Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1893-12-16

Of the disaster to strong wind which
had been sweeping over the river all
day. 1t bore with great force on the
ponderous frame work which necessarily
became loosened from the strain and
swaying of the heavy timbers. A great
number of people before the first span
fell, could see the great "traveler,''
rising eighty feet abovethe piers swaying
and quivering in the wind in what ap-
peared to be most alarming manner to
those on shore. The motion, however,
was hardly felt by the workmen and
they had no idea of the peril until the
great mass of wood ana iron began to
sink and the awful cracking and crash
ing of timbers smote their ears.
George W. Brown, one of the foremen
in charge of eight men, had remark
able and thrilling experience. When
the crash came nine men made dash
for the Kentucky side Of the bridge.
Before they reached safety the span
fell and the workmen were precipitated ,
into the river. Brown displayed re-
markable presence of mind. He held
his breath during the fall and remem-
bers going to the bottom of the river.
Debris was piled above him, but he
managed to crawl from under it. He is
an expert swimmer, but he discovered
that his left arm was broken in three
places. He managed, however, to grasp
a floating piece Of timber. with his right
arm and foated down the river until
rescued. He says while clinging to the
timber two men came up near him and
after struggling an instant sank out of
sight. He saw several struggling men
in the water who sank out Of sight be-
fore help reached them. ss1H8
James Trent, a painter, who resides
in the city, was on the span twenty feet
from the pier nearest the Kentucky
shore, when he heard the. peculiar
crunching noise. With Ernest Miller,
Robert Wolford, Chas.7 Pope and a
workman named Carter, they ran for
their lives toward the pier and all sue
ceeded in reaching a safe foothold on
the masonry when the span went down
with fearful crash. Trent and his
companions slid down a rope to the
river surface where they were, taken
into q skiff. Trent asserts that the
collapse was preceded by two distinct
shocks, which gave the workmen warm
ing but too late to allow many to escape.
Harry Lee,a workman, jumped out
from the bridge into the water and
when rescued was found to haves es-
capped with broken leg.
The East End Improvement company
has been acting as limited agent in
/ the construction of the bridge. Under
reorganization last March when the
property was disposed of to syndicate
controlled by three roads, gefefally
believed to be the Big -Four, the Ghesa-
peak & Ohio and the B. & j. W, for
the purpose OF completing the bridge
and providing suitable terminal f&eili-
j ties. a bond issue OF $1,000, 900 was
authorized, 81 ,O00,O 900 of which is to be
held in reserve. This gave new life to
I the enterprise and. the " ork of COM
pleting the structure has been going On
rapidly since. The span that gave way
last was the one needed to complete
the structure.
The accident was seen by d lookout
on duty at the life-saving station
and two boats were at once
manned and rowed as quickly as
possible to the rescue. Before they got
there however many boats were at work
and the life-savers found it inn possible to
do much as they could not get to where
the victims we've imprisoned. Shortly
after they arrived the trestle work at
tached to the north pier of the fatal
span fell carrying one man down with
it. The life-savers rescued him and
took him to shore.
That the structure was otherwise
than safe, never occurred to either the
engineers in charge of the work or the
workmen. Every precaution had been
employed to secure the stability OF the
frame work and the only thing lacking
was failure to take into consideration
the action of the wind. To the great
''traveler" alluded to is directly atribut-
able the falling span. The constant
action of the wind bore it from its
resting place on the last pier but one
on the Jeffersonville eide. The dis
placement was discovered and the work
of putting it back in place was begun too
late. The center OF the great span be-
gan to sink before the work was ac-
complished.
The wind had done its work and the
heavy engines near the pier went crash
ing down TO tQe water carrying WIFI
, them a mass of humanity mixed in
horrible confusion with timbers and
iron. The last span did not fall until
, twenty minutes after the first had gone
down but it was the direct result of the
falling of the first, the great strain oc-
casioned by the bending and rending OF
) the bridge naturally communicated it.
self to the unfinished span and it took
, it's plunge like the first into the water
but being mostly framework. did not
! sink but foated slowly down the river
There is said to have been four men or
lit when it fell and one was btedly
, killed. The small traveller on the spar
, foated down several hundred yards and
then grounded. Heavy tlmbers were
, splintered like matches showing the
terrific force of the fall.
Iron girders weighing many tons were
, twisted like one might twist piece Of
{ wire into any conceivable shape anC
, lay with timbers and huge pieces o.
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