Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-05-16
THE ILLINOIS CALAMITY.
THE FALLING OF ROCK RIVER
BRIDGE.

Bfk sEeesEs
Thrilling Account of the EearfUs
Disaster-Vghat the Survivors
saw and Eeit-NiracuIOus
Escs
We take the ~ owing interestir@
and thrilling details and incidents OF
the calamity of last Sunday, at Dixon,
Illinois, from a special in the Times i:
This is a dark day for Dixon. Over
the whole city there is pail of sad
ness, the gloom of which the least IL
terested cannot help feeling. The
calamity strikes st nearly every house
hold, and the rich and poor meet to-
gether in mourning. So closely bound
are the citizens by the ties of blood
and intermarriace, that there is
scarcely a family in the whole place
but takes the sorrow to its house
The stores are closed and the houses
darkened. Everybody is on the street,
and all the country around has emptled
itself into the town till the roads and
walks are crowded, and both banks of
the river by the wreck are black with
human beings.
REALIZING TIE APPALLING TRUTH
The meagre information published
this morning gives but faint idea of
the disaster, and as the details develop,
as survivors tell the story of their es-
cape, as fathers report the names of
missing children, and friends those of
friends who are missing, the catastro-
phe grows I'D magnitude, and it will be
days before the horror can be fully
comprehended.
THE BArTIS8lAL RITE.
Sabbath morning dawned warm and
bright. The ceremony of the Baptist
Church, which had been several times
postponed, was announced Tor II
O'Clock, and ten converts presented
themselves for the rite of baptism.
The mildness of the weather drew a
large crowd to the river, which gath
cred upon the steep banks and on the
bridge, at the north end of which the
ceremony was to be performed. The
morning services in other churches
were just closing, and as the bridge
was q thOroughfare, the throng re-
celved constant accessions, till nearly
1900 souls were gathered at the place.
The bridge, which stretches not more
than fifty or sixty feet above the
baptismal ceremonies, was the favo-
rite point of view for the women and
children.
TIE CATASTROPHE.
Just as the third candidate was pre-
senting himself for baptismal, there
was sharp, quick crash, heavy
rumbling, and a prolonged, soul
rendIng shrek from 800 beings. The
main western stringer of the north
span of the bridge broke like a 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 |
the bridge like flash of electricity, |
and span after span was drawn from |
the piers and sank to the waters sur
face, till the whole five hung like i'm |
mense bags holding bruised, bleed |
ing, frightened and frantic mass of |
men, women, children and horses /
The imagination can scarcely conceive |
Of a more terrible calamity. The situa- |
ton was SO terrible, the chances of |
escape SO few, the chance of aid so |
scanty, that it is merely marvellous that |
the loss of life is not greater.
THE VICTIMS IN THE RIVER.
The water runs in swift currents over |
4 dam not more than 100 Yards above.
and it was so swollen by recent rains |
hat its depth was about twenty feet
Not only those who were precipitated
With the fallen span went under the
water, but many on the other spans
we're either thrown by the shock into
he stream, or plunged in themselves
n IL |
crowd. The sceEe cannot be described. |
ihe fancy cannot picture it. The eyes
# those who witnessed il were blinded
With horror, and the whole crowd on
he banks stood paralyzed for Il mo-
nent, unable to speak OF move until
he mind could catch a faint comprc-
tension Of the situation. An old man
vino sat on log near the bank. when
he bridge went down, says Il heard
he crack AMI saw the sIlrgiug. rolling |
lHe. / heard voices, and then my
ead was dizzy and whirled till the SIX y
ookcd black. :"
THE WORK OF RESCUE.
As soon as the fact was felt by the
rowd on the banks there was a rush :
o the water. Strong men plunged in t
0 rescue those who came to the sur t
ace. Boards and planks were thrown /
0 their relief, and number Of boats.
Thich were fortunately at hand. were :
emit Immediately to the aid of the !
'ounded. Few of those who were saved +
an tell who rescued them. and those 6
tho were most instrumental in saving t
fe are unable yet to recall what they 6
Id or whom they helped in the mo i
lent of frenzy. There We're stretchers
I'LL clInSlng to the abutments which t
ere not loosened by the fall, and to /
1ese were cllnging persons desperate c
u life. The air Is thick with mirac- a
lous escapes and the deeds of brave S
escuers. Mr.. Henry Z. Noble. a t
citizen and manufactures. /
TODD III the centre of the span. with his h
lie and DIR. and Mrs. Hoffman. hold O
tile Grace Smith in his arms. He :;
iys 81 felt the bridge tremble G
len came a crash, and we were all s
own. L clasped the child closer, and. a
h1le III the air, made desperate Ell b
ut to plunge. l struck the water feet Q
own, and felt the bottom. I gave a "
BRING and was almost instantly at the D
rface. The child was apparently in S
ensible, and clinging to my coat and fl
air. L threw her body over nv I
BOULDER and struck out for the shore. il
was hard swimming, for the water 4
as tull of iron, planks, and bodies. e.
list as | was fairly gaining progress, Il
man whose head and face were bleed fl
g terribly seized me by the left arm t.
Id almost took me under. I tried to il
ee myself, but his grasp was strong IL
steel, and, giving up ali hope, / il
'oke the hold of the child, and hold Y
G her out Of the water, threw her d
til all the force of my right arm to- al
ard the shore. A man with boat tt
ught her before she sank and took al
II IN. [ went to the bottom again m
tn him. q,
HEROES. in
The work CT search and recovery 0,
through the afternoon. I'll
early all the loss of life was owing to til
crushing weight of the bridge, for w
who came to the surface of the oil
water were quickly saved. lii
en- seemed to have superhuman sa
'enSth given them, and took alarm m