The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-10-22
MANY WERE INJURED
And at Least Two Arc Thought to
Be Drowned,
TERRIBLE AFFAIR At new ORLEANS
A Wharf bridge Parts in tho Middle
whnO Crowded With Hundred
and Fifty Psopls-It Was tho First
Time 1t Had Been Usod-Tho Two
Missing oass Arc Children.

near being a horrible calamity about 6
o'clock yesterday afternoon aud as tits,
there ara about thirty persons suffering
from injuries, mora or less serious,
while there are iears Of three people hs'
ing drowned, This terrible state OF al
lairs was caused by tho breaking down
OF the little iron bridge which leads
from the AIGlers ferry house to the
floating wharf, whore the ferry boat is
accustomed to land, The following ia
list Of tho missing and injured;
Missing;
Annie Miisina, aged eight ysari,
Mary LRuer, aged eleven years.
Injured;
d. MuehNn, broken leg; r. @, Cham,
pane, head cut and bruiseI; Joseph
Altino, leS broken; j, j, Carroll, court
officer, leg injured; MTa. August Camp
or, bruised; Mira. Nossa. bruisedj Mrs
". 5. Garycy, leg and srm injured
Mira. Sarah ConJiu, hin injurOd Mrs.
T., McManon, bruised; Miss Laura
Wagner, head cut Mss jennie Wagner,
cut IN the head; John Courtney, luiI
arm injured; Joe Gregory, leg proEcni
Misa Lulu Lawnan, internal injur!rl;
Henry AcEsrman, right arm hroSeui
Ralph Patton, Rgol six Yeas, injured
about head; William Brooks, injured
shont body; Louis MatsioakOy, bruised;
Thomas Lunday. lsit hand cut; un-
known lady, hip injured.
II is stated that an unknown woman
was drowned.
Some three weeks ago the owners o;
the ferry line began the construction OF
new Jerry house At the .Als,ars laud.
ing OF tho canal ssTeat Jerry, and a lew
DAYS ago It was sufficiently completed
to be used. Yesterday morning iOr the
lirs. time tho building was placed IN
use, The iron bridge which iI fastened
10 the piling on tho shore, and has II
support on the other end OF ths floating
wharf, was week ago moved to lis
position Ia front OF the ferry house
There waa considerable care taken in
the fitting OF the bridge, Tor 1t Is upon
this one CompanionWay that all passen'
gers are supposed to cross the hundred
feet Of shore aud water. At the shore
end OF the bridge there was large
clamp which held II in place and IN ad.
ton long bolts we're added to increase
the safety OF the ports sage way.
The bridge itself proved the weakest
part OF tho entire structure, aud Just aS
the ferry was landing it parted very
near the middle, throwing about loo
people into the shallow water, near the
hank Of the river. The distance DO.
tween that portion OF the bridge which
gave way and the surface oil the water
and the bank OF the river measures
about 10 feet.
1t was nearly dusk aud people Of all
descriptions were hurrying back to the
ferry aud 10 their homes. There wRl a
rush for the wharf as soon ~ tho ferry
WAS in sight, and before the steamer
had landed there crowded on the pom
loon wharf as many people az thAtStruc.
ture would hold. Then tho mass OF
humanity crowded down through the
door OF tho house on 10 tue iron wharf,
until II, too. was packed with men,
women and children and there was an-
! other great crowd in the great ferry
house waiting 10 rush headlOng for the
Iteamboat. hefeFry boat, tho Thomas
Pickles, was also crowded. The engines
were slowed down on approaching the
wharf. and she, as usual, almost driilod
to her landing. However, the stern OF
| the vessel bumped against the end OF tile
pontoon, and, with Il crash, tho iron
span parted and hundred or more
frantic people were literally dumped
into tho water among the piling and
drifting timbers. Fully thirty men,
women and children were injured while
thsrs missing two littls children, and
tho statement Of two OF those in the
wreck adds the drowning Of young
woman to tho liIt OF casualties.
Women screamed, mon shouted, aud
above the groanG of the injured and
frightened and tho cries OF little ones
could be heard the oaths OF many. The
men on tho ponto0n and those in the
ferry house did not watt moment be.
fore they began to look toward assist
ing those in the warar. While hun.
dreds Of Atrong hands rtaIped every
plank within reach on the poutoon
and dashed them into the water Tor the
uniorlunatoB to cling to for safety, doz'
ems devoted their efforts to paCiiJing
the women and children on tue pom.
ioOu,