Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-04-18
BROKEN CABLES.
A VISIT TO THE WRECKED SIS.
PENSION BRIDGE.
Wires that Snap Like Pipestems-
A Graphic Description of the
Recent Catastrophe.

Yesterday morning Supervisors Tebbets,
Black and Ross, accompan ed by RECORD
UNION reporter, left the city for the scene
of the recent wreck of the McCabe wire
suspension bridge which spanned the Co
sumnes river about twenty-four miles out
on the Jackson road. The road for the
whole distance is in excellent condition,
showing that the Road Overseers in the
districts travelled over are looking after
their duties in proper manner. Farmers
along the route say that crops never looked
better, and anticipate bountiful harvest.
Indeed, in many of the fields the barley is
already heading and as thick and free
from weeds as q farmer could wish for.
Excellent views of the country round about
were afforded from some of the high knobs.
and as far as the eye could see it was one
vast area of green and fertile fields 1t is a
grand sight. and one worth seeing.
On the trip to the bridge the Supervisors
were occupied in observing the condition
of the roads, and it was noticeable that
several parties had moved out their fences
farther into the highway than they should
have done, but as it does not materially
affect the road, there will probably be moth
ing done about it.
Supervisor Ross was posted on his dis.
tr:ct (the eighth), from one end to the
other. He knew every farmer and laborer
in the whole place, and could name the
owner of every farm. He was right at
home with the history of the whole
Costumes river bottom, and told several
stories about the place. Here" said he
just before reaching the Costumes Post
Office. ''is where the old adobe building
used to be in which the miners from Mich.
igan Bar would congregate during the
racing season, and there is where the race
track was. They used to have great times
here in early days.
AT Costumes Postoffice the party were
joined by A. NJ. Plummer, Road Overseer
for the district in that part of the county,
and from there the drive TO the bridge was
made in about an hour.
THE FALLEN BRIDGE.
One glance at the wreck told the tale.
Nothing was left spanning the river, except
ing the two main cables on the left side.
dangling from which were the uprights
which held the flooring. but none of the
latter was there. The two cables on the
opposite side, at the approach to the bridge,
were snapped off at the anchorage, and
the right hand tower was also felled. The
cable guys on both the towers on this side
were also snapped, and the main cables Law
in the bed of the stream. Workmen had
succeeded in hauling all of the planking to
the shore, excepting a few pieces of the
flooring that were dangling in the air from
the cable that did not break, and the wreck
will be left as it is until the Supervisors de-
eide as to what shall be done. The river is
fordable at present so that there is no i'm
mediate necessity for a temporary bridge.
Upon examination of the cables where
they were broken, one of them (the largest
appeared to be just as good as new, while
the other was badly rusted, and some of the
wires when bent would snap off like dry
twig. With the heavy weight of 1000
sheep the cables gave away, letting down
the right-hand side of the bridge turning
the flooring completely over and precipitat-
ing the animals to the river bed, about
thirty feet below.
The structure is 304 feet long from tower
to tower, and IL feet in width. The cables
are OK inches in circumference. Accord
ing to the different statements given by
parties who witnessed the calamity, the
following is about
George Taverner an extensive farmer is
the owner of a large number of sheep,
which he pastures in fields on the other
side of the bridge. A couple of weeks ago
his herder brought the band, 2,110 in num-
Der, over the bridge in safety to this side,
for the purpose of shearing them. Last
Sunday he started to drive them back to
pasture. and when the bridge was reached
the animals rushed on and over to the
other side, but those that were in the
lead, seeing shepherd dog lying
down in the road little way
beyond the bridge, stopped still, while the
other sheep kept crowding on. Some say
all of the sheep were on the bridge, and
others say not; at all events, while in this
condition q snap was heard, the floor
turned over to one side, and by ten and
twenty at time the animals were thrown
below-some on a sand-bank in the river
and others into the water. About fifty
reached the other side in safety before the
flooring gave way, and good many rushed
back to this side. The scene below was
pitiful one. There lay a mass of sheep
piled one on another, with the flooring of
the bridge on top of them, and the poor
creatures bleating painfully. The scene is
said to have been one that appealed to the
sympathy of all who looked on. Then
again dozen or more hung in the air,
being caught in the upright cables-some
around the throat and others by their legs
These were removed as rapidly as possible.
About 135 were killed, or injured so that
they had to be killed. Some had their
backs broken, others their limbs, and still
others were killed outright. The mutton
was given away TO anyone who would
take it.
Benjamin Bailey, an old farmer and resi-
dent near the bridge, said he heard the
crash and thought it was an earthquake.
He was glad the bridge had fallen at the
time it did, as probably at any other, loss
of human life might have occurred. He
thought there were between 80 and 70 tons
of weight on the bridge at the time il went
down.
Thomas Brown, the Road Overseer for
the district, said he had his men to work
Immediately after the accident, clearing
away the debris and getting the sheep to
the shore.
ON THE HoMEwARD TRIP.
George Traverner, the owner of the
sheep, was met on the road, and he stated
that he was going to present demand for
damages to the Board of Supervisors He
was not going TO hire any lawyers, but
thought the Board would look at the mat
ter in the proper light and do the just
thing. If they did not allow him damages
he would drop the matter, but he trusted
they would do him justice. The
route home was taken via the new Jackson
road, aud number of Improvements were
noted in that section, under the supervision
of Roadmaster Plummer. The Supervisors
say he is one of the best men in the employ
of the county.
In regard to the building of the new
bridge, the Supervisors say they will look
into the matter more thoroughly, and de-
termine whether or not it would be more
advisable to have new combination bridge
or repair the old one. They say that such
number of sheep should not have been
driven over at one time.
MORAL PESTS.
Creatures Who Should be Introduced to
the Tar-Bucket.