The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1890-01-16

Terrible Accident ~ tho New Hrt08C Bes
tween Louisville, Ny, and Jefferson
Vile. INDIA Drunken Foreman Rcspon-
sible.
LOUISVILLE. KY, Jan. l0.-The most
appalling accident known here in many
years occurred Thursday evening about
8 o'clock. fourteen lives being lost. Fol-
lowing is list OF the killed: William
t. Haynes, John Knox, James Nc
Adams. Frank Mahar, Pat Naylor.
Thomas Ash. Monroe Bowling, Charles
Chiles, Thomas johnson, Joseph Cor
don. Hamilton Morris. Thomas Smith,
Frank Soaper and Robert Tyler. The
disaster was caused by the giving away
Of caisson No. on the new bridge now
being constructed between Louisville
and Jeffersonyille. The caisson was
located about 100 yards from the Ken
tucky shore.
As the workmen Of the pumping sta
tion were looking for the men in the
caisson to put of in their boats, leav-
ing work for the night they suddenly
saw the low, dark structure disappear
in dashing white waves, and heard. be-
fore they could realize what had hap
pened, the roar Of the furious maelstrom.
A runner was dispatched 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 re-
covery. The coroner was called and
went with a 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 dis
appearance of the caisson 5000 people
were on the shore and strained their eyes
trying to see something Of the wreck
age. Dozens OF boats were plying
about over the spot where the cais-
son had stood, and lights danced to and
fro with them, but there was NO trace of
the massive structure of stone and tim
her. 1t was soon known that only four
of the eighteen men who were at work
at that time had escaped.
The last man out 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. Taylor says he stood
nearest the iron ladder by which
they got in and out of the caisson.
He heard rumbling, and there was
rush OF air almost at the same
instant. He jumped up the rungs
of the ladder, followed by the 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. Haddix says 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 was about forty feet by
twenty and built of timbers twelve
inches square. 1t was protected by .
! cofferdam, but the river is high and the
! pressure of the water great.
! At q. m. the outer chamber of the
caisson was reached and three bodies
were found. All of the men in the cais-
son proper are known to be dead.
The engineers theory of the accident,
which is partially supported by facts OBJ.
tanned from the workmen who escaped,
is that the foreman, who. it is alleged,
had been drinking, while attempting to
reduce the air pressure turned the valve
Of the supply pipe too far and the pres.
sure on the interior Of the caisson be-
came SO low that the caisson settled in
the mud of its own weight, at the same
time admitting the water.