The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1892-06-23
FORTY MEN KILLED
BY THE COLLAPSE OF A BRIDGE IN
KENTUCKY.

ryinG With 1t tho workmon En- ployed
Thereon with the Result Above Stated,
CINCINN ATT, June l5.-The false
work of tho new bridge over tho Lick.
ing river. between Coviugton and New
port, Ky, fell this morning. Thirty
wolkmen were drowned. Sixteen bod.
les have already been taken out. AS
sistant Superintendent William Wilson
IS badly hurt, probably fatally. Ills
back is broken aud he is otherwise in-
lurcd. The false work was erected by
Baird Bros. Of PitLsbury, at their own
risk. They were putting iu the iron
beams for the floor, when the weight
caused the false work to give way, car
rylng with IL the wolkmen, about thirty
IN number. The civil engineer who
was in charge OF the work is James A,
Stewart, OF Gin ;innaT, but he was not
there when the accident happened. The
bridge was being built by The Kcnton
and Campbell County Bridge Company.
The victims were either drowned or
crushed to death.
When The crash came it was but a few
moments until both banks were lined
with people. a b!g portion of the false
Work was submerged, and with it were
The unfortunate worknen. The scene
| was horrible one. Iu a minute the
air was filled with the shrieks Of the in.
Jurcd and dying. Those who could free
themselves from tangled network of
timber struggled to the surface of the
water and tried to get ashore. One
after another gave up the desperate and
uneven struggle and sank into the mud
dy water. Though the banks were
crowded, not a soul could 60 to the res
cue OF the poor fellows.
AS soon as possible police and volun-
teers went to work to get out the dead
and dying. IT was gruesome task.
Among the first to be taken out was
one OF the Bard brothers. Ills body
was in horrible condition, his back be-
ing crushed.
Next TO be taken from the water was
John Sponsor. lie was wedged in
among lot Of timbers on the Newport
side. The man died a horrible death,
log weighing couple of hundred
pounds crushing through bis abdomen,
driving his cutestines through his back.
The look of pain on his face was horri-
BILE, and silently told the terrible pain
the poor fellow suffered before he died.
One unknown man was taken out on
Tie CoVing.on side. lie was found
wedged in 50 tightly that portion of
his hand had to be chopped of before he
could be taken out.
All OF the dead bodies. as they were
taken out, presented terrible pictures,
The bones were crushed, broken and
spllntered, and in many instances were
forced through the flesh, presenting a
slckenlng sight.
| The terrible calamity ls due directly
to the recent heavy rams. The travel &.
er was fully seventy feet high and the
false work sixty feet. Two men were
at work on the top cord of the false
work when the crash came. They fell
into the river, but escaped with few
scratches. They were j. T.. Lynch,
colored, and Bruce Conas. Lynch fell
with the bridge and landed on ton of il.
Conas fell underneath the work, but,
slgularly enough, escaped with few
bruises.
superintendent Sullivan says there
were slNty-three men at work on the
bridge when the crash came. Those
who escaped were at wolk on the up-
stream side Of the work, which is to the
south. They tell with the wreck, but
fortunately fell on top of it. Those on
the downstream side fell under the
wreckage and were killed and injured.
Ii IS certain that those who cannot be
lound arc living at the bottom of the
Licking river.
1t IS thought that in addition to the
wOrkmcn caught in the wreck were q
number Of spectators who were watching
the men at work. At this time their
names cannot be learned.
William Wilson, an IRON work inspcc-
tor OF CoVlngton, was on the iated struc-
turc, and had Il thrilling escape from
death, although considerably injured
about the head and back. lie made the
following statement immediately after
being rescued, and then relapscd into
uncopsclousnesS: 81 was standing on
the false work, near the traveller, on the
Newport side, taking with Andy Baird,
one OF the contractors, who had lust ar
rived, and we were chatting together.
Suddenly we felt the structure sinkinr
beneath US, and with common impulse
we Started to run Tor the Newport end. .
we had scarcely gone ten feet when the
whOle thing went down. nnI we were
thrown headlong through the air. | lost
consciousness, and did not recover nv
senses until L rose to the surface of the
water. The first thing l saw was the
form OF Baird, fearfully mangled, wedged
IN between the timbcrs. He eroaned
several times and died. | managed
then to seize piece of drifting timber
and to hold on until small boat came
to my rescue. | cannot tell the cause
OF the accident"
At 3 3o'clock this evening, the steamer
ller,ulcs Carrel commenced the work of
removing the iron and timbers from the
river, in the hope Of recovering the
bodies pinned under the wreck. AL.
though the excitement caused by the
accident was intense, there was notice
able absence OF the hcart-rcnding
scenes usually accompanying such catas.
trophies. Most OF the men were stran-
gers and few had families. wives and
children in the scene to add their tears
and cries to tho grim spectacle. AS the
accident occurred on the dividing line
between Covlngton and Newport, the
coroners OF both counties will hold in-