The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1892-06-22

CINCINNATI June l5.-A casualty such
as throws pail of sorrow over a commu-
nifty and sends n thrill OF horror through
the civilized world happened on the Lick
! ing river between Newport and Covlng-
ton, KY, thfs forenoon. A wagon and
street railway bridge was in process OF
construction between the two cities. 1t
left Covington at Twelfthst. and entered
Newport at Eleventh-st. The ChesA-
peake & Ohio railroad bridge crosses
the Licking about 500 yards above this
point The banks OF the Licking are very
steep at the point where this roadway
and street railroad bridge is to cross. The
contractors for the iron work OF the bridge
were the Baird Bros. of Pittsburg. They
were Andrew and Robert Baird. Even
hereafter they will be spoken OF in the
past tense, for they both went down to
death with their two score or more OF
workmen.
The bridge was strong wrought iron
structure. The great stone piers on each
]
the approaches to them. The iron works
of the approaches are very massive. The
span between the two piers looks to be $50
feet. The hight of the truss which was to
form the bridge span between these two
piers was slxty-fve feet ABOVE low water.
| False work of pilin2 and tlmbers had been
constructed in the river. On the top OF
| I'll. a. Of ha
iron truss began exactly midway between
the two piers and the work was pushed
| from the middle both WAYS. Five bents
or sections of tho ponderous iron work
had been constructed. Each bent or sec
ton was thirty feet long, making nearly
half the span. On the top oil this was an
apparatus known to bridge men as the
traveller. which is used to extend the
structure from the ends. This traveller
rose some thirty feet above the main
structure. 1t was full of men at at 10 80
this morning and some of them near the
top of it were nearly 100 feet above the
waters of the Licking river.
The tirnbers of the false work were
beams about sixteen inches square. They
were old and weather-b beaten, and had ey-
identity been used before.
However, in bulkiness and TO oil out
ward appearances they were strong. The
facts show they were not strong enough
for the immense weight they were re-
ouired to bear. The burden OF thirty-fvo
or thirty-six men, OF for that matter OF
g 600 men would have been as nothing for
these great beams of yellow pine. 1t was
the mass of iron weighing hundreds upon
hundreds of tons that overmatched them,
wrought ruin and gathered an awful har-
vest for death.
The Crash Comes.
It was about 10: 80 this morning when
thirty-six men were in the traveller and
no one alive can tell how many men were
working below when the awful mo-
meut came. 1t came, too, like a bolt
from heaven. No warming came from
those over-taxed beams of sturdy pine.
Suddenly, as if broken by some resistless
invisible force, they broke and crashed
down into the river below a mass of ruins,
under which q score of human lives went
, | out.
] OF course there was a rush to the scene
from both sides OF the river. The debris
filed the deep stream from bank to bank.
People filled both shores but from the
configuration of the wreck aid was most
easily rendered from the Newport side.
The stream was soon full of skifis and the
work of rescuing the living began and
went on bravely without directing head
Indeed it was done quite as well, perhaps
. better, than it would have been
done by any organized life saving
. corps This work was kept UP
, all day, and it is still going on tonight
The police OF the three sister cities were
soon at the scene and they rendered noble
, service in caring for the dead and in re
moving the wounded to homes or hos
: pitfalls.
At the hour of the accident there were
few other than the workmen on the bridge
near the scene, which leaves the few sur
, vivors among the victims as the only
ones to tell the story.
} Hero saves Many Lives
Charles II. Wilkerson is a hero. Hi
: home is 63l L. MAin-st., Louisville, KY
; He was brought up on the Maumee river
near Toledo, and has lived at Buffalo anC
other places on Lake Erie. He is at hom'
in water. His work was at the engine on thu
, Newport approach and near the pier. III
rushed to the rescue. He says the timber
of the false work buckled down stream
, and everything went down into
heap as quickly as q stone 10
fall from the top of the works
Wilkerson saved many lives Of thu
wounded and then went to diving for thu
: deaf. The first dead man he got wa
James J. johnson OF Havre De Grace. Md
i This man had brother injured at Cansva
r w. Va, who had become insane FROM hi
injuries. received while working for thu