
ither end of the structure, although a
arge number were near the center.
'Ome of the latter remained where they
Eere when the crash came, and were
fterward taken of by the boats. Sew
raj men jumped from their precarious
esting- place into the river and swan to
be shore. Two horses and buggies were
landing on the middle spans, and are
ill there, there being no wav
take them Off There were
number of remarkable es-
apes Of children, of whom there
ere probably not less than fifty on the
ridge when it went down. One little
,llOw about thirteen years old was
lught by both feet on the iron rigging
one of the fallen spans, and had one
his legs broken. He managed bv
leer strength to pull one of his boots
Il, tearing the sole off in the process.
len cody taking out his knife, ripped
le other boot from the foot of the
ounded leg, and, crippled as he was.
Tam ashore. Two little girls,
sters, were standing side by
de, and they both went down
'gether. As they reached the water ..
le eldest caught the other by her dress
18th one hand and with the other clunp
portion of the iron-work, and clung ,,
st to it up to her neck in lev water,
ltil they were both taken of .
7 a boat. There is so much ex-
tement and confusion that it
impossible tonight to procure
ore definite information in regard to !
lie number lost, but the estimate given !
'ove is believed TO be nearly correct.
Q attempt viii be made to recover any
ore bodies until this morning and the J
'mpletion of the derrieks and other ap-
lratus.