The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-05-30
Down to Their Graves.

Victoria, B. c., May "a terrible &C
cident occurred here yesterday, A sham
fight and review was to take place at Ma
cauley Point, near Esquima ult in the aft
ernoon and crowds were making their way
there by every route. All the tram cars
were packed. Two cars left Government
street with more than 100 people, The first
got over Point Ellice bridge, which crosses
Victoria Arm, safely, but when the other
was about half way over the middle span
of the bridge, about $50 feet in length,
gave way and the car plunged into the
water, some 100 feet below. The car was
completely submerged and all on board
were drowned with the exception Of some
Of those who were standing on the plat
form and who, escaping injury from fall
ing timbers, managed to save themselves
by using the floating ruins Of the bridge
and thus got ashore.
When the bridge broke there We're sew
eral carriage and wagons on it, and these
were also precipitated into the water.
Supt. Wilson was driving one of these
and had his five children with him. He
succeeded in saving himself and four OF
the children The fifth, q little boy, was
wedged between some iron bars and
drowned. es%@
Throughout the sorrowful and sultry
night and far into the morning the thou
sands Of anxious watchers surged about
the approaches to Point Ellice bridge, the
scene Of yesterdays disaster, AS body
after body was brought, to land and ten
derby laid upon an inprovised bier, the
eager crowd would crush about the re-
mains hoping yet fearing until q shrek
or sob would announce that dear one
had been recognized and the name of an
other identified victim was placed upon
the bulletin board and flashed by wire to
sorrowing friends. When the sixty-first
corpse had been brought to the surface
the rescuers announced that they could
find no more bodies Under the Wreckage,
still nearly thirty people are. missing
whose fate may not be known for days.
1t is possible that many bodies were car
ried out by the strong tide. The arm Of
the bay spanned by the broken bridge will
be carefully dragged today, and by even
ing the full extent of the disaster may be
be known. 1t is now conjectured that
nearly 200 people were carried down with
the defective structure and that less than
half of them survive. 80
The following is list Of those so far
known to have lost their lives: D.. B. Car
michael, commission agent! j. b. Gordon
Bradstreet's agent; Mrs. Adams, widow
VI e AudllS WIZ WAS u1O"ICA HI IA1S
veloos accident last year; Edmonds;
Miss Nathan, Spring Ridge; - Bossi
storekeeper; Arthur Fullerton, son Of w.
F. Fullerton, Spring Ridge; Mrs. Heath
erbell, wife of VIM. Heatherbell; -
Wilson, son of superintendent Wilson; W.
Van Bolzelen, Port Townsend; Miss An
ME Keast, daughter of Arthur Keast,
deputy register of the supreme court;
Capt. Leveridge, Spring Ridge; Mrs. G..
I. Post, 1853 Fornwood road; Master Post
son Of the last named; Archie Bigger, aged
6 years, son of Geo. w. Bigger, Miss Big
ger, aged 8, daughter Of G. w. Bigger;
Frank Oresta, bootblack; Miss Minnie
Robertson, daughter Of w. A. Robertson;
Mrs. e. b. Carmichael; Fred Adams son
OF late Contractor Adams; Holmes,
bookkeeper of the Sayward Milling Com
pany; Miss Sophie Smith; Miss Bert, An
acostes; James Laurie, Homboldt street;
VIM. Pearson, North Park street; Miss
Turner; two Misses Bownes; Miss r. Jack
son, so Quadra street; G. Remove, son of
Sergeant Major Mulcahy; Emma Olsen;
Miss Grace Elford; Mr. James; James T.
Peterson; Gabriel Maratta; Mrs. Tout,
Seattle; Mrs. Woodhouse, Seattle; Mr..
Jackson, cattleman; Miss Flora Jackson;
ductor; Mrs. Housan; Jas. Henry Tyack
and Miss Ida Goodacre.
The jury impannelled last night viewed
in all AZ bodies, and then adjourned until
this morning so that the work of recovery
could be completed.
One of the first to hurry to the rescue
was Capt. H. R. Foote. Rushing down to
the scene, he got a skiff near by and pulled
towards the struggling mass of people who
were fighting for life amid the wreekage.
Little Nellie Preston was the first person
saved. She had been in the car with her
Mr.. .Leveridge, who was
drowned The number Of 'rescuers in
creased rapidly and soon the scene was
alive with all kinds of small craft, many
being from the sealing schooners moored
close by. The Misses Drake, daughters Of
Justice Drake, saw the accident and at
one put out in skiH and succeeded in saw
ing the lives of seven persons. William
Burner pulled five persons into his boat
and many other lives were saved by the
swarm of boats which came to the spot
Rev. Canon Paddon, a passenger on the i'll |
fated car, was among the first rescued. He
had received terrible injuries about the
head and was placed in the house of Capt.
Grand. In another room of the same
house was James Jackson, who with his |
young daughter had been inside the car
The father will live but the girl is beyond |
recovery ..---a< 4.. ~e