Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-05-26

At three o'clock there was no longer Il
hope that the span could be saved, and ev-
erv one was ordered from the structure. De
spite this, however, a number of fOOl-hardy
people persisted in remaining upon II, and
two or three. more daring or more foolish
than the rest. crossed the dangerous and
trembling span, that they might be able 10
say they were the last over the bridge.
Despite the Telling rain, Il large number OF
people gathered upon the banks, on either
side of the river, watching the bridge, the
river and the cvcr-increaSing mass OF DRIFT
above the false work, expecting every mo-
ment would see the collapse of the struc-
ture reared at so great an expenditure OF
time, labor and money. Among the crowd
were many prominent citizens and most OF
the railroad and contracting officials con-
uected with the railroad work now in the
city Many people had gathered on both
sides of the river, during the morning, eX-
pecting the false-work would fall. but asst
stood until after noon this fact and the rain
induced many TO leave.
At forty minutes past three, while things
were in this situation, the towering mass of
timber and steel suddenly broke at the west
end, and In twenty seconds the false-work,
superStructure, towering Traveller" and all
had sank with u crash into the muddy
stream. which bore off upon its surface the
enormous network of timbers and drift
Instantly half-dOzen skiffs full of work
men shot out into the river after the drift
ing masses of timber, and men were put on
the larger drift piles with lines. to aid in
taking care of them and landing them al
some point below, while the towboa'
Horace, in the employ Of the contractors
at once started out down stream after the
wreckage. The Horace landed the first lOi
of timbers she tackled at the ice-hreakers
al the foot of Ninth street, and "a second a
the mouth of the creek, and then kept OF
down the river after the remainder, land
| ing all that was worth saving within two
miles south of Benwood, at the mouth o
| Jim's run. The boat finished this w0rl
about seven o'clock and about half-pas
steamed back up past the city to the bridge
where she was tied up.
The crash of the massive timbers as they
| succumbed to the pressure against them
and the excited cries of the hundreds o
SPECTATORS soon brought the whole pepula
| ton of the upper portion Of the city to tn,
| bank of the river, and in "A very short tint
| the news Of the disaster was current every
where. some of the stories, as matter o
course being very much exaggerated. \
| good many peOple, seeing men on thu
! masses of floating drift as they swept pas
the city. jumped TO the conclusion that
/ the bridge had been filled with work
men when il went down, and that the mel
upon the drift We're the survivors. The
| idea was quickly dissipated however, n
| as il was seen the men were endeavorlne
/ to aid in landing the stuff.
As the floating masses of timber wen
down stream. one of them, sbirting the
I Island shore. struck the north guy-pier oI
the suspension bridge, where part of il
stuck. and the remainder going on past
struck guy-rope on the south side, max
/ ing the bridge tremble and creating u
small panic among the spectators.