The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-06-16
Into THE RIVER.
Down Sixty-flys Feet Fell More Than
Three Score Workmen on
= Bridge.
OF the Whole Number But Few
Escaped Alive TO Tell
the Story.
In an Instant. Without Warning,
the Structure Fell Into
the Water.
Helpless Men Crushed and Man
Rled and Carried to the
Rivers Bottom.
Terrible Damage Wrought ~ Hurricane
in Canads-sohool House Full or
Children Demolished. Z.
Terrible Damage Wrought ~ Hurrican.
in Canads-sohool House Full or
Children Demolished.

river. between Covington and Newport. Ky,
Forty-five workmen wsrs on the structure
90 fAr ~ known only two sacaped unhurt
The Others were eitber'killed BY the crush-
ing Of iron and timbors or were drowned in
the water. Tho csuse 10 surmised to be
the weakening Of wooden falsework. The
river had washed out the earth about the
supports and it is said ono Of the contrsc-
tors said day or two ago, he was afraid
the structure would not stand under the
weight Of the hsavv nsterial. But still
they kept a. work. To-day force Of forty
thrse men. under the direction Of
Robert and William Baird. the contractors, d,
were engaged in putting in place heavy
ironwOrk on the main span. Suddenly.
without warming. there was cracking
sound of breaking timber. a sudden sway
ing Of the structure, and there was head
long plunge of the whole mass OF timber,
iron and helpless workmen into the muddy
waters Of Licking river, fifty feet below.
II was almost like the foundsring Of a
ship. very few forms were to be seen
struggling on the surface. The others
we're drowned or crushed by the material.
In short time the river was lined with
rescusrs on both sides, and BY their efforts
something of the horrible story was req
vealed.
The contractors for the ironwork were
Baird Bros, Of Pittsbure. They were An
drew and Robert Baird, and they went
down 70 death with their two score and
wrought iron structure. .ThA stone piers
on each side " the river were 1inished. The
ironworks OF the approaches are very mag
siye. The span bstween tho two piers is
about $50 feet. Tho height Of tho trussle
which was to form tho bridge span between
False work in the piling and tim
bers had been constrrcted on the river.
On top of thia.false work the construction
OF the iron truss was begun, midway be-
tween tho two piers, and the work was
pushed from the middle both ways. Five
sections of ponderous iron work had been
constructed. On top of this was an appa-
ratus known TO bridge men az the traveller,
which 10 used to entend the structure from
the ends. The traveller was full Of mon at
1880 this morning, and some of them were
h. ~ soP nearly vn 100 fee: above the
were in the traveller at 1890, when the awful
crash came. and no one can tell Just how
many were working below. The crash
came like bolt from heaven.
At the hour OF the accident there were
few other workmen on the bridge near the
soene. which leaves the few survivors
among the victims 40 the only ones to tell
the story. Bruce Thomas was working on
the bridge. He says: ''The first thing I
knew was falling. heard no cracking Of
timbers. no outcry, only knew was going
down: had hardly time to think when /
found myself on the bottom of the river.
about twenty feet from the shore. only
got bsuised ok the legs. I saw several
others that escaped but don't know their
At a cottage on Thornton street, Newport.
not 200 yards from the bridge, lay the dead
William Roby. Mrs. Catherine Baer. occu-
pant Of the house, was the mother-in-law |
Of John Roby. who leaves widow and two |
children. Two brothers were taken there |
to die. Never in the house Of royalty was !
there there more real mourning than in the.
dying brother said to the Weeping widow,
..Don't cry, Annie. John will get WE'LL"
When told John Was dend he said, "Then / |
want to die too." Those were his last
words.
In the same house was G. H. Fetters. of
lronton, Ohio. His back was injured and
MS ankle crushed. He said: "The crash
came without warning. I heard no sound;
only knew we were going down. scram-
oled on some timbers and some one rescued
me- in a boat"
Charles Wilkerson. whose homo is in
IN the Newport approach and Was the first
,ne to the rescue. He says the timbers of
he false work were buckled down stream.
md everything went down in a hear,
Wilkerson saved many livea of wounded,
md then went diving Tor the dead. The
irst dead man he got was james j, john
on.. of Havre dc Grace, MARYLAND.
This man had a brother injured at Geneva,
". Va, who has become insane from his
INJURIES received while working for the
Saird Bros. He had sued Baird Bros ana
vas here on tho bridge looking up testi-
nony among the men on the pork. The !
lext man Wilkerson recovered by diving ,
vas Andrew Baird, one of the contractors,
rho arrived here this morning and was on
he bridge with his brother inspecting the
reat bridge at Memphis and have had /
nuoh experience In bridge building. Id
I here were sixty-eight persons ON and !
bout the bridge when it fell. The follow :
ng IL revised list of killed ana missing; | !;
! ID. Champeix, Thomas Down, an I'M !
nown man about 40 years old, Elmer !
'arbe, Wm. Aleis. g. w. Pfafen- =
ach. Dick German. John Adams, :
rank Adams, Robert Baird, Andrew
laird. Chatles Gresham. Edward Sullivan.
ames johnson, Dennis Harlow, Il. A.
olan. Charles Stall. Charles Tyre, Will
lm Burton, Patrick Murray. The missing {
re: Martin Luther. George Burge, N.
urton, William Wsssling, Fred Brant, !
lick Adams, John Philliaa and Harry o.
orns. probably fatally injured, and nine .
zen others more or less injured.
CYCLONE AND HURRICANE. III
.orms Rage with Terrihla Fnrv 49,, r.,.,