The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1880-02-13

WHAT AN EYEWITNESS SAW OF 1T.
Foreign mails bring little additional in
formation regarding the Tay bridge horror.
A man who saw from his window all that
could be seen of the disaster, writes TO the
London Telegraph:
While thus engaged,a blast Of wind more
furious than before had caught the chin
ney tops of house. almost opposite my par
lor windows, and brought them down to
the ground with laundering crash that
startled every one Of us to our feet. Step
ping oyer to the easement gazed upon the
street, and just then blaze of moonlight
lighted up the broad expanse of Tsy down
below, and the long white sinuous line Of
the Tay bridge came into view. I looked
at my watch and saw that it was exactly
o'clock. "The Edinburgh train will be
due immediately" exclaimed to my wife;
"come and let us watch to see IL it will a.
tempt to cross on such night" So say
ing, we turned down the gas in the parlor,
and prepared to await the approach of the
train. The light by this time Lad become
most ftful. Great masses of clouds were
sweeping the heavens, at times totally OBJ
scuring the light Of the full moon. "There
she comes" cried one OF the children, and,
at that moment, the slowly-moving lights
of the Edinburgh train could be distinctly
seen rounding the curve at Wermit, and,
passing the signal box on the south side,
entering upon the long, straight line of that
portion of the bridge. The train once on
the bridge seemed to move along with
greater swiftness, and when the engine en-
tered the tunnel-like cloisters Of the great
girders my little girl exactly described the
effects of the light as seen through the lat
tice work when she exclaimed, 'Look,
papa, isn't that like lightning?" All this
takes time to write down, but to the eye IL
seemed as If almost Simultaneous with the
entrance Of the train upon the bridge,
comet-like burst of fiery sparks shot out
from the engine. In . long visible train
the streak of fire was seen until quenched
In the water below. Then there was abso-
Lutte darkness ON the bridge. A silence
fell upon our eager group at. the window.
Then, with stunning force, the idea broke
upon my mind. g Heavens - cried, 81
fear the train is over tho bridge" With .
growing horror watched the curve 1t ths
north side to try IL could SEQ tho train
pass that point but - several minutes
passed and NO moving object broke the con-
tinuity OF the bridge 1t that point, picked
up my hat and hurried down and across
the Magdalen green, to meet several indi-
viduals all bent on the same errand a. n.y.
self.
To the same effect 10 the story Of Captain
Scott, Who was In command Of t.ainirg-
ship near the scene. He was Watching the
structure from the deck OF his vessel, ex-
pccting, be says, every moment to see IL
give way. and never imagining that m at
tempt would be- made 20 take train scross.
His position was such that he could mot sec
the train. But at quarter past seven he
suddenly observed grsat gap in tho bridge
a. II ths central portion had collapsed. He
heard no sound Of falling ironwork nor any
CRY or Distress. bot such - was running
that no boat could then have lived in II. had
he supposed thsrs was any reason for one
being launched.