The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-12-16
HURLED TO DEATH.
High Wind Wrecks the
Louisville Bridge.
MANY WORKMEN KILLED.
Drowned Under Masses of Iron
and Timber.
FELTTHE STRUCTURE TREMBLE.
But the Crash Came Too Quickly
to Permit of Their
Escape.
MANY WORKMEN KILLED.
FELTTHE STRUCTURE TREMBLE.


after 10 o'clock this morning the false
work and that part Of the middle span of
the Louisville and Jeffersonvlle bridge
already iE place gave way, and with all
the wOrkmen upon it was precipitated 11o
feet into the water below. There was but
moments warning. and those who es-
capped 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
q horrible one, and is the last of long list
of catastrophes which have marked the
construction of the bridge
The foreman. in beginning work, no.
ticed during the night that the "traveler,"
which had been put 10 place last night.
had been worked loose by the wind. An
order to draw it back into place was given
and the men and engines had started. The
wind was high at the time. and the gentle
sway. of the false work gradually forced
the "traveler" off the piles on which 1t
was resting. When the end slipped the
whole work bled. and the men. realiz-
ing the danger, started for the piers.
AS luck would have it the central bent
was the 6rst 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 Immediately, 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. As nearly as can be
aseertained there were fifty-one men on
: the bridge when the alarm was given by
the engineer in charge of the work, and of
this number several succeeded in reaching
the piers. OF those who went down some
were covered by a mass of timber. from
> beneath which it win be days before their
bodies are recovered.
=. .Ibe first crash. when the center bent
gave way, was at 10 :25 and it was then
that the great number of fatalities oc-
curres-TA "a 9ew minutes later the bent. on
- wch lthc1re was but little of the bridge
A,rsed gats way on the Indiana side. In
thas itEis believed but one unknown man
Was killed. lie was caught by rope and
dragged beneath the water.
- The crash attracted the attention of
those on shore and many turned away
their eyes as they saw the men struggling
in midair 10 their mad efforts to climb out
of danger. When the mass of material
struck. the water all were concealed for an
g. 1I6LdEt UB ku6 spray LUIUNu ulSH lULO Tie
BIZ, and as the water subsided here and
there could be seen men struggling des-
: uerately to climb upon the timbers that
thrust their ends above the surface. A few
:, succeeded in ciiDgiug to the pieces in
pieces in safety and were quickly rescued
= by boats put out from the shores. Others
struggled desperately. but were carried off
by the current to sink almost as rescue
was at hand.
A few minutes after the accident the
news was sent to all parts of the city.
Near the bridge lived the wives and chill
dren of many Of the workmen, and these
were soon on the river bank. Many were
wild with grief and rushed frantically
about wringing their hands and tearing
their hair.
= To whose door must be laid the respon-
efbility for the disaster will never be
known, pro baby. Doubtless it was only
one of those unforeseen accidents that occur
in spite of all precautionary measures.
General opinion ascribes the cause to the
| stiff wind that has been sweeping the river
all day. 1t bore with great force on the
ponderous framework, which necessarily
became looseDed from the constant strain
and the swaying of heavy tinbers. A
great number OF people, before the first
span fell. could see the great traveller"
rising eighty feet above the piers. swaying
and quivering in the wLd in what ap-
psared to be most alarming manner to
: those on shore. The motion, however
was hardly noticeab bic to the workmep.
and they had no idea of their deadly
% peril until the great mass of wood
and iron began to sink and the
awful cracking aud crashing of timbers
smo ote their ears.
=. George w. Brown. one of the foreman In
charge Of eight men, had q remarkable
and thrilling experience. When the crash
came the nine men made dash for the
= Kentucky side of the bridge. Before they
!. eached safety the spau fell and the work.
men were preci plated into the river
:: Brown displayed remarkable presence of
: mind. He held his breath during the fail
and remem bers going 10 the bpttom of the
river. All sorts of debris was piled above
: him. but he managed to crawl from under
1T He is an expert swimmer. but disc0v-
cred that his arm was broken in three
places, He managed, however, TO grasp a
Hoat'ng piece Of timber with his right arm
ahd hoated down the river until rescued.
. ne says mat while be was clinging to the
fimoer Two men came up near him, and.
a1ter struggling an instant, sank out Of
. slght lie saw several struggling men in
the water who sank before help reached
them
James Trent, painter. who resided in
TINS CITY, was on the span twenty feet from
Tue pier nearest the Kentucky shore. when
ne heard peculiar crunching noise. He
was WIN Ernest Miller, Robert Woolford,
CbarieS Pope and workman named Car
Ter. and they ran for their lives toward The
pier. All succeeded in reaching safe
'Iootnoid on the masonry when the span
went down with a fearful crash. Trent
and his companions slid down a rope to the
river surface, when they were taken into
skiff. Trent asserts that the colIapse was
preceded by two distinct shocks, which
gave the workmen warning, but too late
TO allow many to escape.
Harry Lee, workman, jumped out from
the bridge into the water. and when res