The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1893-12-22

To back the steamer, IL was non too
soon, for the top OF the huge ''trav-
cler' fell within twenty feet OF the
boat.
As soon rs the pilot realized what
had happened he ran the boat up 10
the wrcckagc, aud the crew saved nine
men who were % badly hurt thi-i they
could not have kept aiioat five min.
utes. although all are good swimmers.
The Heroes of the Day.
Capt. Dcvan and his two crews Of
lifc-Savcrs were the heroes Of the dav,
dashing right into the drift and wreck
age 10 pull out the dead and injured.
Capt. Devan thinks that some Of the
bodies have been carried over the
falls.
II will take several days 10 recover
the bodies. rs most of them are pinned
down by the heavy iron trusscs which
fell on top OF the false work. The
bridge company has 100 men at work
and will eNtricate the bodies from the
wreckage rs soon as possible.
When the second part of the false
work fell an engine and boiler went
with it. and when the boiler hit the
debris it exploded. but no one is known
to have been struck by the flying frag-
ments.
The lives of the bridge workmen
were insured for 81, 800 each.
A PeriIous Occupation.
To whose doors must be laid the re-
sponsibility for the terrible disaster
will probably never he known. 1t is
doubtless one of those unforeseen acct
dents that occur in spite of all precau-
tionary measures. Bridge building,
probably more than any other thing,
il fraught with manifold dangers, and
the workman whose labors are util-
lied in the work. practically take their
lives in their own hands.
The Cause OF the Disaster.
General opinion ascribes the cause OF
the disaster 10 the stiff wind that has
been sweeping the river all day. t.
bore with great force on the ~ponderous
framework, which necessarily became
loosened from the constant strain and
swaying of the heavy timbers. Agreat
number of people. before the first span
fell. could see the great traveller"
rising eighty feet above the piers,
swaying and quivering in the wind in
what appeared to be the most alarm
ing manner To those on shore. The
motion. however. was hardly notice
able To h workmen, who had no idea
of their deadly peril until the great
mass of wood and iron began to sink
and the awful cracking and crashing
Of the timber, smote upon their ears.
That the structure was otherwise
than safe. never occurred to the engi-
neers who were in charge, or the
workmen. Every precaution had been
employed To insure the stability Of the
framework.
An Account of the Accident by a Clvn
Engineer.
Mr.. Erie Manchester. a civil engi-
neer. who is employed oil the bridge,
had a very narrow escape from death.
To a reporter for the United Press, in
giving an account of the accident, he
said:
II was standing on the spar that fell
near the kentucky side, and seeing
that il was about To fall / called to
the men TO get off As soon as possible.
i had Just counted the men who were
on the span "A few minutes before and
there were tifty-one in all not count
ing myself. When | called. the men
dropped their tools and ran toward
me. but only ten Of them could get off.
others went down in a heap. |
50 badly frightened that | could
not tell how many of them got out.
but | only saw one man swim to the
shore.
The accident was caused by the
wind. The piling was strong enough
to bear double the weight. The
bridge fell like "A pack of cards. 1t
became loosened on the Indiana side
first and swayed gradually across to
the other side.
The span would have been com
by this afternoon. and after tho
Traveller had been fastened to the pier
would have been no danger Of
the wine or current breaking il down"
There Were Many Narrow Escapes.
But the most thrilling was that of a
workman called spider" who broke
the record for high jumping. lie was
at the top Of the huge traveller 146
feet from the water. lie felt some
thing give way, and then saw the
whole span was falling. Placing his
above his head. he leaped head
long to the water. Strange to say. he
was not seriously hurt, and was car
ried toward the wreckage. where he
was rescued by two fellow workmen
who had just come from the shore.
The south channel span. about $50
feet in length, was blown down shortly
) o'clock tonight. - far as
no one was injured. This will
an additional loss Of s75, 200.
a Unusual sight.
One sig Int that was unusual and that
will be remembered as miraculous in
the history OF the lamcntablc disaster,
was the presence Of eighteen men, who
were saved by being on the great stone
pier. when the iron span and its n
Meeting timbers went down. with its
dreadful loss Of human life. Here
this great pier. rising alone
rAt.. sl.A .,..snr $50. -. r.