Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-12-16

sualISG woakmEn TO DEATH


vile. iri. collapsed st about lois
o'cicck this incoming crushing 60 death
of drswning bstwsen tsenty snd thirty
usn and lniuring about twenty more.
sons of xhom uilI die. Only slx bodies
have been recovered Those known 10
BE- dead are. Lester Gsrlock. Frank MI
ler. Charies Anrphy. Chicago. died In
the city hospital. G. W. Cook. Nantua.
Ohio. died IN city hospital, j. h Burns.
Franklin. Pa: Frank burns. Fred NIL
Ter. The misssng are: Henry Plaiss.
Eighth Eightcsnth street. New Albany.
Fraak Simnlonz. Jeffersonyille; Russell
Durflinger, W. A. sharp. A. Soden. j.
Kregan, NJ. Solen. q. III. Henklc. l..
Pierce. j. l. Wilson. J. Scott. T.. Sheri-
dan, George Lilly. The injured are: sam
--.No. 80 Spring street. New Albany,
Al Moore. engineer of the travellers. both
aTHns broken: q. ". Brown. irvington.
arms broken. ID. = sheehan. Grecnup.
kentpcky G- r. Hall. Bristol. Tenncssee;
Harry Pugh. Marcer. Pennsylvania. both
arms broken, back hurt and internally
injured. Harry Lee. Jenersonsiile. cut
sbossl head and injured by shock; Id
Iiaben. Chicago. slightly Injured; T. ~
Gihlaway. No SCI Fast Market ankle
broken, John Meyer. Lexington. Ken
tucky. leg smputatod; Ed Scheers.
South Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. viii die;
Ia hillebrand. North Lampton. spinal
injury: q. Thornr. injured about knees
and side; r. ID. Parde.
Tho Fai.e Work Gave Away.
For weeks past large force OF men
have bsen at work on the big 800 foot
span over the middle of the river. The
iron work was ali up and was resting on
= heavy frame work Of piling driven
dowa into the bed of the river and se-
carely bolted and braccd. This after
noon the bolts were 10 have been put in
placs in the iron super structure and
the gigantic span would have supported
Its own weight Tho foreman. in begin
ming work this morning. noticed that
during the night the traveller" huge
derrick. used Tor placing iron in posi-
tion. had been worked loose by the wind
and he ordered IL drawn back into place.
The wind was high at the time and tho
gentle swaying Of the false work gradu-
ally forced ths traveller OF Of the piles
on which IL vas resting. When the end
slipped the whole work trembled and
the men. reaiizing their danger. stsrted
Tor the piers AZ luck would have IL.
the cenfrzl bent was the first 20 give
way and the men on this bent went
down % be covered BY the mass Of iron
sod timber of the other bents. which
fell almcst Immediately. carrying with
them the other workmen. who failed 10
reach places OF safety on the piers. The
north bent. or the one attached to the
Indiana pier. did not fsil for fifteen
minutes after the other parts went down.
Fify Fell with the span.
There were fifty-0ne men on the bridge
when the alarm was given by the engin-
eer IN charge of the work. OF this
number several succeeded in reaching
the piers. OF those that went down
some we're covered by mass of timber.
from beneath which 10 will be DAYS bc-
fore their bodies are recovered. The
partial span. the last one. did not fall
until twenty minutes after the first had
gone down. but 10 was the direct results
Of the falling OF the frat. The great
strain occas;oned BY the sundering and
rendering of ths bridge naturally con-
municated itself to the unfinished span.
and Il took It's plunge like the frsf into
tho water. but being mostly framework.
did not sink. but hoated slowly down
the river. There were said 10 be four
mea on it when il Tell. and one was un-
doubte,iiy killed The small traveller
90 thls span iioated down several hun
drod yards and then grounded. The
heavy timbers spiintered like matches,
showing The terrific force of the fall.
The crash attracted the attention OF
those on the shore and mary turned
away their eyes a. they saw the men
struggling IN mid-ai in their mad ef
forts % Climb out % the danger When
the huge mass u material struck the
water az was concealed Tor an instant
by the spray that was thrown high into
the air.
Men struggled for Lifs.
As the water sibsided here and there
couId oe seen men struggling desper-
atoiy % climb upon the timber that
thrust their ends above the water. 4
fes succeeded ia climbing % places OF
safety and we're quickly rescued Others
struggled hopelessiy and were carried
off b the current 20 sink almost a. res
cuA WY at hand The ferry boats City
II Jslferronvisie and the W. &. Hit and
the life saving crews were the first 20
reach the Nreckage which completely
bloeksd one ebannei of the river Men
With hroxen arms sud legs were found
ciinging 10 p,eccs of timoer- They were
palled iato boats 4nd hurried to hoepi-
tala IN tisis cty asd JefersouviIle. Five
bodice eere recovered from the wreck
Tae steamer Hotspur. with Saperinten'
dent (sesrrue Fisher on hoartf. came near
bsiug caught by the falling span. Tho
boat Was making Tor the false work
rhep Superintendent Fisher heard some
timber cf~ak. Looking up he saw the
great span shaking ard gave orders te
back me steamer. IL vas done none
to s,n,e tar the top of the huge ~trave
tef FED within twenty feet of the boat.
Re~caiax tbe Injured
Soon A. The pilot realized What had
happeoed he fan the beat up b. the
wrecaa,<e and the srev saved nine men,
uho were 50 ba.ily hurt that they could
not have kept aaoat i've minufes.
although al are gouf ssfmmerx Cap
tsin lsevan ant nis two crevs q lifs
savers we're herce- q the day. dashing
into the drift - pat cat The deal aud
injured. Captain iicvan thinks that
sonse u the hodies have been carried
ever The fali& II sili take ssvsral days
e. recover the bofies as most y them
are pinued down ~ she heavy .ren
trsssses rhieh tell on tsp q th- fsie,
wozk Tbs ernige eompesy aas f0a men
a. eotk snd eli extneats the bossie-
frnaA ths wreck a. suon a. pceett.e =
When the Becond EaFf q the falss work
feil AZ eaxina and heller weat ufin 81
ana = hen &he hsiler ~ fhe iskrfs Il -
rfokied but no one - knoxr - harf