The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1877-09-06

or even watcrSpOut. John Arnold says
he was up at this hour. and saw an i'm
mense cloud passing down the river, lift
ing up the water in vast quantities in its
course. and whirling it around in q fun
mel shape.
Another theory is that the bridge was
struck by lightning, but we have inter.
viewed . we'll posted electrician. and he
SAYS that this would be contrary to all
laws of electricity. The twenty-five col
umns of iron having their base in the VA
ter, and resting on bed rock, are the best
conductors of electricity in the world.
The night-watchman, John Pierson,
who was in his little guard house At the
east end of the bridge, went down in his
house with the span that rested on
the Iowa side, and had q very
narrow escape from losing his life.
He became penncd under the ruin, and
received q severe cut in one of his legs,
while his dog had one of his legs entirely
cut off. Picrson remained prisoner for
half an hour, when he succeeded in free
ing himself from the situation. Although
tho storm was still raging, he Immediately
secured q boat and started for the Ne
braska side in order to give information
of the accident before any trains should
start over the bridge. He had q rough
passage over the main channel, but sue
cceded in getting across after hard strug.
gle against the wind. He then hurried on
foot across the sand-bar, and swan across
the second channel, and, climbing up
the high bank, hurried to the train
dispatchcr's Office at the Union Pacific
Depot, and informed the dispatcher of
what had occurred. He reached the Of
flee only short time before the $40 q.
m. train was to have crossed the bridge.
However, had the train started before he
had got there, no accident would have
occurred, as trains run very slowly, not
faster than brisk walk, across the bridge,
and sharp lookout is kept by the cngi-
neers, SO that the chasm would have been
observed in time to stop the train.
PiersOn holds that the bridge was struck
by lightning. He says he saw it when il
went down, and that 1t was q perfect sheet
of flame; but it is very likely that he was
SO confused that he really don't know
what caused the accident. 1t is said,
however, that at this particular moment
there was q terrific stroke of lightning
and heavy thunder.
This catastrophe will prove q serious
detrimcnt to business, not only in Omaha,
but throughout the entire trans Missouri
country. There will be a temporary
freight blockade until arrangements can
he made to transfer freight at the Platts-
mouth and Blair Ferries. Passengers
will be transferred at the same points.
About dozen canoes have been brought
into service at the break to transfer en-
ploycs of the road back and forth. Ar0pe
ferry is being arranged by which canoes
can be hauled from one side to the other.
The bridge is said to have cost over
81, OO0, 200. 1t is z, 75O feet long, divided
into eleven spans of 25C feet each. Two
spans, therefore, represent two t'cvenths
of tho bridge. and the proportiun.te cost
of these two spans was two-clcvenths OF
the whole, or @363, 636, but the cost Of re-
building them may be more than this, al
though the expense of the two columns
that are standing all right will be saved.
-Cmala, Neb. dug. 25), Dispatch to
Chicago Tribune.