The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-01-10
7A5CASSIOT7COLLAPSBS77
/, And ! a. Fourteen {, j Eithell
Crushed to Death Of Drowned
z TERRIBLE CATASTROPHE HI

Charged to tho Carelcssncsss or III,
Gang Boss-only N I'owS Escape
DostructIon--Thc Story OF tho n SS
Suryiyors.!The Cause Of 1t.
LOUISVILLE, KY, Jan. 0.-The mos
appalling accident known here In man,
years occurred this evening about Z,
o'clock at the new bridge now undeI
construction between Louisville ant
Jeflersonyille. a caisson gave way anG
the workmen employed J! on It were
drowned or crushed beneath by stones
and timbels. The caisson known as No
16was y about 100 yards ! from the
Kentucky shore. AS the Sworkmen oI
the; pumping station were looking for
the men in tho caisson to put oil in their
boats leaving work for the night, they
suddenly saw the low dark structure
disappear, dashing white waves, aud
heard, before they could realize what
had happened, the roar OF the furious
maclstrom. A runner wus dispatched
to tho life saving station and three skilIs
were manned aud pulled to the scene OF
the wreck. Word was sent to the police
station and a squad was at once ordered
to the ground to aid Ia the work OF res.
cue. The coroner was called and went
with a corps Of physicians. !. y \
r 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, three thou.
sand people were on the shore and
strained their eyes trying to see some.
thing OF the wreckage. The bridge oil.
cials ordered the reporters off the pump.
ing barge, and made 1t difficult as posi-.
bic to getinformation. ~,
s53,5YS,f24 3,(l LIST OF THE KILLED. s.S ~,
Corrected reports from the scene OF
the accident show the following list Of
killed: III " VS. 1;JJil.
I. WILLIAM El.sHAyxrs, 40 years, Louis.
vile. Il, l.Aat.siS
Jous KNOX, % years. VA
JAMES McADAMs, 90 years, Hyde
Park, Pa. & h SIsf3
FRANK MAsAR, 90 years, New Jersey.
n HAL NAYLoR, 27 years. Philadelphia.
Thomas ASH, SS years, (colored) Hen
derson, Ky. q Sy.,. p (.
NJ BowLISe, 81 years, (colored) Hen.
lers on, KY. 81 ;isi iilIFs 81;
= CHARLES CulLEs, colored, 80 years,
Henderson, Ky.51 \ n
THOMAS Johnson, colored, 80 years,
Henderson, ky.yy n 4: B y
JosEplI GoRDoN, colored, % years,
Henderson, Ky. b .i ;.s3S5ffi;;t hi
a HAMILTON MonRls, 20 years, Hcnder-
son, Ky. " 43t1 55i5
: Thomas sAlrlr, q years, Henderson,
Kentucky. n 5:5sS 81. r. 715
FRANZ soArEh, colored, 25 years, rs Hen
derson, Ky. ~
Y. RoBERr TYLER, 16 years, Henderson,
Kentucky. s
4 The men saved are all colored as fol-
lows: Abe Tappler, Lewis Coch and
Frank II. Haddock, all of Henderson,
KY. i z & Il. ysi NJ tf5.i
Il The last man out OF the caisson was
Frank Haddock. He was barely saved
by, Murray, who dragged him from,
where he was caught, waist deep in the
quicksand. Tappler says he stood
nearest the. iron ladder by which they
got in and 4 out of the caisson.
He heard a rumbliug and (. there
was a rush q Of air almost at the
same instant. d He jumped up the rungs
OF + the ladder, followed by J the other
men, They had hardly got clear Of the
caisson when the water burst through
the manbole in a SURGE knocking them
all into $the river where they were
picked up, Haddock says he saw II.
Morris, who. was climbing next below
him, swiftly drawn under by the sand,
and heard his cries for help but could do
nothing. II &C. 81 .it5!
4 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 water of
the bodies, but none will be ;reached
tonight. There seems absolutely mo
hope for any Of those caught within the
caisson. MI. j;; sj3sssg
John Knox, the gang boss, took charge
OF the work Monday.S@The negroes who
escaped say he had them dig too deep
before letting the caisson settle, and the
digging was too close to the shore. Just
before Iithe accident 4 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 Z kept out the
river, rushed out, letting in the stream.
The men say they were working in an
ugly quicksand at the time. y Il rs N
d The caisson was about forty feet by
twenty and !, built Of 4 timbers twelve
inches square. Il was protected by a
Golfer dam, but; the; river is very: high
and the pressure Of the water very
great. f!s ii3 e Il 81