Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1883-06-07
WINSTON, N. c.,
THE B RRIDGE.
A HEART EsaDING PANIC.
The Scream OF Worzaa Causes the Loss of Nh.
rne5a.s lives.

meSss.s lives.
The Brooklyn 6-e received a
dreadful baptisTs a9y. In the crush
that occurred pr Ely by accident
on the New Nor, anchorage num-
Der Of persons, yaostfy women and
children were cluehed, some to death,
some fatally and many others severely.
The scene of terror reigned fully Is
or 20 minutes THAI battles desert ption.
| When it was over .art loads Of wound
ed and crushed. L@s7nan beings were
taken out of the NV York entrance
Of the bridge. A small mountain Of
torn and abandoned clothing was
gathered up by the police.
The accident occurred on the New
York anchorage, 1here the solid bot
tom of the middle 4ootway ends, and
two flights of sever steps each, with
an intermediate landing, lead up to
the plank walk Of the span between
the New York anchorage and the low
er step. It was shortly after four
O'Clock The bridge-was crowded from
one end to the other, so that there was
hardly elbow room on the footway. A
woman who was ascending the lower
flight Of steps stumbled and fell on the
landing. The crowd pressed her and
she shrieked. Bridge officer Frederick
Richards, who was On the plank walk
above, seeing her danger, elbowed his
way to the spot and lifted her up. The
crowd closed upon them both and they
went down. With q desperate effort
officer Richards got upon his feet once
more dragging the woman after him.
She screamed again in despair and
fright and the crowd above and below
pressed toward the spot to discover
the cause Of the commotion. The
crush Immediately became fearful.
Those on the approach. at the lower
steps were carried forward in solid
mass. Many stumbled and unable to
resist the pressure 4fom behind the
crowd passed over them from above
The crowd coming from Brooklyn was
carried to the edge of the steps and
then fell over ana '.ow9 upon the
struggling mass sbel "A terrible
st s,-egIe for I4n-> aaG
women fought with ~the strength O
despair against each other. Escape
was impossible with the pressure from
each side growing at every shout o
anguish that went up from the dying
and those who saw death before theil
eyes. Fear and despair on one sids
and curiosity on the other fought fol-
the mastery. The frightful crush wa
denser than ever when, after nearl,
fifteen minutes, score of militiamel
of the 18th Regiment, led by Lieut.
Hart and Sergeants Couldock anC
Costenio, marched up the approach
toward Brooklyn, the yells Of tn
crowd attracted their attention. A
the foot of the steps the wall of human
bodies was piled high. The dense mas
surged about it, and the soldiers say
two policemen vainly struggling
against it. Sergeant Couldock took il
the situation at glance. At his wor
of command his men scaled the fenc
: and railroad track separating ther
from the foot walk, and wedging int
the mass of people near the scene c
the disaster, drove back the crowd a
the New York entrance at the muzzl
of their guns 1t fell back slight
and the militiamen following up th
advantage gained forced it back unit
F the approach was cleared. Then form
ing front across the foot walk the
prevented the crowd from passin
back, while as many of their numbe
as could be spared ran toward tn
scene of the accident to help in extr
eating the dead and saving the Hvin;
k The bodies of The dead and dyin
lay here SO firmly wedged together tn:
to extricate them was next impossibl
to beat back the crowd was equally in
possible, relief was possible only by nal
ing room for the crowd to spread sid
ways.
1t was quickly-done. Willing hant
tore away the IRON railing dividir
c. the footway from the railroad trao
on both sides ami dragged those WI
: were nearest in the crush through tt
4 opening. Room was made for the p
Il licemen to reach the frightful herd
Il human flesh and the work of cleariI
H it away began.
, When the lower portion of the 0
: struction was removed from the ste
; the crowd was eased and portion W
!: let through to the New York sic
!. The rest was forced back until all t
}. bodies had been taken away Alol
the iron fences on the foot way, ON
rail road track and on the carria
way on the north side of the brid
the dead and wounded were la
Many were dead when extricated frt
the heap, othsrs-were more or less t.
: ribly injured. They lay six, eight a
q ten deep. Those in the lower tier 10
a dead. The clothes were torn from
4 body. gilmore than one in the attem
\ to get them out. All were hatless, ma
q shoeless and on others the clotl
N. hnno In rars Five wnmen all de,