The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-02-07
TEN LIVES WERE LOST
Bridge On the New England Railroad Near Bristol
 Gives Away.
THIRTY MEN IN THE RIVER
ILL BRISTOL AROUSED BY THE
 GREAT CRASH.

Rescuing Parties Were Organized and Partial Success Awarded Their Efforts Wrecking Trains Wore Sent Out From
 Hattford-At Midnight Eleven Men Were
 Missing.
 Bristol, Feb. GA most appalling disaster occurred here shortly after 9 o'clock tonight in which twenty work men were precipitated into the Pequa- buck river from the East Bristol bridge and more than one-half of them drown- ed. This afternoon the structure was found to be shaky, and the 4;42 train on the New England road had a narrow escape from wreck as it crossed on the way to Hartford tonight,
 For some time the bridge has been condemned, and at the present time a and was almost completed. It was close alongside the bridge which was tonight carried away. After the east bound passenger train had passed to- night one side of the old bridge gave way to the current, and with a crash went boiling down with the stream The managers immediately dispatched a wrecking train from Hartford, which arrived on the Forestville side of Pequa- buck at 5:45 There were forty men on the train, all of whom had come from Hartford. They were immediately set to work to make the new bridge passa~ 'ble, and work was progressing satis- factorily by the aid of lanterns up to 9 o'clock. To facilitate the work half the men were located on the old structure that part of which was left standing. Al g o'clock they were passing iron girders to another gang of men on the new bridge.
 The waters of the Pequabuck had been continually rising since morning, and at 9 o'clock tonight was higher than ever before known. The water had risen between two and three feet since the first crash came at 5 o'clock, and the remainder of the bridge was tottering while the men were coura- geously standing upon it. The outer end suddenly seemed to sink and with a crash, with it's human freight upon it, it was carried off ill an instant in the boiling current. The cries of the men, the breaking of timber and the falling of ironwork made a combined noise which was heard half a mile away. The half of the gang which had fortunately been resting on more solid foundation, were horror stricken to see their work ing companions so suddenly precipitated to their death. In an instant, however, they were resolved into a rescuing par ty and every effort made to save the drowning men, Two were fortunate ~ enough to reach shore by their own ex- ertions, almost immediately after the fearful accident A third was saved by workman who plunged in after him, and brought him nobly to the shore. Finally the fourth, and fifth and sixth were saved by the heroic efforts of the workmen. Others could be seen strug- gling away in the mass of debris, cling ing to it and crying frantically for help, while a number never once came in sight after the bridge tumbled under them, and the last heard from them was their heart-rending cries as they went down twenty feet into the icy water.
 All of Bristol was at once aroused and physicians and volunteers immediately rushed to the scene of the disaster The night was darkness itself, and with the boiling stream over-rushing it's banks on both sides, efforts to rescue in the darkness were fraught with the greatest danger. Thomas Marine was the first man taken out of the river. Soon after William P. Barry, foreman of the construction gang in the East Hartford yard was rescued. Barry was badly injured, having been crushed by falling timbers. He was taken to the house of MT. Healy in East Bristol and Dr. Brennan gave him immediate at tion. Barry in a great effort to talk stated that of seven in his gang six, in cluding himself, were among the saved Their names are: Michael Sullivan Thomas Marine, John Jones, Mir Till A. Pongelo Nicholas Rich of Barry s gang is among the missing. All these men come from East Hartford, where they reside With the exception of the six named above the only body dis covered up to midnight was that oi Daniel OBrien of Hartford. O'Brien is foreman of the section gang in Hart ford. His body was found crushed be- tween timbers, down by the rolling mill some forty rods below where the bridge fell into the river. It was taken al once to Bunce's undertaking rooms, and viewed by Medical Examiner M. B. Hull Scores of volunteers were at work al midnight searching both sides of the river, which at the stage of to-night's freshet is about fifty feet wide over flowing the banks irregularly i'll each direction. The six rescued men were taken to farm houses in the immediate vicinity, where they were attended oy Drs Brennan. Wilson and Hull, whe are authorities for the statement thai none of them are seriously injured ex- cept Barry, whose condition is criti- cal.
 At midnight eleven persons were still among the missing. All are members of the train gangs from Hartford and East Hartford, and residents of that city. The men were taking up iron rails on the old bridge when the acci- dent happened, and passing them across to the new structure. A gang was working on each end, and by some mis- understanding all of them were called to the center of the bridge. Their com bined weight with the extraordinary