The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-12-16
,ued was found to have escaped with a

broken leg.
The East End Improvement Company
mas been acting as limited agent in the
construction of the bridge under the re-
organization last March. when the prop
erty was disuosed of to a syndicate con-
trolled by three roads, generally believed
10 be the Big Four. Chesapeake and Ohio
and b. and S. W. For the purpose of COM
pieting the bridge and providing suitable
terminal facilities. bond issue of S5.0OO,-
GOO was authorized, 100000 of which was
TO De held in reserve. This gave new life
to the enterprise and the work of complet-
Ing the structure has been going on ever
since. The span that gave way was the
last but one needed to complete the
bridge.
The accident was seen by the lookout
on duty at the life-saving station and two
ooats were at once manned and rowed as
quickly as possible TO the rescue. Before
they got there, however, many boats were
at work. The lifesavers found themselves
unable to do much, as they could not get
TO where the victims were imprisoned.
Shortly after they arrived the trestlework
attached to the north pier of the fatal
span fell, carrying one mau down with it,
The lifesavers rescued him and took him
to the shore.
That the structure was otherwise than
safe never occurred 10 either the engineers
In charge OF the work or the workmen.
Every preca ution had been employed to
insure the stability Of the framework, and
the only thing lacking was the failure TO
take into consideration the action of the
wind. To the great "traveler" allnded to
is directly attributable the falling of the
span. The constant action of the wind
bore 1t from it's resting place on the last
pier but one on the Jeffersonville side.
The displacement was discovered, and the
work of putting 1t back in place was be-
gun, but too late. The center of the great
span began to sink before the work was
accomplished. for the wind had done its
work. and the heavy engines near the
iier went crashing down to the water,
carrying with them the mass OF humanity
mixed in horrible confusion with timbers
and iron. The partial span, tie last
one, did not fall until twenty minutes
after the first had gone down, but it
was the direct result of the fall
ing of the first. The great strain
occasioned by the sundering and rending
of the bridge naturally communicated it.
plunge like the first into the water. and,
being mostly framework. did not sink, but
floated slowly down the river. There were
said TO have been four men on 1t when
IL fell, and one was undoubtedly
killed. The small traveller on this span
floated down several hundred yards and
there grounded, Its heavy timbers, splin-
tered like matches. showing the terrific
1T Sha fon rxir II
many tons we're twisted like one might
twist piece of wire into every conceiva-
bic shape and lay with the timbers and
huge pieces of iron and lumber 10 an mex
tricable mass. The span would have been
completed this afternoon. and after the
traveller had been fastened TO the pier
there would have been no danger of the
wind or current breaking i. down.
A piledriver was sent to the scene this
afternoon and the work of clearing away
the wreckage and searching for the dead
under the debris at once commenced.
Those known to be dead are as follows:
l.. G. Carlock of Buffalo.
John Courtney.
f. Burns.
c. Murphy.
c. w. Cook.
Those missing aud probably dead:
c. T. Holderer.
A. Sodden.
j. Cregan.
NJ. SOlan.
Frank Simmons of Jacksonville.
G. 81. HinkIe of Dauphin, Pa.
j. Holden.
J. l.. Wilson.
Pat Kelly.
J. T. Owens.
F. Sheridan.
j. Allen.
P. f. Moore
George Lilly.
r. l.. Derfiing of Virginia.
ii. Piss.
The injured are:
}. Myers of Lexington, KY, left leg
badly fractured.
Harry Lee of New Albany, slightly In
jured.
II. ID. Pugb.
E. Hildebrand. three ribs fractured and
internally injured. Will probably die.
G. W. Brown of Irvington. KY, arm
broken in three places.
G. Tharp OF Oswego, N. Y. ankle badly
sprained.
q. Z. Sheehan of Greenup, KY. flesh
wound.
A. L. Hall Of East Tennessee, badly
bruised.
S. Parks of Scotland, three ribs broken
and a sprained ankle.
Z. Galloway Of South Pittsburg, Pa,
fractured leg.
E. Sheriff of Chicago, fatally injured.
Z. Hobiu. fatally injured.
w. A. Sharpe OF Louisville, lef: arm
broken and hurt internally.
The third span Of the bridge collapsed
at 800 tonight, but. so far as known. no
1nran ri'hia ruill ha