The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1893-12-17
HORRIBLE ACCIDENT.
TWENTY-FIVE MEN KILLED
ON A NEW BRIDGE.
CAUSED BY COLLAPSE OLA SPAN.
over - score of Others Seriously Injured
The structure was Intended to
Connect Louisville with Jefferson
Vile, Iud., and the Finishing
Touches Were Being Pat
on when the span Fell.

LOUISVILLE, KY, Dec. lG.--At 1918
o'clock yesterday morning a whole
span of the new Jeffcrsonviilc bridge
now under construction by the PhmniX-
vile Bridge company of PhWuiNvi.le,
Va, fell with fifty worlmcn all Of
whom were precipitated into the
river At least twenty-five were
killed. The bridge timbers and false
work, iron and mangled humanity arc
| lying in heap in the river Several
thousand people soon lined the shore
of either side of the river and boats
near the spot of the disaster were
crowded, while heroic efforts were at
once made at rescue.
The accident was due TO the inse-
ticurc placing Of the traveller last
night The wind still further loosened
il and this morning the order was
| given to draw it back into its place
and the engines were started The
wind was high and the swaying of
the false work forced the traveller"
| from the piles on which it was
placed. When tho end slipped off the
men realized their danger The en-
gineer called to the men and ten of
the fifty on the span escaped. Forty
| fell 10 feet into the water
The span which fell would have
been finished this afternoon. After
the traveller" bad beeu fastened to
the piers, there would have been no
danger from the wind
now THE ptsAsrEE OCCURRED.
superintendent Ellie of Manchester
had a very narrow escape from death.
lie said: II was standing on the
span that fell near the Kentucky side
and seeing that the span was about
TO fall. / called to the men to get off
as soon as possible. had just
counted the men who were on
the span few minutes before
and there were ffty-onc in
all, not counting myself. When /
called the men dropped their tools
and ran toward me, but only ten could
get off. The others went down in a
heap. l was so badly frightened that
could not tell how many OF them got
ont. ] only saw one man swim to the
shore. The accident was mainly
caused by the wind There wa i high
ralc blowing from the southwest all
morning and ] realized that at any
time the span hight he blown down.
Then, too, the piling under the span
by which il was supported was weak,
the current is very swift and Il large
amount of drftwood damned against
the supporters If the wind ha not
been SO high, however, the pilings
were sufficiently strong to have done
the work. The bridge fell like pack
of cards. 1t became loosencd on tho
Indiana side first and swaycd away
gradually across to the opposite side
There were many narrow csca pes
by workmcn. John Lcghey in falling
from the traveller caught on rope
and lowered himself into the water,
Mike Flynn of ST. Louis, WAS saved in
similar manner. Harry Maxwell of
St Louis, hnding himself falling,
grasped the edge of the pier and drew
himself TO the top.
The total loss of life viii not be as
certained until the roll is called and
the missing located. Some of the
men were carricd in skin, to Jeifer-
sonvillc anl others To this side The
bodies that lie buried in the river arc
weighted down by tons OF iron and
wreckage.