Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-09-07
THIRTY LIVES LOST
Bridge Over St. Lawrence
River Suddenly CoI|apses.
EIGHTY MEN FALL Whit
Workmeu Struggling In Turbulent Water
Sixty Feet Deep. Eighteen or
sFhir'y three Men Rescued
Die In IL Hospital.
MEN FALL Whit
(.Ey Telepraph)

HOGANSHIkC;, ~ Y, Sept. e.
Nbolu noon today two south spans of
'le rterna tional bridge of IN" New York
ottawa Railroad. nov under con-
structiGn across the ST. Lawrence, river.
about three miles above St Regis In
'lan village. fell without warming. With
sMty men at work on the bridge. all be-
inS throWn into the river. SOM, sixty
leet below over thirty We're picked up
and taken t" Cornwall hospital ana
iweiltN-S"N"n are now missing.
The bridge consists of three SPANS. of
which two We're completed and the
lhlrd Was nearly completed when the
south pier gave way ut its foundation
causing both spans to fall into sixty
let of water. taking its load of human
freight with it. The names Of the killed
end drowned cannot at present be as
,rrtaiEed.
The scene of the accident is located
about four miles from Hog;lnsburs
about the st. Regis Indian reservations
The bridge that gave Way was being
luilt across the ST Lawrence river at
the foot OF Long salute Rapids nra,
Heinhar'lts island. The water at this
Faint is known To he as swift as in any
lart of the river. The immcaatc cause
Ct the disaster ana giving away OF the
span bridge seems 10 have been from
the washing away Of che OF the larg,
fiers Late reports from Cornwall hos
l'ltal say thirtS-thrrc men hav, been
taken out of the river and transferred
the hospital Eighteen of them have
since died.
The latest Information concerning to
days tragedy makes it probable that
the death list Will reach thirty. Many
of the men are terribly injured.
AS far as can be learned eghty-twu
men reported for work this morning
Or this number only thirty eight, hay.
actually been accounted for.
DROWNED LIKE. RATS.
toRNWA LIZ ONT. Sept. 6-An eye
witness OF the fall of the New York 4
ottawa Railroad bridge says he was
sitting ON the bank of the river. watch
ing I'll" busy wnrkmen above him
when, without warning. there came IA
fearful crash. Two spans If the bridge
collapsed. the immense mass of timber
ana iron dropped down ana the agoniZ-
ms Shrieks sf the men who were being
crushed in the wreck were drowned by
the rushing waters. Then he saw bod
les coming Ia the surface ana the work
Of rescue began. This WAS hclplessly
Inadequate there being only !: few
boats in the vicinity and Very few men
VIII" would undertake To swim out into
the turbulent waters Many who might
have been saved We're drowned before,
help could reach them
About fifty Of the men employed on
me span Mere Americans. VINO came
here To work for the I'hueniX Bridge
Company. The remainder were. m silly
Indians. who acted as assistants. Every
man on the division went down with
the wreck. Many of those who ,.scup d
climbed up the iron work. which still
rested on piers 1T either end. Thu. scene
around the Hotel Dcn. whore tho
wsunded ana the dying were> taken, is
u heartrendinS spectacle. The wives
and relatives Of missing men are anX-
inusly inquiring after their loved ones