The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1893-12-16

or the Thirteen Injured Ones HAIR Dozen
Are Expected to Die'rrom Their 50 Wounds.
The Tragedy Caused by the High wind
Prevailing at the Time-The History Of
the Bridge Record of Disasters.
LOUISVILLE, KY. Dec 16.-The false
work and part of the middle span of the
Louisville and Jacksonville railroad
bridge, in course OF erection across the
Ohio river gave way yesterday, and with
all the workmen was precipitated 40 feet
into the water below. There was but
moments warning, and those who escaped
going down with the mass of iron and
timber started for the piers after the first
trembling that indicated the giving way
Of the false work.
The accident was a horrible one and is
the last of long list of catastrophes that
have marked the construction Of this
bridge. The foreman, in beginning work,
noticed that during the night the "trav-
eler" had been worked loose by the wind
An order to draw it back into place was
given, and the men and engines started.
The wind was high at the time, and the
general swaying of the false work grad
ually got the traveller off the base on
which it was resting When the end
slipped the whole trembled, and the men,
realizing their danger, started for the
piers. 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 timbers of the other bents which fell
almost Immediately after, carrying with
them the other workmen who failed to
reach 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.
without Moments Warming.
As near as can he ascertained 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 sue
ceeded in reaching The piers. OF those that
went down some were covered by mass
of timber from beneath which it will be
days before their bodies are recovered.
The greatest mum ber of fatalities occurred
when the first bent gave way. A few min
utes later bent on which there was but
little of the bridge proper gave way on the
Indiana side. In this it is believed that
but one unknown man was killed. He was
caught by rope and dragged beneath the
water
The crash attracted the attention of
those on the shore and many turned away
their eyes as they saw the men struggling
in mid-air in their mad efforts to climb
ont of danger When the buge mass of
material struck tbe water all was CON
caaIad for an instant Inv tho s,rov tbo+
yvos tbro,y, bicb in tI,o oi, ATM ,,,ata,
subsided here and there could he seen mon
strue,gIino, desnar,talv to climb mon tbo q
hers tbnt thrust their ends above tia
water A fayy succaadad in cIin,,iro, 10
nIaces Of safety and were ouicl,Iv rescued
bv boo+s tb,f n,,t ot,+ fror, To .l,,,,.
Others struugled desperateIv and were
corriad off b,, tba crrrapt to si,,l- ol,,,os+
as rescue was at hand
c,eorge w Brown one of the forar,ar
in CHARGE of eipbt men had n rar,orl-,bIa
and verv thrilling experience when tbe
creab cana tba nine mon ,,oda q. doeb for
the Kentucky side Of the BRIDGE BEFORE
tbev reached safety however tba snan
fell and the vorI,men were nrecinitata5
info the river
r,,.,,,,,,, ,,ro,,.,,,s ,rtr,,,,,,,,,, r,.,,.,,.
A.. D., l,,.Il IL. Ia.,ti, -. ~.
s.Ii ,ig',' us T'l'Ils vle
"a '''u 11i5 " .iie DoI 'Ciil
u .ne uo ',s''Is ""s pilTu " lar
I,t 'io W oll"l iillI
attt,, 4' ~ ~
a., Fo tt,o CT +i,,, l,,, ,l;.,,,,a .t,
his left arm was broken in three nIacss
He managed to prasn floating niece of
timber With his ripft arm and Aoated
down tbe river until rescued
The wives and children of tbe workman
live near tbe bridge and tbev yvare soon
nt the river hank MANY were wild With
grief and rushed franticaIlv abo1t yvrino-
inc their hands and tearing their hair
THE office of the b,.idoa cornronvon ON C,a,,,r.
hell street was beseiped wifi snvioia
motbers and wives inouiring for tbeir
Iovad onas Half an bour aftaT tbs acci-
dent there were MT leost 600 neonIe on the
river banI, and as fine news snreod tbev
stiII nourad i'm in a steodv straa,, to,,,orIs
the ploce of the accident
To whose doors rnust be laid the re-
sponsibiIitv for the terrible disaster will
probsbIv never he known II is doubtIess
oneof those mn uforseen accidents tbat occur
| I'm snite of aII nrecoutionarv measures.
C,v,.,.,l 7i,,;r,,, ,.,,.il,as +I,, conc, f +bo