The record-union., 1893-12-16

many boats were at work. The life
savers found they were unable to do
much, as they could not get where the
victims were imprisoned. Shortly after
they arrived the trestle work attached to
the north pier of the.fatal span fell, car
rying 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 engin-
eers in charge of the work or the work
men. Every precaution had been en-
ployed to insure the stability of the
framework, and the only thing lack
ing was the failure to take into considera-
ton the action OF the wind. To the great
traveller" alluded to is directly attribut-
able the falling of the span. The con-
stant action of the wind bore it from its
resting place on the last pier but one on
the Jacksonville side. It's displacement
was discovered and the work of putting
II back ia place was begun too late. The
center of the great span began to sink be-
fore the work was accomplished. The
wind had done It's work, and the heavy
engines near the pier went crashing
down 10 the water, carrying with them
mass OF humanity mixed in horrible con-
fusion with the timbers and iron.
The partial span of the last one did not
fall until twenty minutes after the first
had gone down, but it was the direct re-
suit of the falling of the first. The great
strain occasioned by the sundering and
rending Of the bridge naturally commu-
nicated itself to the unfinished span, and
it took its plunge, Gkesthe first, into the
water, but being mostly framework, did
not sink, but hoated slowly down the
river. There were said to be four men on
| it when it fell, and one was undoubtedly
! killed. The small traveller" on this
foI Il Al ra1 ic
and then grounded. The heavy timbers
were splintered like matches, showing
the terrific force of the tall. Iron girders
weighing many tons were twisted, like
one might twist piece of wire, into
every conceivable shape, and lay with the
timbers and huge pieces of iron in an In
eXtricable mass. The span would have
been completed by this afternoon, and at
ter the "traveler" had been fastened to
the pier there would have been no danger
of the wind or current breaking it down.
A revised list Of the dead, injured and
missing are as follows:
Dead-L. G. Garlock, Buffalo; John
Courtney, f. Burns. G.. Murphy, G. w.
Cook.
Missing-C. f. Holderer, a. Sodden, J.
c.. Regan, NJ. Solan, Frank Simmons,
Jacksonville; @. Ii. HinkIe, Dauphin,
Pa; j. Holden, j. l.. Wilson, Pat Kelly,
j. L. Ownes. f. Sheridan, J. Allen, 2. f.
Moore, George Lilly, r. L. Derhing, Vir-
ginia; Ii. Bliss.
Injured-J. Myers, Lexington, KY,
left leg badly fractured; Harry Lee, New
Albany, slightly injured; IL. ID. Pugh, e.
Hildebrand, three ribs fractured, in
ternally injured, and will probably die;
G.. w. Brown of Ifvington, KY, arm
broken III three places; c. Tharp of 0s-
| wego, n. Y, ankle badly sprained; q.
h. Sheehan OF Greenup, Ky, flesh wound;
4. r. Hall of East Tennessee, badly
bruised; 5. Parks OF Scotland, three ribs
broken and sprained ankle; L. Galloway
of South Pittsburg, Pa, fractured leg;
T.. Sheriff Of Chicago, fatally injured; f.
Hobin, fatally injured; ". A. Sharp OF
Louisville, left arm broken and hurt in
ternally.
The history of the Louisville and JEFF
fersonville Bridge Company has been a
series of disasters, financial and other
wise. 1t was originally projected in 1879,
and failure overlook it in its very in
cipiency. In 1888 1t was revived under a
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 stu
Didity of a Sub-contractOr, who engaged
himself as an expert when he was with
out experience. Air escaped from the
caisson and water rushed IN, drowning
fourteen men. Inc second CalSSOu dCcl-
dent resulted from the fool hardness of
the foreman in the management of the
structure. and caused the death of seven
men. To-day's was the third big acci-
dent in the chain, though several minor
ones occurred between times.
The enterprise was OVertaken by very
serious financial disaster early in its
career as a result of the Barring failure in
1890. which, by reason of its depressing
effect in money centers, prevented the
floating of 81, 100000 in bonds, arrange
ments for which had all been consum-
mated. The reverse was a blow from
which the enterprise never recovered in
the hands of the originators and prOmot-
ers. Jacob +. Kreiger, the leading spirit,
broke himself and the Masonic Bank of
this city, in furthering the project. and
finally sank himself into an untimely
grave under a load OF bills resulting from
the multiplied disasters caused by the
bridge. The enterprise languished sew
eral times, and at one time it looked like
those who had projected it would reap
nothing but loss. However, in March
last, they succeeded in disposing of the
property to a syndicate under terms con-
sidered very advantageous.
1T is estimated by the engineers of the
Phoenix Bridge Company that the loss to
the bridge will be at least 100000.
The third span Of the bridge collapsed
at $40 tonight. So far as known no one
was injured. This will be an additional
loss of about $4,000 to the bridge COM
pany. This span had been completed,
but the collapse of the fourth span to-day
is supposed to have loosened and dis
placed it.