The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-06-16
Terrible Scenes OF Ashtabula and
Chatsworth Combined in the
Bale Calamity.
Moro Than One Hundred Killed.
Outright and Many Others
Cruelty Mangled.
Sceues at the Place Of the Awful Bridge
Dlsaster That Were Frightful
beyond Imag gination.

BERNE, June 15.-The total number of
people who lost their lives yesterday by the
collapse OF the railroad bridge on the
Moenchenstein 4 Bale railroad ia now
placed at 120, with hundreds more or less
injured. Another account of the disaster
says that ffty-seven bodies have already
been recovered and that forty persous were
severely wounded. 1t is feared that many
others are dead whose bodies have not been
found. The victims are mostly leading
citizens of Bale and it's neighborhood.
The bridge was an iron skeleton structure.
which was considered we'll built and sub
staDtial. The only apparent reason for the
collapse is that the train left the rails and
threw its entire weight on one side Of the
bridge. Some heartrending scenes were
witnessed in Bale to-day when the bodies
of large number Of the victims were
taken there by sorrowing relatives There
were representatives of majority of the
best families of Balo among the killed and
injured. Several families were practically
wiped out of existence by tho disaster, the
full extent of which is not known even at
this hour.
Bale is now the scene of bitter desolation
and mourning. Nearly every family in the
city may said to have been touched bv the
Calamity, for those families who have not
actually lost any of their members have
near friends or acquaintances among the
dead or among those who are mourning tho
loss OF relatives. Those who are wounded
include SO many injuries that almost each
hour records another death or another case
in which the physicians give up all hopes of
saving the patients life. Everything tho
local and municipal authorities can do to
help the wounded, recover the dead or as
sist those in distress is being done. Cler-
gymen, priests and physicians and a large
force of troops and firemen and scores of
vehicles to be used as ambulances have
been dispatched to the scene of the wreck.
Troops and tiremen are busily engaged re-
moving the wreokage, recovering bodies of
the dead and transporting the
wounded to their homes or to
hospitals. Physicians and ministers
OF the gospel are doing noble work in
administering to the wounded and comfort
ing the bereayed. The neighborhood of the
collapsed bridge resembles in many features
the after episodes of IA battle or the closing
acts in some warlike struggle. Still more
30 was this the case last night, when the
river banks we're illuminated by huge fires.
Troops and fremen are working increasingly
dragging the river for the dead, nursing the
spots whore it was not thought advisable to
admit the crowds of people who Ind
locked to the scene from every village in
the canton. The work of the soldiers in
dragging the river "is greatly impeded by
the fact that the stream is considerably
swollen by melting snow. Thus the waters
have carried away many bodies and several
days of dragging will be required before
the soldiers work will be completed. That
somebody is to blame for the accident no.
body doubts. The people are SO taken up
with the present duty that the question of
tion.
Shortly after the first horror of tho
crashing of engines and cars through the
bridge and into the swiftly running stream
had died away, the survivors saw II scene
which rivallsd in horror the most heart
rending features Of the Johnstown disaster.
Beneath what remained of the bridge WAS
hideous mass of broken car wood, car
wheels, engines, etc., intermixed with still !
quivering heads bespattered with blood and |
brains. protruding arms and legs. bloody
garments of all descriptions, hats and bon
nets, umbrellas and parasols, hands and
feet, while floating down the stream were
numbers of dead bodies, and family |
men, women and children. A |
few now and then uttered horrible cries.
After the first moment of partial paraly-
cation which followed the revelation of this
horror, the survivors did their utmost
to rescue those whose lives were in
danger. The work of pulling those
who remained in the two suspended cars
from the perilous position in which they
were placed was one of great danger and |
difficulty, and resulted in number of in
stances of heroic conduct. In the mean
while, passengers were dispatched on all
Bides for medical relief that was most
needed by hundreds of wounded
people, whose distressing cries for help and
Trayers to God asking him to relieve them
OF their sufferings, were most heartrending.
When the relatives of dead and wounded
began to arrive and identified some of the
victims, there WAS another awful series of
Tho widest grief was expressed
Oh all sides, weeping and mourning filled
The air, and several people were with diff
Guilty restrained from casting them
selves headlong into the stream. As
night drew near an enormous crowd of
country people and citizens of Bale gath
Bred around the fatal spot, taxing the pow
or of the military to its utmost in the ef-
forts of thesa people to get nearer and
closer view of the horrors piled beneath the
bridge. To such extent did this desire pre-
vail, that crowds of people initiated soldiers.
hremen and railroad men and bivouaced
for the night in the vicinity.