The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1893-12-20
DOWN TO DEATH.
Frightful Collapse of a Bridge at
Louisville, KY.
Fifty-Onc workmen Fall One Hundred and
Ten Feet Into the Ohio River-Many
were Drowned and Others Fa-
tally Hurt-SIx Bodles Recov-
cred and Sixteen Stili
Missing. fa


LOUISVILLE, KY, Dec 10.-The mid
lie span of iron and timber false work
Of the bridge now under construction
between East Louisville and jefferson
vile, Ind, collapsed at about 1918
o'clock yesterday morning, crushing to
death or drowning between twenty
and thirty men and injuring about
twenty more, some of whom will die.
Only six bodies have thus far been re-
covered. Sixteen are still missing, and
fourteen are more or less seriously in
jured.
For weeks past u large force Of men
has been at work on the big 500-foot
span over the middle of the river. The
iron work was all up and vas resting
on heavy frame work ofpiling driven
down into the bed of the river and Sc
curely bolted and braced. Friday al
ternoon the bolts were to have been
put in place in the iron superstructure
and the gigantic span would have sup
ported its own weight. The foreman,
in beginning work in the morning, no
ticed that the traveller q huge der
rick used for placing iron in position,
had been worked loose by the wind.
and he ordered it back into place. The
wind was high at the time and the gen.
tie swaying Of the false work gradu-
ally forced the traveller of Of the piles
on which it was resting.
When the end slipped the whole
work trembled and the men realizing
their danger, started for the piers. As
luck would have IL, the central bent
was the first to give way and the men
on this bent went down to be covered
by the mass OF iron and timber OF the
other bents which fell almost immedi-
ately, carrying with them the other
workmen who failed TO reach places of
safety on the piers. The north bent,
or the one attached to the Indiana pier,
did not fall for fifteen minutes after
the other parts went down. There
were fifty-one men on the bridge when
the alarm was given by the engineer in
charge OF the work. OF this number
several succeeded in reaching the piers.
OF those that went down, some were
covered by mass of timber, from be-
meath which it will be days before
bodies are recovered.
The lives of most of the bridge work.
men were insured for 81, 800 each.
To whose doors must be laid the re-
sponsibility for the terrible disaster
will probably never be known. 1t is
doubtless only one of those unforeseen
accidents that occur in spite of all pre-
cautionary measures.
The south channel span, about $50
feet in length, was blown down shortly
after 8 o'clock last night. This will
entail an additional loss Of s75, 900.
The accident was caused by the wind.
The piling was strong enough to bear
double the weight The bridge fell
like pack Of cards. 1t became loos-
ened on the Indiana side first and
swayed gradually across TO the oppo-
site side.
There were many narrow escapes,
but the most thrilling was that of a
workman called Spider" who broke
the record for high jumping. He was
at the top Of the huge traveller" lac
feet from the water. He felt something
give way and then saw that the whole
span was falling. Placing his hands
above his head he leaped headlong to
the water. Strange TO say, he was not
seriously hurt and was carried toward
the wrcckage, where he was rescued
by two fellow workmen who had Just
come from the shore.
! 1t is the opinion that the piling was
faulty. The driftwood that had been
accumulating above It, exerting a
strong pressure, is thought TO have
weakened it. The Louisville boat club
has its boats moored near Towhead
island in the vicinity of the bridge.
The boatman in charge Of the house
says he saw the accident from the be.
/ ginning. AS soon as the works began
to give away the men on the bridge
ran in either direction, and as soon as
they felt their support going leaped for
life. There was very little warning,
he says, and many who leaped never
again came to the surface.
| The Louisville and Jacksonville
Bridge Company has been an unfortu.
nate one. The two accidents in the
caissons three years ago resulted in
the death of sixteen workmen. BE.
! sides this II has wrecked several for.
] tunes and was the cause OF bank fail.
! ure.
The first work on the bridge was
done October 10. 1888. Since then, ow.
ing 10 financial difficulties, work has
, been suspended from time to time. The
bridge was originally u have been
completed in eighteen months. which
would have been in April, 1891. AL.
ready 81. 600, 900 has been spent ON the
structure.
II Is stated that man named Dula.
ney, who was an inspector of false
work on the Jeffersonville bridge, hui
who recently entered the employ OF
the Kentucky & Indiana Bridge Com
pany, stated some days ago that the
span was unsafe and that he left the
employ Of the Phenix Company on
that account g
The financial loss amounts 10 $135, O0C
and Is borne by the Phoenix Bridge
Company, which had the contract foi
| the work,