The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-12-16

Louisville. Dec. 15.-At a few minutes
past 10 o'clock this morning, the false
work and that part of the middle span
of the Louisville and JeffersonvilIe
bridge in place gave way,
and, with all the worlzmen, was pre-
cipitated 10 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 horrible one and
is the last OF a long list of catastro7
Plies that have marked the construc-
ton Of the bridge.
The foreman, in beginning work. no.
ticed that during the night the "trav-
eler." which had Been put in place last
night, had been worked loose by the
wind. The order to draw it back into
place was given, and the men and the
engines started. The wind was high at
the time, and the gentle sway of the
false work gradually forced the tray
eler off the piles on which it was rest
ing. When the end slipped, tile whole
work trembled and the men, realizing
the danger, started for the piers.
AS luck would have it, the central
bent was the first to give way, and the
men on this went down, to be covered
by mass Of iron and timber to the
other, which fell almost Immediately,
carrying with them the other work.
men, 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 near as can be ascertained there
were 151 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 who went down, some were
covered by mass of timber, from be-
meath which it will be days before
their bodies are recovered.
The first crash, when the center bent
gave way, was at 1925. and it was
then that the great number of fatali-
i ties occurred
A few minutes later the bent on
which there was but little OF the bridge
proper gave way on the Indiana side.
i
man was killed. He was caught by a
rome and dragged beneath the water.
The crash attracted the attention Of
those on shore. and many turned their
eyes away as they saw the men
struggling in mid air in their mad ef-
forts to climb out Of danger.
SicISening Scenes from the shore.
When the mass of material struck
the water, all were concealed for an
instant by the spray thrown high into
the air.
As the water subsidized here and there
could be seen men struggling desper-
ately to climb up on timbers that
thrust their ends above the water. A
few succeeded in clinging to the pieces
in safety and were quickly rescued by
tire boats put out from the shores
Others struggled desperately and were
carried off by the current to sink al
most as rescue was at hand. A few
minutes after the accident the news
was sent to all parts Of the city.
Women wild with Grief
Near the bridge lived the wives and
children of many of the workmen.
These were soon on the river bank.
Many were wild with grief and rushed
their
hands and tearing their hair.
To whose door must be laid the re-
sponsihilitv win never be known, prob
ably Doubtless it was only one of
those unforeseen accidents that occur
in spite Of all precautionary measures
General opinion ascribes the cause
Of the disaster to a stiff wind that had
been sweeping the river al day 1t
bore with great force on the ponder
r71f4xz
came loosened from the constant strain
and swaying of the heavy timbers.
A great numi CT of people, before the
first span fell could see the great
traveller rising. eight feet above the
piers. sWaving and 1uiTering in the
wind in what appeared to be a most
alarming manner TO those on shore.
The motion. however, was hardly mott
ceable to the workmen and they had no
idea of the deadly peril until the great
mass of wood and iron began to sink
and the awful cracking and crashing
Of timbers smote upon their ears
Thrilling Experience OF a Victim.
George W. Brown. one of the fore
men, in charge of eight men, had q re-
marlahIe and thrilling experience.
When the crash came, nine men made
a dash Tor the Kentucky side of the
bridge. Before they reached safety the
span Tell ana the WorkInen were pre-
cipitated into the river below. Brown
displayed remarkable presence of mind.
He held his breath during the fall
and remembers going to the bottom
of the river. The debris was piled
above him but he managed to crawl
from under. He is an expert swimmer.
but discovered his left arm was brok-
en- in three places. He managed. how
ever, to grasp q. floating piece Of tim
Der IN his right arm and f1oated
down the river until rescued. He saws
while clinging to the timber two men
came up near him and after struggling
an instant sank out Of sight He saw
several struggling men in the water,
wlao sank out of sight before help
reached them
James Trent the painter who resides
in this city. was on the span twenty
feet from the pier nearest the Ken
tucky shore when he heard a peculiar
branching noise. With Ernest Miller.
Robert Woolford. Charles Pope and a
workman named Carter, they all ran
for their lives towards the pier and
ali succeeded in reaching a, safe foot
hold on the masonry when the span
went down with q fearful crash Trent
ard companions slid down the rope
to the river surface where they were
taken into El1iff- Trent asserts the