The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-05-12
4 BRIDGE OF PUTTY.
INTERESTING ACCOUNTS OF THE
DIXON DISASrER-PuTfY MlrA.
rIoNs OF IRON BOLTS AND FAS.
INGS-THRILLING lNCIDEN rs.
From the Chicago Pest. May q.

fellow, and told his narrative with 'llE''c;ieo
honesty:
81 was on the centre Of the span between
the ahutmrnt and the shore when tue brid..e
wen, down. rs the whole thing went under
wafer Il woman fell on me. and some one
caught hold of me- Just then the sidewalk
gave way and Tipped through. The iron
railing had gone lower down than the
wooden sidewalk. ind rs fell through the
sidewalk struck the railing. There WAS IA
little space of three feet in size. through
which managed to crawl. and thus got be-
vopd the ron-work. This is what saved my
life, for the lrcl!is-work OF iron rods fell over
and crushed many OF the people 80 that they
could not get free.
FEARFUL SIGHT rHrER WATER.
Il had kept my breath rs fell, and also
had MY eyes open al the Time saw fear
ful sight Is WAS struggling under water.
There Ncic women and children. and soMc
men. all striving 10 clutch hold OF something
to save themselves. Sonic were held tISh'
between the fallen iron and could not free
Themselves; others had lot cl".r and were
fran.iralIy wrestling with death. They
looked like dark olirr.s wrestling about.
Some poor fellow caught hold OF ne, and
would have dragged ID" down, only man
aged To get free and began striking out with
my right baud.
"For some time could max" II" progress.
I swan littI" way and tried to touch bot
tom, but could not. got INTO big hole
there is just there and sank. On riSlngagaln
| saw Il woman drowning, and apparently
cn,n- down for the lat time. swan 10 her
ard pulled her ou'. y mn in boat took
h"i do moi know who >hc WIS. There
wa, i man named krndyilc who haG lost
li> wife, aud was swimming around. lie
tried to touch bottom. tut was scared. /
called to him, and helped pull him ashore.
was in the water quite a while, and did all
| could Another man. named Frank. from
Dixon, went through with me. and also
hrlpcd to save some other people.
The scene under the water VA described
A.. terrible. the whole mass OF 10 or 200
person, being engaged III one grand awful
struggle for life II passes imagination to
pjrt.rc the horrors Of that >uhaQucouS fight,
the grimncS> of which WIS not le>scncd by
the frantic struggles of the horses attached 10
bluries which were thrown oil the bridge
10 make their WAY 10 shore. Young Arm.
strong. raised on II. 10 river, and at home
in the waller. shldtirred is lie spoke III il
.i"h; nraiu: good God :" VA, h'" closing
remark.
MIR. STEu%G. THE EEII CE-TtNniR.
said that lie ordered the crowd of the bridge
.vi,c before the catastrophe nccurrcd--.nut
that he anticipated the bridge would give WAY.
but bcca,i>e he feared by crowdin- against
the rail they would force it into the river. He
h,h no auprphcn>on Of 50 itightill} Il re- tit
So,rc members of tie iary Inquired a. 10 til"
settling of the bridge during tb" pat year.
He rcnlicd that although ic had watched
rarr.,Ily he had MOI been able ~ detect ANY
settling.
SECULAR rRESENT1MENT.
Miss Irene Baker, who was lost. was sand
inr with Miss NarShiC Page. In Il joking
way, before there WA any thought OF dan-
cor, Miss Page laid to her companion.
When the bridge goes down. You will fall
on 4 dry rock and be saNcd." Miss Baker
said. Il would rather fall iii the water ANA
ba drowned than to yet my bones hrokcn.
Ere the sentence wa> fairly concluded, The
bridge fell. Miss Baker was drowned. and
,Iis> Page was badly injured on the rocks
beneath.
T!E BOLTS uF PUTTY.
Among o;l,nr thing il na> Iii covered that
in the main iron upilSht which Supported
the shore cid there were some pIlce> here.
instead of bolts of iron securely fastened,
the holes had been filled with putty, pro-
jrrtinw TO represent bolt -head>, and painted
over 30 rs to prevent detection. \ numacl
of the best known citizens of the town were
witnesses to the detection OF this
OUTRAGEOUS FRAUD,
ana are ready 10 "stli! "'iel c''i'o uloN.
Cnaer inc SAINT uihiShl II. tut "o'l"Nt>'
corner WAS ''a',invn "onn.' ~ ~, li'a vn| ~,
VI u. '" .,.', ",.:n 80; tr.'',, nJ,r ~
'o''.'i IA, nv" 49, 49," ,".. ,'''7,.,o
Ind numerous predecessors. all of which |
have been washed away By trcshct>, Il na.
rrlraI visitation of Providence. whicl most
fortunately his not been attended with any
loss of life.
THE rirer EE1p%E
was erected in 1851 or lSl2, and was an IN.
rreten'iouS wooden affair. carried away III
TIC Spriu: OF 1851. The second wa luit
l,v EUStacc tx Il private speculation. Ii WAS
Df wood IIDon wooden pillars, and WAS
swept away IN the spring o! 1872. IN Inc
same year it was ipp!aIrd ny The Lucky
bridge, IL IT was called, '!'t 'i> p'hl 'Nl>t'
'nce proved ls hnlnr Il nll>',o', .,,I =. m"'
what Is 'eclih'ca"i A"'"'' IT, ~. e. >'c''J''
irch !attcrh: anu nus Es'eu IN 'tie '.es ~,
d 30. II VIZ. a',''' ''l','',t"''',A s'al',"
TO ny MS h'ho' p''t was S'sI ~ toi:o,aa'
t''an nose VINO hau lne'''!to !''A'' ,oi IL ""s
put nan eonlictcu Mn'' IL n,i'' arM ,.c
river !, s.eiE WY n''u..u,,av,s ; a"H'n ,u'
me constructor III triE', ,, non ,ui,a
'tIuc'ure' WHICH ie>uiteo III INT 'l''o"'"S 'o-
se'her o' ~
TIE i'hh'"ih Ah'n'''S
hat only lasted long enough to at as the