Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-01-17
A RIVER DISASTER,
Louisville Cassion Goes Down Witty
Fatal Results.

Fatal Results.
The most appalling accident Louisville
has known in many years occurred on
Thursday. Caisson No. /, about one hum
dred yards from the Kentucky shore, used
in the construction of the new bridge be-
tween Louisville and Jeffersonville, sud-
denly gave way and the workmen employed
IN it were either drowed or crushed to death
by the stone and timbers. AS Che work.
men at the pumping station were looking
for the men in the caisson to put off in
their boats on leaving for the night, they
suddenly saw the low, dark structure dis
appear In the waves. The life saving sta
ton was Immediately notified of the acci-
dent and three skiffs were manned and
pulled to the scene of the wreck. The site
OF the bridge is at the upper end of the
city, just below Tow Head island. Doz-
ems OF boats we're plying about over the
spot where the caisson had stood and
lights danced to and fro with them, but
there was no trace of the massive structure
of stone and timber. 1t was soon known
that only four of the eigteen men who were
at work at the time Of the accident had es.
caped.
The killed are:
WILLIAM E. HAYNES aged 40 years, Hyde
Park, Pa.
JOHN KNOX, aged %, Hyde. Park, Pa.
M'ADAN1S, aged o. Hyde Park, Pa.
FRANK MAHAR, aged %, q native of New
Jersey.
PAT NAYLOR aged ~, Philadelphia.
THOMAS ASH, colored, aged 80, Henderson,
Ky.
MONROE BOWLING, colored, aged "a, Hen
derson, Ky
CHAs- CHILEs,s colored aged 30, Henderson,
KY. ye s-f. $# -l
THOMAS JOHNSON, colored, aged 30, Hem
derson, KY.
JOSEPH GORDON. oolored aged Is, Hender-
son, KY.
HAMILTON MORRIS, aged 20, Henderson.
KY. 800
THOMAS SMITH, aged 81, Henderson, KY.
FRANK SOAPER colored, aged 25, Hender-
son, Ky. '5---
ROBERT TYLER, aged 16, Henderson, Ky.
The last man ont of the, caisson was
Frank Haddix. He was barely saved by
Murray, who dragged him from where he
was caught waist deep in the quicksand.
| Abe Taylor, one of the saved, says he
stood nearest the ladder by which they got
out. He heard o rumbling and there was
a rush of air almost at the same instant
He jumped up the rungs of the ladder. fol-
lowed by the other men. They had hardly
| got clear of the caisson when the. water
burst through the manhole, knocking them
all into the river, where they were picked
up.
Haddix says he saw Morris, who was
climbing next below himself, swiftly drawn
under by the sand and heard his cries for
help. but could do nothing. The caisson
is not wrecked, as at first supposed. but
has settled down in the bed of the stream,
completely filed with sand and water.
There seems absolutely no hope for any of
those caught within the caisson. The me-
groes who escaped say John Knox, the
gang boss, had them dig too deep before
letting the caisson settle and the digging
was too close to the shoe Of the caisson.
Just before the accident Knox gave some
order to the keeper in charge of the upper
door to the exit. He opened the door, and
the compressed air which kept out the
river rushed out, letting in the stream.
The men say they were working in ugly
quicksand at the time. The eaisson was
about 40 feet by 20 and built of timbers II