St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-10
DROWNED like RATS.
Appalling Accident at the
New Bridge Being Built
at Louisville.
Eighteen Men Caught in a
Caisson by the Rush Of
Waters.
imprisoned in the Air Cham
ber Beneath the Bed of
the River.
Four Escape and Fourteen
Are Now Helpless in
the Trap.

LOUISVILLE. KY, Jan. 9.-The most
appalling accident known here in many
years occurred this evening about {
O'Clock. 1t was nearly time for work to
stop all over the city, and wOrkingmen
were expected home by their families
when the report spread rapidly that
there was wreck or crash of some
kind at the new bridge now under con-
StructiOn between Louisville and JEFF.
fersonyille. 1t was first reported that a
span of the bridge had fallen, and a
gang of men had been thrown into the
river, but this was at once discredited,
as there was no span in exist
ence. Then came the truth that a
caisson had given way and the work
men employed in it had been drowned Oh
crushed to death by stone and timbers.
The "a SSon known as No. l was about
100 yards from the Kentucky shore. AS
the W0rkmen 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 DASH
ing white waves and heard, before they
could realize what had happened, the
roar of
THE FURIOUS MAELSTROM.
& runner was dispatched to the life
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 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, 5000 people were on the
shore and strained their eyes trying to
see something of the Wreckage. Dozens
of boats were playing 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 struc-
ture 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
cOtferdam above the pumping barge
below where the caiSsOn 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. Corrected reports
from the scene of the accident show the
following list of killed:
HAYNES, WILLIAM E.. forty years, 2I4
Clay street, Louisville.
KNOX, JOHN. twenty eight years.
MCADAMS, JAMES, twenty-six years.
Hyde Park, Pa.
MAHAR. FRANK. twentv-tbree wears old.
native of New Jersey.
NAYLOR, PAT, twenty-seven years, Phila-
delphia.
ASH, THOMAS. colored, thirty-eight years,
Henderson, Ky.
BOWLING, MONROE, colored, ffty-four
years. Henderson, Ky.
CHALEs, CHARLES, colored, thirty years,
Henderson. Ky.
JOHNSON. THOMAS, colored, thirty years,
Henderson, XIV,
GORDON, JOSEPH, colored. twenty-five
years. Henderson. Ky
MORRIS, HAMILTON, twenty years, Hen
SMITH, THOMAS, twenty-seven years,
Henderson, Nv.
SOAPER. FRANK. eolored, twenty-five
years. Henderson, Ky.
TYLER, ROBERT, sixteen years, Hender-
son, Ky.
The men saved are all colored, as fol
lows: Abe Taylor, Lewis Coch and
Frank III. HaddoX, all of Henderson,
KY. The last man out OF the caisson
was Frank HaddoX. He was barely
faved 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, fol
lowed by the other men. They
had hardly got clear of the caisson
when the water burst through the man.
hole in a surge, knocking them all into
the river, where they were picked up.
HaddoX 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 caission is not wrecked.
as at first supposed, but has settled
down in the bed of the stream COM
pletely filled with sand ana water. The
pumping station is hard at work clear
ing
THE WAY To THE BODIES,
but none Will be reached tonight. John
Knox, the gang boss, took charge of the
work Monday. The negroes who es-
capped say he had them dig too deep be-
fore letting the caisson settle, and the
digging was too close to the
shoe of the caisson. Just before
thu, accident. Knox gave some
order to Robert Baldwin,
the keeper in charge of the upper door
to the exit. Baldwin then opened this
door and the compressed air which
kept out the river rushed out let
ting in the stream. These men saw
they were working in an ugly quick
sand at the time The caiSSOn was
about forty feet by twenty and built of
timber twelve inches square. 1t was
protected by a cOfferdam but the river
is very high and the pressure of the
water very great.
HORRIBLE FIGRT FOR LIFE.
Abe Taylor, one of the survivors. tells
the following story of the accident, and
the horrible 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 They made
such rapid progress to-day in the muddy
surface that the excavation went down
faster that the caiSSOn whose
great weight was expected
TO carry it gradually down.
keeping pace with the work of eXcayat.
ing to rock foundation. This after
noon an unusual quantity of water be-
gan to trickle from under the caisson's
edges, but the pumps were at work tax
ing it out, and no apprehension was
felt. Gradually the incoming tide in
creased until suddenly from under the
edge Of the caisson on every side flood
gusshed in. The men, too late, realized
their deadly peril and all rushed for
the exit, into the escape pipe.