The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-12-16

tAu WIN was uCCOulpllSuBu' luG Wlhu
had done it's work and tho heavy en-
gines near the pier went crashing down
to the water, carrying with them tho
mass Of humanity mixed in horrible con-
fusion with the tinbers and iron.
THE LAST TO FALL.
The partial span, the last one, did not
fall until twenty minutes after tho 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 COM
municated itself to the unfinished span,
and it took its plunge like tho first into
the water, but being mostly frame work
did not sink, but foated slowly down
the river. There were said to be four
men on it when it fell, and one was un-
| doubtedly killed. The small traveller
on this span tloated down several hun
dred yards and then grounded, tho
heavy timbers splintered like matches
showing the terrific force Of the fall.
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 and lumber in an ineXtricable
mass.
Mr.. Erie Manchester, civil engineer,
who is employed on tie bridge, in Civ
ing an account OF the accident, said to
an EUening Post reporter: II was stand
ing on the span that fell, near the Ken
lucky side, and, seeing that it was about
to fell, called to the men TO get Oft as
soon us possible. l had Just counted
the men who were on the span before,
and there were fity-one in all, not
counting myself.
"When / called, the men dropped
their tools and ran towards me, but only
ten OF them could got of. The others
went down in heap. l was 80 badly
frightened that l could not tell how
many OF them got out, but l only saw
one man swim to the shore.
"The accident was mainly caused by
the Wind. There was high gale blow
ing from the southwest all morning and
realized that any time the span might
be blown down. Then, too, the piling
under the span by which it was being
supported were weak. The current is
very swift and large amount OF drift
wood was damned against the support
ers. II the wind had not been so high,
however, the pilings were sufficiently
strong to have done the work. The
bridge fell like pack OF cards. 1t be-
came loosened on the Indiana side first
and swayed gradually across to tho op-
posite side"
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 it down.
A pile driver was sent to the scene
this afternoon and the work Of clearing
the wreckage and searching for the
dead under the debris at once COM
menced.
The revised list of the dead, injured
and missing is as follows:
DEAD.
LG. Garlock, Buffalo.
John Courtney.
F. Burns.
@. Murphy.
@. w. Cook.
MISSING.
O.. F. Holderer.
A. sodden.
]. Cregan.
NJ. soIan.
Frank Simmons, Jeffersonville.
G. II. Hinkle, Dauphin, Pa.
J. Holden.
]. L. Wilson.
Pat Kelly.
], T. Owens.
+. Sheridan.
]. Allen.
P. L. Moore.
George Lilly. ;
RL Derling, Virginia.
II. Bliss.
INJURED.
]. Myers, Lexington, KY, left leg
badly fractured.
Harry Lee, New Albany, slightly in.
jured.
II. D. Pugh.
T. Hildebrand, three ribs fractured,
internally injured. will probably die.
G. w. Brown, IrYington, KY. arm
broken.
9, Tharp, ankle badly Hprainod, oS-
wego, N. Y.
6. Z. sheehan, flesh wound, Groenup
4. 7. Hall, badly bruised.
S. Parks, three ribs broken and
sprained ankle, Scotland.
I. Galloway, 2707 Sayre street, South
Pittsburgh, Pa, fractured leg.
L. Sheriff, 46l South State street, Chi
cago, fatally injured.
Il. Hoben, fatally injured.
W. A. Sharpe, Louisville, left arm
broken; hurt internally.
The third span OF the bridge col
lapsed at S:20 tonight. So for as known
there was no one injured. This will be
an additional loss OF about $4,000 to
the building company. This span had
been completed, but the collapse OF the
fourth span to-day is supposed to have
loosened and displaced it.
BAIRD SAW IT.
Tho span thatGave way was the lastbut
one needed to complete the structure.
The accident was seen by tho lookout
on duty at the life saving station, and
two boats were at once manned and
rowed as quickly as possible to the Ees-
cue. Before they got there, however,
many boats were at work. The life
savers found that they were unable to
do much as they could not get to where
the victims were imprisoned.
Shortly after they arrived trestle
work attached to the north pier OF the