The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-25
HURLEDINTO THER[YER
Terrible Accident On the Great
Northern Railroad.
A wENTAcHEE BRIDGE FALLS.
Seven Men Killed, Five Fatally In
jured and Others Badly Hurt.
TrackIayers Try to Gross . Fran Tenn
porary Structure, wisich Collapses-
Men and Loaded Cara Fall Fifty
Fset-The Work Of Rescue.

SPOKANE, Oct 24-tspecisl t-One OF the most
appalling accidents in the history of Washing
ton railroads occurred this mo<niag at the point
where the Great Northern crosses the Wena,chee
river the second time. The bridge over
that stream collapsed willis a construction
train was crossing. seven mea were killed out
right i've fatally injured, and six Others SO seri-
ously hurt that some OF them .aay die. Follow
Ing is a list oi ths dead:
J. j. JOHNSON.
JAMES WRIGHT.
DANIEL WARHoUx
y. NELSoS.
J. BRADY.
A. OLSEN.
JOHN LEoNlRn
The fatally injured are:
JAMES GILMAN, back broken near hips ana
skUiI fractured.
}. ROBERTSON, skull crnsned eno cnest Solu
open by the END OF a steel ralt
GEORGE NELSON, deep gasn IN tho aOoomeu
from which the entrails pro -rifded. ,
JAMES CAN BELL. bad fracture OF skuis; ootn
leg ana arm broken.
JoHS LENSELL, uotn arns fractured; very
serious internal Injuries.
Those more or less severely lu1ufou are:
GEORGE NELSON, back hurt.
CHARLES ANDERSON. s-rious bruises all over
body ana right arm broken.
ROBERT ANDERSON. Internally injured anu
head badly cur
A. maxwell, struck in the eye by ., sharp
fshplate anu both shoulders dtslocated
G. JAMES, caught under falling tie ana oaoiy
bruised about body.
HENRY PAYNE, scalp cut open from above
right eye to back OF heal.
The ca amity came without moments warn
ing and while the men were hard at work, un-
miudful OF the danger of which they knew
nothing. The bridge began first 10 teeter, and
before they could run to the other end OF the
structure it collapsed, carrying them into the
RI gal below There
aud an engine on the bridge at the time, but
fortunately the engine was not coupled to the
cars. Had it been, the accident would have
been AL the more appalling, for some OF the in
iured would have been killed By the SLOW and
horrible death OF roasting against the hot
boiler.
The construction crew reached the east end OF
the bridge Sunday night, and when work was
stopped it was the intention OF Superintendent
Farrell who had charge OF the crew, to push
the tracklaying beyond the bridge the following
day. This morning the men wsnt to work at
O'Clock, and the track was quickly laid across
the last approach, which had been finished per-
manently. Beyond the approach were two
spans of temporary structure, or false work,
which had been placed there anly for the pur-
pose OF max ing it possible for tee tracklayers 10
get beyond the river. The first of these spans
was crossed safely, and when the train had been
pushed almost to the center Of the west span
there was some delay In eating one OF the rails
in position. ana several men were sent forward
to adjust The track.
They had j,lst reached the clear space ahead
of the train, and some OF them we're engaged in
spiking down a rail, when a crash came, and it
was an awful crash.
The west span was directly over the channel
OF the river, in which the water was about three
fee. deep. When the temporary structure was
built across the river earlier IN the season,
there was little water there, and piles
were driven through gravel 70 support the
heavy timbers upon which the track was
to rest When the water rose some of these
piles were pushed out of line, and they twisted
the upper timbers in such Enanner that the
whole structure became weak and much too
frail TO support the weight of a train. The tenn
porary bridge was so constructed that one span
depended upon another, and wnen that second
span collapsed it carried the other with il.
In falling, single fat car. which carried a
derrick with which rails and ties were raised
from the cars behind, plunged through the
chasm and fell bottom upward in water,
throwing the rails, derrick, etc. in every direc.
ton. The other cars, drawn by the first, also
started toward the wrecked span, but at that
moment the first span also collapsed, and two
| cars of ties and three cars loaded with steel
| rails were precpita,ed to the river bed on top
| OF the men who had gone down with the first
| ear The result can be better imagined than
| descr bed.
| In falling sixty feet the rails and ties were
| hurled everywhere, and some 81 the men who
had escaped death or serious ininry at the first
| fail were caught under the falling mass of ma.
| teriai and either killed and their bodies man.
| glei or so badly injured that they will die.
| How any OF the men escaped Is matter oil
| wonder, and every one OF them who went down
with the bridge was more or less hurt. The en-.
| g1ne alone was lefs on the approach of the
| bridge at the very edge OF the chasm. Had i,
been coupled TO the cars the weight Of the latter
| would have drawn il down also.
| Behind the construction train ,Eas a gang OF
| track laborers. numbering nearly 100, aud the
| engineer. without Il moments waste OF time
| started toward the point where they were a.
! WORK, a mile away. The foreman was Quick "
told what had happened, and two car loads o.
! men were soon on the way TO TescIe the injured
| Owing 10 the nature of the bci of the rivel
| the work Of rescue was necessarily slow
| soon the entire force OF section hands wa,
on the scene and everything that could b;
| done to save the men in the water was done
| The flatcar which had gone through the frs
| span had 10 be raised and under Il the deac
| bodies of three men were found Four compan,
| physicians were in attendance an hour after tn,
| sccicent occurred and hal the ii, Ived removed
t. the hospital car and later they were taken Il
| Wenatchee and p aced in the cOmpauy's i'm
tI''iseu Ho-pisdi' "deio 'Set "S:H CdEed Eor.
News of the calamity was recei. ad here abou
| noon. and Superintendent Farrell left for tn,
| scene of the accident, accom- eaaied hy Al
| uudertaker. The bodies of those killed wer.
paced on the bank of the river and afterward
| ssken 10 Wenatchee, where most OF them vii
he buried tomorrow. All of the lnel1 who Iostthe
lives were .aborers except John Leonard, " 40 wa
tie conductor of the train Leonard resided
| ia 81 Paul sn1 leave, Il wife ana four children
| HIS body will be brought 10 this city and EN-
| balmed after which it will be sen; 10 his forIne
| nome The Great Northern officials are in n,
| way 20 blame for the accident, AZ tn at PORTO,
| O: the road Is still IL the han.fs of Shepard
| se!lns & Co. who have charge o. :he coastrue
| ton department The rebuilding Of the oridg,
| vii. delay the road building sbous two weeks.