The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-11-10

TRAIN PREcIPITATED THROUGH BRIDGE
INTO THE RIvER-THREE PERSONS KILLED
AND OTHERS INJURED-cAusEs OF THE AccI-
DENT.
ST. LOUIS, Mo-, Nov. 9. 1879.
About haf-past eight o'clock last night as an
extra train with engine No. 107. under charge of
Conductor Kmley and Engineer Plownan. was cross
ing in an eastery direction the st. Louis, Kansas
City and Northern Railroad bridge the Missouri
River at st. Charles. the west span of the main
structure suddenly gave way. precipitating seven
teen cars of live stock caboose and seven men into
the river. The engine and one car. with the con-
ductor. engineer and fireman. were saved by tho
breaking of the connection between the Three
dead bodies and three badly injured have been
recovered from the river.
CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT.
visit to-day to the st. Charles Bridge one
span Of which fell last night. disclosed terrible
wreck and great destruction Of property. The
bridge proper is iron Howe truss of three
spans and the truss that tell to have lost its
bearing on the piers on both ends the time;
for it lies in the river in most horizontal position
and is full was before left its rest upon
the piers. The cause of the accident is not known,
but @. Shaler Smith. of tho Baltimore Bridge Com
pany. under whose personal supervision the bridge
was constructed. thinks it was occasioned by a
truck leaving the track. Conductor
Kinley, however, testified before the Coroner's
jury this afternoon that the train was
an right when it entered the bridge. Another
theory is that the bridge was struck by lightning
very heavy storm having prevailed about an hour
before the disaster.
THE KILLED AND INJURED.
The names Of those who were in the caboose when
it went down and who were killed outright are:-
nv ato rails nd
vice president of the First National Bank Of Malvern.
Iowa.
Mr. HYDE resident Of Montana.
friend of Mr. Wearen, who accompanying
him to St. Louis.
GEORGE or JOSEPH BAMHART. q brakeman of
Moberly Mo.
John Sumner. drover. of Malvern, had his leg
broken in two places, and Fred Davis, of Malvern.
slightly injured J. N. Strain. stock raise. of
Malvern. also in the caboose, but when
he heard the crash Of the timbers and iron
and the great splashing Of water he sprang out OF
the side door Of the to the floor of the bridge
approach. only few feet from the chasm, and be-
fore he could regain his feet the caboose plunge
down the awful abyss of eighty feet.
Charles Irwin. a brakeman. top of the
caboose and went down with it. and was terribly
mangled that he died at noon to-day. His mother
lives at Mount Vernon. Ohio.
CoRoNER's JURY.
The Coroner's jury heard the testimony of Con-
ductor Knley and Mr.. Strain this morning.
Kinley that he had taken hundreds of
much more heavily laden trains across the bridge
than the under which it broke; that il had re-
Gently been inspected by competent persons and
pronounced sound and that he could give no
son for the accident.
DAMAGE CAUSED.
$4,000; value of the cars and stock
at about $4,000. temporary wooden
truss will be put up speedily as possible. and in
the meantime track will be laid to the ferry land
ing and passengers and freight will be transferred
by boat.