, 1873-05-07
Cause Of the Catastrophe, An Old Creek
in One Of the Uprigl'ts.
One Of the Rescued Gives His Sen
sations While Drowning,
A City in Mourning---Numer-
Gus Funerals Yesterday.
Hcroisln of tho Baptist Minister,
Mr.. Pratt.

DIXON, ILL.,, May 8.-Tho Hoino, which has boon
stretched from outside tho frstplor on tho north
side Of tho bridge to Tho shore. to catch nny
floating bodies, aH already described In Y11E
TRIBUNE, has 30 far beon Of littlo service. 1t
Inns boon examined several times without e1fcct
Tho result Of the last examination showed that
In the middle of the channel, mud whore tile cur-
rent Ia most swift, the so1ue doos not reach the
bottom by four foot Or moro. Therefore tho
seine has proved practically useless, bodies
that bocamo detached being moro likely to find
their way into tho tloep channel and bo swept
away than to be caught md hold in tho whirls.
Thoro arc no bodies remaining In tho water at
tho south end, and tito efforts Of tho Balyors
and wrcckora nro confined to tho north.
THE wREoK1Sa NAc1I1EEnY.
The complete apparatus Of tho Northwestern
Railroad Company only arrived this morning.
Il Ia OF the heaviest description. Tho material
Is perfect in evcry reBpoct, aud tlero will bo no
further delay in raising the wreck. The derrick
aud fittings Of tho Illinois Central Railroad Com
pauy are excellent III tl,cir way, but 1t is I'M
possible with derrick to reach over space OF
125 feet. besides that, tho situation Of tho
wreck is such TINT, whilst apparatus Of this kind
il Of grent yaluo as an auxiliary, 1t ia perfectly
useless for raiBing tho heavier md moro distant
naBses Of iron and timber. Tho piocos that
havo already boon brought lip, or rather some Of
them, are twisted and turned In the most o1traor-
dinary manner; whilst othors look as though
they had Just loft tho foundry. Ono
length Of cappiug, TINT was tiBhcd up
this morning, was almost entirely donuded Of
tho iron barY that Rhou.t1 have boon attached to
it, except one poco at tho ond, which WAS twisted
corkscrow fashion, like n metal worn" Of tho
most artistic and accurate workmanship. Tho
nth 1ln1 F11a1h ho3
Away.
A COMPLETE SMASH.
There was nothing loft to tell how tho thing
had ever hold together. What kind OF iron it
have beou brought into rc1utsition to put to-
gcthor piece Of cupping, upon which the weight
Of d bridge WAS to be suspended, TINT retained
no trace Of tho screws, bolts Or other ties Which
Tie writer uovor aaw . piece Of iron-work
expects, aitcr an accident. to sec tho
debris mlsshapen, bent, torn, ront, broken but
this piece of capping is just the Hnme, to oil a-
poarance, as the day it loft tho workmans hands,
with tho exception OF tho one pieco Of twisted
iron roferrod to.
The work Of lifting goes slowly on, in consc.
x1uence Of tho inauillc'ency of tho derrick and
been 1t work nj tic day placing tho capstapa
and cables belonging to tho Northwcatorn ,ap-
paratua, and now tho task will be accomplished
Sith more satisfactory results. Tho m@in object
~nt present is to got Mt the remaining bodies.
TINE 6nApPLLS9 1NoNs
occasionally bring nway fragments Of ahAwlH
and of dresses, but the remaining bodies nro
evidently imboaded firmly in tile bottom Of tho
river, under tho fallen iron, from which it is
them. Whilst tho derrick is tlshng up the lighter
portions Of tho bridge, near the north shore
bier the heavier apparatus will Lift tho largor
InaBses Of iron that now lilo in tho very centre Of
the stream. Tho work iB rendered slowor in
consequences Of tho groat caro- required to be OK
bodies Tint arc thought to be thero; and when
tho pieces arc dragged to the surface by main
1orce, there remains tue task Of separating thom
from the fallen works. 10 do this, tho men use
es sss Of nd n'as1H nay nsa sh' easpSG SGss sss}
task to cut into tho Bwaying iron, aB it hangs
suspended III the mir by clIain, yielding to every
blow, aud dipping into tho water, with boat
underneath, which it is almost impossible to
stcady in tho strong currcnt, hold as aho ia
broadsido on to the stream. Still, fair progrosa
IL mado, aud BY Tomorrow night it ia expected
that most Of the heavy iron. will be dragged from
the rivers bottom
THE N1NE-1sou oAnLrs,
heavy capstanB, and fittings in proportion, Of tho
Northwestern, Justify hopes Of rapid conclu-
Hion of tho work. Their very appearance gives
the spectator u feeling Of confidence, which ie
Increased by tho physiauo and bearing Of the
pondorouH machinery with m case aud dcxterits
fhat show thoir familiarity with tho work. Thie
Ia tho came apparatus that was uHcd to hoist
TINT most Unfortunate OF all locomotives. the
4'Dr. Williams j" was built on q Friday, oghteou
years ago, first run out on n Friday, has jumped
perveraoly into ditchos 30 often that Lis
tirvers dubiouvly Ha,y ho o,oisa IL conselous !sf
chronic yearning to lio down; il alwaye
running of swiches onco ran off tho track at
Nelson and into the midst OF n lot of valuable
stock, killing q number; again glidea into tue
river OF tho Sterling leailroad bridge, whore tue
tackle that was used to haul him out had 10 bt
made OF Bpocihf strength ard thickness, thu
Doctor, with his usual poryorsenosB, having
htruck into desperately deep and difficult hole
This is the tackle that laa boon brought hero
md Ia stong enough to pull out tho hoayiosi
lell bridge.
Tho labor OF graphing for bodies Possesses q
melancholy interest. Halt hundred people q q
p gloomy gravity ut tho water na it lashos heed
losBly BY swirliiig, and foaming, and dancing
Ind swelling, aB Ii rejoicing in itH dcadly strcugtl
pnd the conaciouanoss that Death ia always pres
pf the work that is going on ut tho other end az:
copt . shifting panorama OF ropes and CHAINS
ewayinR iron, and fathers, mothorB husbands
wives, brothers aud sistors, toarfully waiting
khe recovery OF tho missing podioH. II u
bu tho north side that interest IL conferred
and 1t iB acone that eau mover DO forgotten b,
those who havo witnessed 1t. 4 raft is moorot
d few yards below the BRIDGE to assist in tn
oporations and hero the grapplers stand, pokinl
their long poles and irols botwoen the wreck
mostly without BucceuB. Tho raft IL Btrows
with shrods and n1orsolB OF clothing, tho owner
Of which aro still to be got out.
From curly morning tho banks wero liner
with spectators, and tho ferry wan engaged y!
day forrying over caskots aud n.olrning rcla
tiyes OF tho departed
TEARING AWAY THE WRECK.
After infinite danger aud difficulty, the work
men succeeded In tearing away bodily portion
Of tho oyorllaugng fra1no work OF tho slor
span on tho north eMd The derrick was dis
ponHod with carly in tho day, and it WAS dotor
mined to concentrate all the ayaiablp force Of
the heavier wrecLlng. machinery, with tha
Ave- yards wost of the bridge, or down til
heavy beam capable, Of withdrawing an
. pressure It might DO called upon to bear, I'll
rnhla IVES attaQhel At ono end TO tho bogtn wlt]