The morning call., 1892-06-16
COLLAPSE OF A BRIDGE.
Forty WOrkmen Dashed to Instant
Death.
THE ACCIDENT CAUSED BY NEGLIGENCE.
Insufficient Foundations for a Heavy hOn.TruSS
Bridge Over the Licking RiTer in
kentucky.
THE ACCIDENT CAUSED BY NEGLIGENCE.
Special to the MORNING CALL

CINCINNATI June 15.-One of the most
fearful accidents in the history of this vcin-
ity to-day was the fall of bridge in course
of construction over the Licking River, be-
tween Covington and Newport. KY Forty
FIVE workmen we're on the structure. AS
far as now known only two escaped unhurt.
| The others we're either killed by the crush
| ing iron and timbers or drowned.
A wagon and street-Tailway bridge was
! In course OF construction between the two
cities. The contractors for the iron work
were Baird Bros. of Pittsburg. They
were Andrew and Robert Baird. and
| they both went down to death with
| their twO-score or more wOrkmen. The
bridge was a strong wrought iron structure.
! The stone piers on each side of the river
were finished and the iron works of ap-
| prOaches are very massive. The span Oe-
! tween the two piers is about $50 feet and
! the height of the truss which was to form
the bridge span between the piers was So
| feet above the water.
The cause is supposed to be the weaken
ing of the wooden false work, high water
| having washed out the earth supports. The
men to-day were engaged. under the direc-
| tion of Robert and William Baird, con-
tractors, in placing the heavy iron work OF
| the main span. Without warning there
was a sudden cracking of the timbers, the
swaying Of the structure and the headlong
plunge of the mass OF timbers. iron and
workmen into the waters Of the Licking
| River, 90 feet below.
Poor Foundation.
The false work in piling and timbers had
| been constructed in the river On top OF
! this false work the construction of the iron
truss began, midway between the two
piers, and the work was pushed from the
| middle both ways. Five sections OF the
| pondeTOus ir0nwOrk had been constructed.
On top Of this was an apparatus known
| TO bridge men as a traveller" which Is used
! to extend the structure from the ends. The
| traveller was full Of men this morning aSd
| some Of them were near the top nearly 100
feet above the waters of the Licking River
! The timbers of the false work were beams
! about ten Inches square, old and weather.
| beaten, aud had evidently been used before.
An overweighted Structure.
1t was this mass of iron. weighing hun
! dreds upon hundreds OF tons, that over
weighted them. that wrought ruin and
! gathered the awful harvest for death.
ThiTty-siX men were on the traveller at
| 1880 o'clock when the awful crash came,
and 10 one can tell how many were work
! ing below Suddenly the OyeTtaXed beams
of pine broke and crashed into tie river
| below, mass Of ruins, under which score
Of lives went out.
The Work OF Rescue.
Debris filled the deep stream from bank
| to bank. People soon gathered on both
| shores, and the stream was quickly
full OF skiffs, aud the work of res
| cuing the victims began without a directing
head. This work was kept up all day, and
is still going on tonight. At the hour Of the
accident there were a lew other wOrkmen
ba hriG - "
a few survivors among the victims as the
only ones TO tell the story.
The river was quickly lined with rescuers
on both sides
The following bodies we're recovered:
| Richard German. Thomas Burke, William
! Hartner, John O'Neil, Charles ScampOn,
| Robert Baird, Thomas Downing, Dick
! Spooner. FREQ Brent, Charles Duvenick,
| James johnson, George Burge, \. w. Bur-
| ton, Dennis Harlow, B. (. Phelps, c. w.
! Pfannback, B. Thomas, Richard Jennings.
The following are missing: Frank Muir.
| Charles TaTT, William Barton, William
! Almis, Harry Kramer, g. f. Sheehan, B.
Krause. Edward Nolan. Edward Sullivan.
Daniel Brinkley, Patrick Murray, j. J.
Murray. Albert Heingler
Fatally injured: Andrew Baird, William
Wilson, John Phillips, Elmer Barber,
w. +. BrOee, Henry OSBORN.
c. d. Champ, Thomas Down, an un-
known about 40 years of age, X r.
4
German, John Adams, Frank Adams.
Charles Gresham, James Johnson, Charles
Stall, Patrick Murray.
Martin Luther, William Wessling, Dick
Adams.
Story OF Survivors.
Bruce Thomas was on the bridge and says:
The first thing l knew l was falling. /
heard no cracking timbers, no Uutcry, only
! / knew | was going down. / had hardly
! time to think when | found myself on the
| bottom of the river about 20 feet from shore.
i only got bruised on the legs. | saw sew
| era others that escaped, but don't know
| their names"
Charles Wilkerson. whose home Is in
| Louisville, KY, was working on an engine
| on the Newport approach and was the first
| one TO the rescue. He says the timbers OF
| the false work buckled down stream and
everything went down in heap Wilker-
son saved many lives Of the wounded aud
| then went diving for the dead.
Diving for the Dead.
The first dead man he got was James J.
| Johnson of Hayre De Grace. Mary land.
| This man had a brother Injured at CanOva,
w. Va, who has become insane from his
! injuries received while working for Baird
! Brothers. He had sued Baird Brothers and
was here OH the bridge looking up testi-
mony among the men on the works. The
next man Wilkers0n recovered by diving
! was Andrew Baird, one of the contractors.
| VINO arrived mere tnlS morning ana was on
| the bridge with his brother inspecting the
work. Baird Brothers were engaged on
the great bridge at Memphis and have had
much experience In bridge building. The
wounded were scattered over the three
cities-Cincinnati, Covington and Newport
and surgical attendance was prompt, eff
cient and amply sufficient
Sad Scenes In the Homes.
At the cottage on Thornton street, New
port, not 200 yards from the bridge, lay the
dead bodies of John r. Roby and brother,
William R0by. Mrs. Catherine Baer, the
occupant of the house. was the mother-in-
law OF John Roby, who leaves a widow and
two children. The two brothers were taken
there to die. John died first. His dying
brother said to his weeping widow: "Don>t
cry, Annie; John will get we'll" When
told that John was dead he said: "Then l
want to die too" Those were his last
words.
In the same house was c. IL. Fetters, of
IrOntOn, Ohio. His back was injured and
his ankle crushed. He said: "The crash
came without warning / heard no sound
and only knew we were going down.
Scrambled.On some timbers, and some one
rescued me 10 boat"
There were 6S persons on and about the
bridge when it fell.