The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-05-26

WHEELING DAILY
ton Of food. Others were put 70 work
pushing away drift and preventing II
from lodging against the false work.
This was kept up until sunset, and at
dark, lanterns were strung all along the
false work, and with the light Of these
and other lanterns and the moon, these
men, reinforced by olhers, worked all
night, and with tie assistance OF two
engines on top ofthe bridge did effective
work 10 preventing the drift from lods-
Ing. AT daylight yesterday morning the
steamer Horace" and ten or twelve
skifIa, each containing four.or more men,
armed with ropes, grab hooks, ETC.. be.
gan working above the bridge, pushing
and pulling the heavy drii.wood TO
either side OF the false work 80 that II
would not lodge against the false work,
and were successful In n measure. Up
10 5 O'Clock very little drift wood had
lodged against the work, but after that
1t began coming down at Il lively rate,
and nothing could avert disaster. Z !
At this ,imc the Beard Bros. had very
little hopes OF saving the span, and said
that one foot more OF water would tske
the span and everything with II. The
river continued to rise, the quantity Of
driitwood increased, and at noon all
hopes were abandoned.
SAVED FROM THE WRECK.
Thetwo portable engines, ropes, pul.
leys, tools and great deal OF iron, etc,
were removed TO the spans on either
aide Of the ill.lated one, and the bridge
men expected to SEQ the span 20 at any
time. The bols with which the ends o!
the striuses were fastened TO the string
ers Of the completed spans were un.
screwed or cut, 80 as 10 prevent the ad.
joining spans from being carried down
should the channel span 20, and every.
thing was In readiness. Very few OF the
bridge men, who have unlimited nerve
would venture out on the channel spar
after one O'Clock.
| The fyst indication OF its going va.
the cracking near the top OF pier 3. The
whole Structure began to tremble, ant
the pieces OF the strlnger on the ives
side, joining that on pier 8, began u
crack, followed by the west bent OF thl
false work, then the second, and tht
third. Down came portion OF tn,
western part OF the stfinger. More bent
fell and were broken like pipe stems
The destruction continued eastward IN
Ill hal! OF the entire structure had fallen
Down came the gigantic traveller, freak
ing in thousand pieces, followed b,
more iron and wood, and the crashing Q
the easiern part OF the span. The frs
quarter fell rather slowly, but the lie
mainder OF the span wentdown quickly
and the entire structure, piles, tlmbefs
stringers columns, traveller and all, wa
not one minnie in falling. e
| Timbe.s flew in every direction, an,
the falling Of hundreds Of tons Of iron
aad millions oil feet oil timber into tn
raging Ohio, caused the water to shoo
high into the air, with splash and foam
| s..I A CLOSE CALL. 81
| The ierryboat Climax had left th
North Wheeling landing for Martin
Ferry, and was out in the river onl,
about a hundred yards and short dis
lance below the bridge, when the spa,
went down. 1t was SO near that tn
sweils rocked, the boat violently. Mos
Mccain was at the wheel, and instaa,
OF getting excited and losing control o
himself, backed the boat and then hel,
her toward the Martins Ferry side, will
full speed. Those who were fortunat
enough to be on the ierryboat had tn
beat viev OF the accident. The ferry
boat whistle was blown, as also were til
whistles OF the engines on the bridges
and both sides Of the river were sool
. black w.!h people. Men, women an,
children turned out in the rain and near
" one half Of Martins Ferry was Oh til
. banks Of the Ohio side. A short shor
time before the epan let go one Of tn
heavy tlubers broke, and several Of tn
bridgemen who were standing on the ad
joiningspan ran toward the Ohio shore
| The last men on the channel span be
, fore it fell were Messrs. Robert an
, DAME! Beard, the contractors, who NJ
, such heavy losers. These gent!eme
, ran over it only fifteen minutes before
fell, and several peraons remarked at tn
} time that they were. very foolhardy. N
work was done on the bridge after l 81
by order OF the contractors.
81 THE PEOPLE EXCITED.
| The falling OF the structure cause
considerable excitement in Mort
Wheeling and q great deal in Martin
| Ferry. The crashing OF the timbers wa
heard all over Martins Ferry, and man
persons who were taking their usua
Sunday nap were awakened by the noise
A large number OF people who heard tb
sound supposed there was another cy
clone, and several are known to hay
taken 10 their cellars. When the crash
ing, followed by the footing OF whistles
was heard, people in eyery.part Of tow
rushed to the river and acyeral thousant
persons lined the bank. All the wa,
down, as the debris doated past, it wa
gazed at by hundreds Of people.
President Morris and the Bearl
Brothers took the matter much more
coolly than was to be expected. They
evidently regarded it in philosophical
light. Both ere amply able to stapt
any loss resulting. The Boards are The
largest constructors Of big bridgesin the
country. -. 4
The crew and passengers on the eli.
mag were considerably excited. III
the cabin there we're several ladies and
girls. They thought the boat was sink.
ing, and were terro,iz,d with fright,
screaming, clinging to each other and
wringing their hands.
People on both sides OF the river
thought the boat was in danger and
were alarmed. & So 6 /
A large number Of people stood in
the rain nearly all day yesterday, ex.
pecting TO zee the bridge 70 down.
This is tho third interruption in the
construction Of this span. Last fall the
false work was nearly built when tow.
boats knocked it down. The work was
then put of till spring. About six
weeks ago the false work, then being
built, was again struck by towboats and
damaged. ss,5I