Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1880-01-09
ScotIand,s Railroad Calamity.

Sc0tlanuS khlirOau Calhmitys
On the day after the railroad disaster in
Scotland, the following account was sent by
cable to the New York Telegram: The APP
palling railroad tragedy near Dundee, in
Scotland, by which about 100 persons lost
their lives in the Firth OF Tay, has senta thrill
OF horror through tho British Isles Six
bodies have been recovered so far, and in all
probability many days will elapse before
divers can bring to the surface the railroad
carriages in which the other victims are en-
tombed Thousands of people are anxiously
awaiting news in Dundee and Edinburg.
The scene at the broken bridge this morning
is q most pathetic one, wives, brothers, hus-
bands and lovers all broken. hearted and de-
spairing No sadder spectacle could be wit
messed in Gods world. A large number OF
steamers and small craft are around the spot
where the catastrophe occurred. The tidings
| otthe disaster were first conveyed by gen.
! tleman who had lett his house with friend
while the southwest gale. was blowing with
all its fury. They began discussing whether,
on such night, the Edinburg train would
venture across the bridge, which was the
largest structure OF the kind in the world,
being nearly two miles long. They then
went to the block telegraph signal box, sit
uated at the north end OF the bridge, where
they found a number of men, slso snxiously
awaiting information on the subject.
Some of them asserted that they had seen
| the lights OF the train in question enter on the
bridge and cross the lower spans into the higl,
Orders; then they saw a sudden shower OF
fire, which, with the lights OF the train, seemed
to descend with great velocity in o the river;
then perfect darkness followed. Minutes and
minutes passed, but no signs OF the train were
seen, and the people asked themselves we're
these really the lights OF the Edinburg train
| fba1, baI c,1dJonl,y r,,aoobaJ rha
horror stricken beholders made vehement
appeals to the signal man to ascertain the
truth. He replied that all he knew OF the
matter was that the train had been signaled
TO him from the south end of the bridge ut
nine minutes past seven o'clock. Discovering
no indications OF the approach of the train,
the alarmed signal man endeavored to tele-
graph to the south end of the bridge, but be.
tween fourteen and seventeen minutes COM
munication ceased. The news was conveyed
to James Smith, master of the lay bridge
station, and it spread like wildfre. Crowds
from Dundee and the adjoining neighborhood
thronged the north end of he bridge.
In order to ascertain the real state of affairs
two men volunteered to venture out on the
bridge to make apersonal investigation. They
were James Roberts, locomotive superin-
tendent OF the North British railway, and
James Smith, in charge OF the lay bridge
station As they advanced upon the bridge
the gale seemed TO increase in fury and
almost swept them off their feet They per-
severed; however, and made their way tor.
ward slowly and with difficulty, clingng
at times to the rails to prevent themselves
from being carried away by the fierce storm
J and flung into the boiling waves OF the Firth
ninety feet beneath At length, alter in
finite toll, their hands lacerated and bleed
ing, they reached the brink of the awful abyss
The magnitude of the calamity was then re-
vealed to their horror stricken eyes, Roberts
although stunned and dazed for the moment
determined TO push his investigations still
further. He crawled out to the point wher,
|, the high Orders begin, and found that tn,
whole thirteen Orders had disappeared. Eacl
girder was 245 feet in width and weighed 25t
tons. They formed a sort OF tunnel in tn,
middle OF the bridge. The waves roared be
meath around the bare iron piers, and one
third OF the whole structure had vanished
, leaving as melancholy monuments thirteel
stumps of brickwork in the Firth. Not a sou
on board the train has escaped to tell the stor,
. Of that awful plunge.
: The Bridge Described.
4 The bridge was building nearly five years
and at times as many as 1900 persons wer
employed in the work Its construction con
sumed $500 tons of iron work, 1900 tons
cast iron work, $4,000 cubic yards OF brio
work, and S7,845 cubic feet OF timber. Tn
,, contractors estimated the cost at about $40,
100000. The builders found the bottom com
posed OF rock in some places, OF hard ma
terial resting on silt in other places, and c
: sand covered with shingle and great boulder
along the remainder OF the route across tn
, stream. The stream is about twenty five fec
= deep in the channel. Storms hindere
the work. Northerly and southwestern
winds sweep with terrific force down tn
o river, and because of its great widt
and strong tides the sea is often yer
heavy. Once q gale blew for three weeks
and all work was suspended until tn
i, storm ceased 1t was on account OF thes
d Disadvantages that so much OF the work wa
Il done on shore. There the great piers wer
y built, and from there they were floated OF
II into the stream and lowered in position b
G great hydraulic rams. These piers wei
1f formed OF immense double cylinders OF irol
l. which were let down upon the river bottom
% Workmeninside of them excavated the groun
l. beneath and imbedded them in their place
Then they were filled with broken stone an
n liquid concrete, and the columns OF the bridg
t, were built upon them. Near the shol
% huge brick wall connected these piers I'll
W brick work OF the piers was held togeth'
20 with cement, and this and the concrete b.
st sized in the early part of the work, we
dragged ashore, they could be broken up on
Il by blasting. The Orders spanning the CO
= umns were put together on shore and fioatt
D. out to their places in the bridge. The
n girders are OF heavy wrought iron brace
t, with angle iron. The roadway is carried
ii cross sleepers, twelve by nine inches, place
d three feet apart. Where the roadway rul
J. below the Orders it is carried by iron cro
n Orders five feet apart, the rails being la
q upon fou rteen-inch longitudinal sleeper
II There are double cylindrical column
h under most OF the spars, but on Il
N Dundee end of the bridge, at the curve, Il
m sixty-six-ioot spars are upheld by three ca
iron piles, two of which are vertical, viii
W the third is "raker," with batter of OF
g foot in three, and is placed outside the curv
l. When it was built it was the longest ir,
l. bridge in the world. Throughout the kin
Or dom many expressions OF doubt as to d
ID wisdom OF building such long and slend
,r bridge found their way into the newspaper
!" and were noticed in the parliamentary debat
70 of the time.
D. The Tay rises in small loeb on the bord
oil Argyleshire, and is called the lillian un
1t passes through Loeb Dochart, and then
TO Loeb Tuy, nineteen miles from its mout
1t 1t is known as the Dochart. 1t receives L
& River Lochie and the River Lyon, and maj
n lesser streams. 1t is 100 miles long, and d
lr scribes almost q semicircle in its course.
70 He came up little late, stepped
IS without ringing. and striding softly in
. the parlor dropped into an easy-chs
70 with the careless grace of a young mi
VI who is accustomed to the programm
D. 4 l. 4 ~