St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-07
THIRTEEN BELIEVED TO HAVE
PERIsHED BY THE COLLAPSE
Of BRIDGE.
ELEVEN ARE YET MISSING.
AND TWO BODIES ARE WITH DIE.
FICULTY TAKEN FROM THE
RAGING WATERS.
WITH NOT A MOMENTS WARNING.
The Bridge Gave Way-The TOttero
ing Debris Prevented the Work
of Rescue.

NEW BRITAIN, Conn, Feb. GA
bridge on the New England railroad
over the Pequebuck river, near Bristol,
collapsed about 8 o'clock tonight, car
rying with it twenty workmen, of whom
thirteen are believed to have perished,
AT midnight two bodies had been re-
covered and eleven men were missing.
Among the dead is John O'Brien. fore
man, Of East Hartford. The names Of
the missing are unknown. The fierce
storm which swept over the state play
ed havoc with the New England rail-
road bridges, and the swollen waters
of the Pequebuck river threatened to
carry the bridge away. AT o'clock a.
special wrecking train with forty men
left East Hartford and were put to work
on the new bridge which the company
Is building over the river and which iS
almost completed. 1t was intended to
put the new bridge in shape at once so
that trains could cross the river The
old bridge was declared unsafe about
4 o'clock and since then no train has
crossed the river
twenty workmen were put to work on
each bridge. About o'clock one of the
foremen, John Barry, called the twenty
center to assist in tearing up the ties
which We're wanted for the other bridge.
The weight of the men was too great
for the bridge, and hardly a moments
warning was had when it collapsed with
loud noise, precipitating sixteen or
seventeen of the men into the raging
water of the river. Three or four were
caught by falling timbers and seriously
injured. Three managed to
CLING TO FRAGMENTS
of the bridge and were rescued by a;
number of their comrads, who rushed
over from the new bridge as soon az
they realized the extent of the dlsas-
ter. The tottering condition of the re-
naming portions of the old bridge
rendered the work of reaching the men
impossible, and had boat been avail
able, nothing would have held ID
against the mad rush of the waters
The unfortunate men in the water ata
tempted to seize sticks and portions
Of the abutments which had broken
loose, but not more than five or six
were successful. The others were car
ried down stream and were quickly
lost to sight in the darkness
Two men were able to swim ashore
but fell exhausted as soon as they
reached land John Barry, the fore
man in charge of the old bridge, was
eAlIlcdleu from tne mass OF Wreckag6
and debris which collected when the
bridg" gave way, and was found to be
badly wounded. He and the other res
cued men were taken TO Iarm pouse
near by and cared for. I" he foreman
was unable to give the names Of the
men who were or the bridge with him
at he time.
AS soon as the railroad officials were
notified of the collapse. a special train
was sent out from East Hartford with
surgeons and another gang OF wreck
ers A gang of twenty men rugged
RATS and scows, and began a search
for the bodies. Others were sent down
both sides of the river to see If any
one had been fortunate enough to-
reach the shore. At a late hour no
more bodies were found, and it was the
general opinion that the men had no
chance of reaching the shore alive.