The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-12-16

"a enarge OF the work or th. workmen.
livery precaution bad been employed 70
insure the stability OF the framework, and
the only thing lacking was failure 20 take
.nso consideration the action of the wind
- the great Traveller 10 directly attribute
Die TIE falling Of the span The constant
aelaon OF the wind bore il from its resting
pace on the last pier, but on the Jefser-
sonvslle side the displacement was discov-
fie' ana the work Of putting il back in
pace vas begun. unfortunately too late.
Tue center OF the great span began 10
slnk before the work was accom- ps.shed.
Ihe wind had done its work, and
1"e neayy engines near the pier
went Crashing down 10 the water.
carrying with them . mass Of hu-
mainly miIed IN horribie confusion
Win urneers and iron The partial span,
the second last one, did not fall until
twenty minutes after the first had gone
GOWN, but IL was the direct result Of the
iaiihg OF the first The great strain oc-
casioned BY the sundsriag aud reDding OF
tue fridge naturally communicated Itself
70 the unfinished span aud IL took its
piunge like the first into the water, bat.
teing mostly framework. did not sink, but
nosted slowly down the river. There were
SAID 70 have been four men on 10 when 1t
iesi, and one was undoubtedly killed. A
shaii traveller on this span foated down
several hundred yards and then grounded.
heavy umoers were splintered like
matches. showing the terrific force Of the
isii. iron girders weighing many tons
were twisted AZ one might twist a piece of
wire, into every conceivable shape. and
Jay with umbers and huge pieces OF iron
ana lumber IN an inextricabie mass The
span would have been completed by this
afternoon, and after the Traveller had been
fastened TO the pier there would have been
no danger OF the wind or current breaking
1t down. A piIedriver was sent to the
scene this afternoon and the work of clear
ing away the wreckage and searching for
the dead under the debris was at once COM
menced
The dead are: l.. G.. Gartock, Buffalo:
John Courtney, +. Burns. C. Murphy. c. +.
Cook.
The missing are: C. F. Hoiderer, A.
sodden. j. Gregan. NJ. solan, Frank Sim
mons, OF Jacksonville: G. II. Hinkle, of
Dauphin, Pa; ]. Holden. J. L. Wilson,
Pat Kelley, j. T. Owens. r. Sheridan, J.
Alien, T. +. Moore, George Lilly, X. l..
Deriiing. of Virginia; II. Bliss
The injured are: j. Myers. Lexington,
left leg badly fractured; Harry Lee. New
Albany. slightly injured; ii. D. Pugh:
L. Hildebrand. three ribs fractured, in
ternaiiy injured. will probably die; G. w.
Brown, Covington, arm broken in three
places; {. Tharp. Osvego, ~ Y, ankle
BADLY sprained; g. L. Sheehan. Greenup,
KY, flesh wound; A. r. Hall. East Tenn
essee, badly bruised; &. Parks. Scotland,
three ribs broken and sprained ankle; T.
Galloway. South Pittsburg. Pa, fractured
leg; f. Sheriff. Chicago, fatally injured;
r. Holm, fatally injured; w. A. Sharpe.
Louisville, left arm broken and hurt in
ternally.
The history of the Louisville h Jeffer-
sonvilie Bridge Company Is a series of
disasters. financial and otherwise. Origi-
naliy projected in 1879, failure overlook it
In Its very incipiency. In 1898 il was re-
vived under new charter, and ground
was broken in October, 1889. Two caisson
accidents took place during the building of
the piers. The first was caused by the
cupidity OF q sub-contractor, who engaged
himself as an expert when he was without
experience. Air escaped from the caisson
and water rushed in, drowning fourteen
men. The second caisson accident resulted
from the fooIhardiness OF the foreman
in the management OF the structure and
caused the death of seven men. Today
was the third big accident in the chain.
Several minor ones have occurred betwe cen
times. The enterprise was overtaken by
very serious financial disaster early in
its career, rs q result Of the Barring failure
in 1870, which by reason of the depressing
effect in money centers prevented the
floating OF <i,0o0.oo in bonds, arrange
ments for which had all but been consum-
muated. The reverse was q blow from
which the enterprise never recovered
while in the hands of the orig-
majors and promoters. Jacob T..
kreiger, a leading spirit, broke himself
and the Masonic bank of this city in
furthering the project, and finally sank
into an untimeIy grave under load OF
ills, resulting from the multiplied disas-
ters caused by the bridge. The enterprise
languished several times and at one time
il looked like those Who had projected il
wonld reap nothing but loss. However.
in March last they succeeded in disposing
OF the property to a syndicate under terms
considered very advantageous. II is
estimated by the engineers of the Phenix
Bridge Company that the loss TO the
bridge will be at least Sl7S coo.