Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-12-22

Louisville. Ky. Dec. 15.-The great
bridge over the Ohio from this city
to Jcffersonville has played the role
OF n devOuring monster from its very
beginning. At the beginning of con
Struction twenty-one human lives We're
sacrificed. Since then one life after
another has yielded up until the num-
Der this morning reached thirty-threc.
More than Il hundred men went on
the great span this morning and half
Of them were dashed into the mcrcileSS
waters below by the false work which
proved tragically false. The timbcrS
crumhlcd under their load of iron and
fell with their human freight Il humid
red and ten feet to the river below
OF the one hundred or more on the
span that went down about half es-
capped to the piers and were rescued.
How many of those who went down
were lost cannot at present be learned.
but it is feared there were forty.
\ few minutes past 10 o'cock
this morning the false work
and part Of the middle span
of the Louisville and Jeffersonvillc
bridge gave way and With Ill the
Workmcn were precipitated 10 feet
into the water below
The accident was Il horrible one and
is the latest of long list Of catas-
trophies that have marked he conStruc-
ton of Il, bridge. The foreman in he
ginning work noticed that the travel
CT, which had been put in place last
night, had been worked loose by the
wind. An order to draw it back into
place was given and the men and en-
gineS started
The wind was high at the time and
the gentle sway of the false work
gradually forced the traveller off the
piles on which it was resting. When
the end slipped the whole work tremb-
led and the men, realizing their danger
started for the piers. The centra
went down to be covered by a mass
Of iron and timber and other bentS
which fell almost Immediately, carry
ing with them other Workmen who
failed to reach the piers.
| AS near rs can be aSccrtained there
were fifty -one men on the bridge wheI
the alarm was given. OF this number
several succeeded in reaching the piers
, OF those who went down some were
covered by Il mass of iron from be
meath which it will be days bcfor,
! the bodies will be recovered.
! The first crash attracted the attcn
ton of those on shore. Many turned
away their eyes as they saw the mel
struggling in mid-air in mad effort:
to climb out of danger. When the
mass of material struck the water al
was concealed for an instant by the
splash.
AS the water subsidized, here and there
could be seen men struggling to climl
upon the timbers. \ few succeeded
in climbing the piers and were quick
1y rescued. Others We're carried off by
the current to sink almost as reScu
was at hand. The wives and childrel
of many of the Workmen were SOOl
on the bank of the river. Many rush
ed frantically about, wringing thei
hands and tearing their hair.
The disaster is generally aScribct
to the stir wind that was sWccpn:
the river all day The Worlmcn hat
no idea OF their deadly peril until tn
great mass of wood and iron began
to sink and the fearful cracking ;slt
crashing of timbcrs Smote upon thCi
ears
The history of this bridge is a Serie:
of disasters, financial and otherwise
1t was originally projected in 1879 ant
failure overlook it in it's very in
cipiency. In 1888 it was revived ans
ground was broken in October, 1880
Two fatal accidents took place dur
ing the building of the piers. In thu
first fourteen men We're drowned an(
the second caused the loss of sever
lives.
/ a pile driver was sent to the SCcnt
this afternoon and the work Of clear
ing the wreckage ard searching 70
the dead was at once commenced.
The accident was seen by the look
out ON duty at the life saving station
and two boats were rOwed as quickl!
as possible to the rescue. The lif,
savers found that they were unable
to do much, as they could not get t.
where the victims were imprisoned.
J. W. Baird, secretary and treasurer
of the bridge company, said: Il an
the originator of the plan on which
/ the bridge was built and I guess
will be eternally damned for it."
George w. Brown, one of the fore
men, had a thrilling experience. Whcr
! the crash came he made 4 dash for the
! Kentucky side of the bridge. Before
he reached safety the span fell. Brown
held his breath during the fall and re
members going to the bottom of the
river. Debris was piled above him
but he managed to crawl under this
Grasping a floating piece of timber he
held on till rescued. The left arm
was broken in three places. While
clinging to the timber several men
came near him and after struggling an
instant sank out of sight