The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1890-01-24
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Fourteen Men Meet Death in
the Falls of the Ohio.
A Terrible Accident at the New
Bridge at LoUisvilie-WithOu
Warming the WOrkmen arc
Manglcd to Death or
nrnxgDaf.

Drowned.
The most appalling accident known to-
Kentucky in many years occurred at LOUIS
vile. It was nearly time for work to stop
all over the city, and workingmeu were ex-
pected homo by their families, when the re-
port spread rapidly that there was wreck
or crash OF some kind at the new bridge
under construction between Louisville and
Jefrersonville.
It was first reported that span OF the
bridge had fallen and a gang of men had
asn'e Suu rruj,t e.Rrssvn ut 'Nt was ~
and the workmen employed i'm it had been
crushed to death by stone and timbers.
The caisson, known as No. ], was about 100
yards from thu Kentucky shore. As the
workmen Of the pumping station were look
In, for the men in the caisson to put Off In
their boats leaving work for the night, they
suddenly saw tho low, dark structure disap-
pear in dashing, white waves, and heard, be-
fore they could realize what had happened,
the roar of the furious maelstrom.
A runner was despatched to the life saving
station. and three skiffI were manne | and
pulle to the scene OF the wreck. Word was
sent to the police station, and squad was
| at ono, ordered to Che ground, to aid in tn,
work of recovery. The coroner was called,
and went with a corps Of physicians.
The site of the bridge is at the upper end
of the citv, just below Tow Head Island.
Within an hour from the disappearance OF
the caisson, three thousand people were on
the shore straining their eyes in trying to
see something OF the wreckage. Dozens of
holts were plying about over the spot where
the cnisson had stood, and h1hts sdaaeed 10
the massive structure Ss stone and timber
which had kept or the hungry river. 10
promfse my hope to the angulsheds ecrfoEeu
mothers and wives who stood in.the, throne
| on the shore. The water rolled sullenly but
smoothly down from the cofferdam above
| the pumping barge below where the caissou
| had stood. 1t was soon known that only
| four OF the eighteen men who wero at work
at that time had ESCAPED.
The last man out of the caison was Frank
! Haddox. He was barely saved by Murray
VINO dragged him from whore he was caught
waist deep in the quicksand. Taylor says he
| stood nearest the iron ladde- by which they
got il: and out OF the casson; He heard a
! rumbling, and there was rush OF air almost
ut the same instant. He jumped upon the
rungs of the ladder, followed by the 9th er
men.
They had hardly got clear OF the caisson
when the water burst through the manhole
in a surge. knocking them all into the river
where they were picket up. Haddox says he
| saw Ham Morris. who was cl mbing mex
below himself, swiftly drawn under by the
sand and heard his cries for help but could
| d, nothing.
| :: The Gals son Is not wrecked, as at first sup
posed, but has settled down in The bed of til,
s,sS i,h no oHnS Sope s IS
anv of those caught within the caiss0n
John Knox, the gang boss took charge o
the work Monday. The men who escape
say he had them dig too deep before letting
the caisson settle, and the digging was to,
close to the shoe Of the caisson. Just hefor,
the accident Knox gave some order {,
Robert Baldwin, the keeper in charge Of tn,
upper door to the exit. Baldwin then opened
this door. and the compressed air, whicl
kept out the river, rushed out, letting in tn,
| stream.
| The men say they were working in an ugly
| quicksand at the time. The caisson wa
about forty feet by twenty, and built o
timbers twelve inches square. 1t was pro
tected by cofferdam, but the river is very
high and the pressure of the water very
great