St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-16
A PLUNGE TO DEATH.
Nearly Fifty Men Fall With
the Louisville Bridge
THEIR LIVES SRUFfED OUT.
Desperate Struggle Made by
the Unfortunates.
SOME SAD SCENES WITNESSED.
Wives and Children Go Wild
With Grief.
CAUSE OF THE AWFUL DISASTER.
CAUSE OF The AWFUL DISASTER.

LOUISVILLE, Dec. 15.-Ihe great
bridge over the Ohio from this city to
JetferSonviIle, Ind, has played the role
of a devouring monster since Its very
beginning. With the breaking of the
caissons twenty-one human lives were
sacrificed in one syoup. Since then one
life after another has been yielded up to
the monster until the number at sunrise
this morning counted twelve more,
making the victims of the bridge thirty
three.
1t seemed TO all that this cost Of blood
was enough.
More than hundred men went on
the great span over the channel of the
Ohio this morning full of confidence in
tine false work which stood between
their work on the great iron span ITO
feet and the mercilesS waters of the
river below. All unheraided, from a
cause not Toreseen and as yet not clearly
known, the false work proved tragically
false. With roar that made lookers-on
shudder the false work
CRUMBLED UNDER IT'S LOAD
of iron. Above the waters of the river
were a confused projecting mass OF iron
rails. rods and timbers. On the river
were bodies of the dead floating down
the stream or lodged in the debris.
There were also the living struggling
aIi uta-
ly to the wreckage. All the air was
plaintiYe with the means of the injured
ard the beseeching ShriekS for help
from men battling against death and
watery burial. On the tops of the two
piers which supported the ends of this
fatal span were huddled groups of ter
rifed men. or the hundred or more
men on the span that went down about
fifty-fve escaped to the tops of the piers
and were rescued. 1t is believed that
over forty-tive went into the river. How
many of these were lost cannot in the
present confusion be definitely learned.
1t is feared the number will reach forty.
the best that any one dare hope is that
it will not be over twenty-five. There
was praiseworthy CO. operation between
the government life-savIng service, the
police, the tlremen and
BRAVE PRIVATE CITIZENS
in the sorrOwful W0rk of saving
the living and recovering the dead.
And the scenes on either Shore-whO
can describe them? Hearts of stone
would melt at the sight Of wife lead
ing her little ones, and seeking husband
nlS nd hr
meeting of the living with the living
was scarcely less touching to behold
than that of the living with the dead.
But there was not time for tears. All
men seemed akin in this dreadful mo-
ment. All seemed members of one
family, and the work for humanity
was too urgent TO allow time
to give vent to feeling. The
full details of this horror
must be told hereafter. 1t is impossible
to even approximate its extent tonight
There is great reason to fear that the
worst remains to be told. OF course
there are many cOnjectures as to tht
cause of lhe wreck. Some are that the
factor of safety in the building of the
false work was made too low. 1t i:
plain that the strong wind, added to tht
weight of the irOnwork above, gave the
false work a great strain. But these
will be subjects of official investigation
EARLIER REPORTS.
LOUISVILLE, Dec. IS. = At few
minutes past 10 O'Clock this morning tht
false work and part of the middle
span of the Louisville u Jefferson
vile Bridge company in place, CAV,
way, aud with all the workmen wa
precipitated ITO feet into the waite
below. There was but moment
warning and those who escaped going
down with the mass Of iron and timber
started for the piers after the frs
trembling that indicated the giving ava
of the false work.
The accident was horrible one an
Is the last OF long list OF catastrophe
that have marked the construction o
this bridge. The foreman, in begin
ming work noticed that during tn
night, the traveller" which had bee
put in place last night, had bee
worked loose by the wind. An order t
draw it back into place was given an
the men and engines started.
The wind was high at the time. an
the gentle swaying of the false wor
gradually forced the traveller off Of til
piles Oh which it was resting. Whe
the end slipped the whole work tren
bled. and the men, realizing their dal
ger, started for the piers. AS luc
would have it. the central bent was I'll
first TO give way. and the men on th
bent went down to be covered by I'll
mass of iron and timber of the otht
bents, which fell almost immediatel
carrying with them the other Workme
who failed to
REACH THE PIERS.
The north bent, or the one attache
to the Indiana pier, did not fall for Fl
teen minutes after the other parts wel
down. AS near as can be ascertaint
there we're ffty-one men on the brid!
when the alarm was given by the el
gineer in charge of the work. Of til
number several succeeded In reachil
the piers. OF those that went dow
some were covered by mass of timb
from beneath which it will be days b
foretheir bodies are recovered. TT
first crash, when the center bent ga
way, was at 1925, and it was then tn