The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-01-17
An Appalling Accident On a
New Bridge Being Built
at Louisville.
Eighteen Men are Caught in
the Caisson, only Four Es-
Gaping.

| were expected nome Dy IHelr AaHliA1eo, WAcA
the report spread rapidly that there was
wreck or crash of some kind at the new
bridge now under construction between
Louisville and Jacksonville. 1t was first
reported that a span OF the brlc:ye
had fallen and gang of men had
been thrown into the river, but this
was at once discredited as there was no
span in existence. Then came the truth
that caisson had given way and the work
men employed in it had been drowned or
crushed to death by stone and timbers.
The caisson known as No. was about one
hundred wards from the Kentucky shore.
As the workmen of the pumping station
were looking for the men in the caisson to
put off in their boats leaving work
for the night they suddenly saw the
low dark structure disappear In dashlng
white waves, and heard, before they could
realize what had happened, the roar OF the
furious maelstrom. A runner was dis
patched to the life saving station and three
skiffs were manned and pulled to the scene
of the wreck. Word was sent to the police
station and squad was at once ordered to
the ground to aid in the work OF recovery.
The corner was notified and went with
corps of physicians. The site of the bridge
is at the upper end of the city just below
Tow Head island. Within an hour from
the disappearance of the caisson three
thousand people were on the shore and
strained their eyes trying to see something
of the wreckage. Dozens OF boats were
plving about over the spot where the
caisson had stood and lights danced to ana
fro with them, but there was no trace OF the
massive structure of stone and timber which
had kept off the hungry river to promise
any hope to the anguish-stricken mothers
and wives who stood in the throng on the
shore. The water rolled sullenly but
smoothly down from the cofferdam above
the pumping barge below where the calsson
had stood. 1t was soon known that only
four of the eighteen men who were at work
at that time had escaped.
| The bridge officials ordered the reporters
off the pumping barge and made it difficult
as possible to get information. Reports
from the scene of the accident show the fol-
lowing list of killed:
William E. Haynes, forty years, "a Clay
street, Louisville.
| John Knox, twenty eight years.
James McAdams, twenty-si years, Hyde
Park, Pa.
Frank Mahar, twenty-years old, native of
Patrick Naylor, twenty years, Phil
adelphia.
Thomas Ash (colored), thirty eight years,
Henderson, Ky.
Monroe Bowling (colored), fifty -four
years. Henderson, KY.
Charles Chiles (colored), thirty years,
Henderson, KY.
Thomas johnson (colored), thirty years,
Henderson, KY.
years. Henderson, KY.
Hamilton Morris, twenty years, Hender-
son, Ky.
Thomas Smith, twenty-seven years, Hen
derson, KY.
Frank soaper (colored), twenty-five years,
Henderson, Ky.
Robert Tyler, sixteen years, Henderson,
KY.
THE MEN SAVED
are all colored, as follows: Abe Taylor,
Lewis Coch and Frank H. Haddox. all of
Henderson. XIV. The last man out of the
caisson was Frank Haddox. He was barely
saved by Murray, who dragged him from
where he was caught waist deep in the
quicksand Taylor says he stood nearest
the iron ladder by which they got in and
out of the caisson. He heard rumbling,
and there was a rush of air at
the same instant. He jumped up the
rungs of the ladder, followed by other men.
They had hardly got clear of the caisson
when the water burst through the man.
hole in surge, knocking them all into the
river, where they were picked up. Haddox
saws he saw Ham 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 filled with sand and water. The
pumping station is hard at work clearing
the way to the bodies, but none will be
reached tonight There seems absolutely
no hoye for any of those caught within the
charge of the work Monday. The negroes
who escaped said he 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 Robert Baldwin, the keeper in
charge of the upper door to the exit. Bald
win then opened tins door and the COM
pressed air that kept out the river rushed
out, letting in the stream. These men say
they were working III an ugly qulcksand at
the time. The caisson was about 40x20 feet
and buiit of timbers twelve inches square,
It was protected by a cofferdam, but the
river is very high and the pressure of the
water very great.
FOUGHT FOR LIFE.
Abe Taylor, one of the survivors, tells the
following story Of the accident and the hor-
rible fight for life of the panic-stricken
workmen imprisoned in the air chamber
beneath the bed of the river: The men
were at work in the soft bottom of the
river. The made such rapid progress to-
day in the muddy surfacg that the excava-
ton went down faster than the caisson,
whose great weight was expected to carry
it gradually down, keeping pace with the
work of excavating to rock foundation
This afternoon an unsual quantity of water
began to trickle from under the caisson's
edges, but the pumps were at work taking
If ont and no aDDrehenSiOn was fn1t Gro1