Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-12
MORE OF THE MEN LOST.
A BRIDGE GIVES WAY
AND THROWS SEVEN HUNDRED PEOPLE
INTO THE SEA.

The Particulars of Terrible Disaster at
Dartmouth. n. N.S.-Hearrreuding Scenes
of Attempts to save Life-Fortunate Is
cape of a Large Number.
HALIFAX, n. S., July ia terrible
accident occurred in Dartmouth tonight,
by which a number of people were drowned;
but the exact number of the victims
will not be known till tomorrow. The
disaster happened by reason of the
chain attached to a ferry float slipping out
of place and allowing the front of the bridge
to sink and precipitate the crowd of 600 or
700 men, women and children into the water.
The people were crowded there waiting
for the new ferry steamer Annex,
just arrived from New York, to dock.
| When the steamer got within two
! feet of the landing a number of persons
| jumped on board and at that moment the
! accident occurred. The outer end of the
I bridge went down suddenly and the horror
stricken crowd slipped off into the harbor
as though they were descending a slide,
| piling on top of each other, shrieking for
help and scrambling for q means of safety.
For some minutes there was confused
mass of men and women and children
struggling in the water, but the accident
had hardly happened before dozen brave
youths and men leaped to the rescue with
out waiting to throw aside their clothes.
The drowning people were rapidly passed
up to the men standing above on the
wharves, and the rapidity with which the
divers performed their work resulted in saw
ing great majority of those who fell in
from death.
There were many able swimmers in the
party, and these worked till exhausted
hal 10 Ian rpfI fhar
were no more in sight on the surface,
and those who could not be saved
had sunk out of sight When the crowd
slipped off the landing stage the people
around, numbering some hundreds, crowded
to the sides of the wharf and threw sticks
and boards to the struggling mass in the
water, while number of life pre-
servers were thrown to them from the
steamer. Many people were struck and in
jured by flying boards. Statements of
spectators show that most of those who fell
in were women and children, and the scenes
Immediately following the disaster were
frightful.
Several men and their wives were thrown
in and the former struggled heroically to
save their loved ones, succeeding in every
instance as far as known. A woman named
Logan was thrown into the water with a
young child in her arms and her efforts to
preserve the life of the infant were heart
rending. Both were finally brought ashore
alive. When all those in sight had been
brought to land the work OF graphing for
the drowned ones was commenced. Within
two hours four bodies had been recovered,
but up to midnight no other victims had
been found. 1t is believed that at least three
or four were lost, but the exact number can
not be told at present.
Intense excitement prevailed in Dart
mouth and Halifax when the news of the
disaster spread, and thousands focked to
the scene, where they remained till late
hour watching those working in the water.
Owing to the confusion, it is impossible to
tell who are missing, but the number can
not be large. Divers are now searching
under the water for further victims.