The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1893-12-21
a NEW BRIDGE.


As Lc0lsvills Turhlos Down to tie E;vorsss
Rottom-A Number Of Lives d st = iiis:s
Wind Caused the False Work 10 Give
way.
LOUISVILLE, KY. Dec. 16.--At 1918
Friday morning whole span Of tho
ycffersonvil1e bridge fell. Tho bridge
ia ROW under construction by the Pice-
nixville Bridge Co, OF Phosnsxville.
Pc Fifty men were at work Oh tho
bridge, all Of whom were precipitated
into the river. The number killed may
exceed thirty.
The bridge has been under constrre-
ton for number Of years Several
times work has been suspended for lack
OF funds. Two years ago the Masonic
savings bank failed because OF its con-.
nection with the bridge company, Res
Gently financial assistance was OBJ
tanned and work was resumed.
Three years ago in constructing the
I piers a:dreadful accident happened at
the caisson, resulting in tfesae8th Of
twelve men. Accidents have tesn fre-S
quent and from first to last It Is ssid
that fifty men have been killed Ed
Simmons was taken out dead. An M.
identified body was soon afterwara rc-
moved. Many more can be discerned
among the debris
The accident was due to the Insecure
placing Of the Traveller Thursday
night. The wind still further looaenod
it, and Friday morning the order wass
given to drawit 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 the end slipped off the men real.
lied their danger. The engineer called
to the men, and ten OF the ifty-ono on.
the span escaped EortS-cnei fell II oss
feet into the water.
The span which fell would hnvo-heen
finished Friday afternoon, After the
/, "travelern had been fastened to the
pier there would have been no danger
from the wind or current.
At IL o'clock it was known twenty
five men had been killed, as that many
dead bodies had been recovered. The
bodies were most horribly mangled.
At that hour the number OF wounded
could not be ascertained, though the
number was lkown tosbe large.
The shocking accident was witnessed
by men employed along tue river front
and on the boats plying up and down
the river.
The ferry company at once sent two
boats to assist in securing the bodies OF
the dead and dying and rescuing the
workmen still alive.
Both banks OF the river were crowd.
ed with people many women were In
the throng, and it was apparent there
were present the wives and children OF.
those who had gone down to death
Three patrol wagons were kept busy
and tho guards were assisted by the
fire department in carrying off thedead
ind the injured. The wagons could
not go to and from the hospital fast
enough to receive those taken from the
river. :
Z The only street leading to the ap..
proaches to the bridge is Campbell
street. Here the throngs rushed to-
ward the bridge, which became SO
dense that only with the greatest Diff
Guilty could the police keep this passage
way from being completely blocked.
The injured were brought to the city
hospital at the rate Of about one a
minute. At 1915 seven men had been
brought in. All were unconscious, and
as result their names could not DO
learned Some of the men were col.
ored.
LATER-It is now knowu that six
men were killed in the bridge ttisastti,,
and sixteen injured, some of whom VIII
die. Seventeen are still missing. lis
claimed that the criminal niggardiness
of the contractors is responsible for
the horror
LOUISVILLE, Ky, Dec. IA second
span Of the new bridge fell friday
night, This span is the one next to the
bigger one which fell Friday morning
toward the Kentuckgs;de The river
channel is now entirely blockaded and
uo.boats can pass. The wreck ispiled up
between three piers, the spans on eithor
side of the middle being down. There
q also wreckage on the Indiana side OF
the third OF the piers, q part OF On ,in-
finished span having fallen, the work
that went down being the continua-
ton OF the work of the span which fell
b