Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1898-09-08
TWO SPANS FALL.
Terrible Catastrophe on the New
York and Ottawa r. R. Near
st. Regis Indian Village.
PORTION OF A BRlDGE COLLAPSES.
Sixty Men at Work OIL the Structure
Arc Precipitated Into the River
Sixty Feet Below.
AtLeast Thirty of Them We're Eitbe Killed
or Drowned-The Crash Came without
Warning and Every Man on That
Section Went Down In the Wreck.

III prlCEe o1 tne New York
u Ottawa railroad. now under con-
struc.iou across the ST. Lawrence
river about three mil, above St Regis
Indian village, fell without warning.
with 90 men at work on the bridge,
all being thrown into the river,
some sixty feet below Over thirty
were picked up aud taken to Corn
wall hospital and - are now
missing The bridge consists of three
spans, of which two were completed
and the third nearly completcd when
the south pier gave way at its founda.
tion. causing both spans to fall into
90 feet of water, taking its load of
human freight with it.
The scene OF the accident is located
about four miles from Hogansburg
above the st. Regis Indian ,reserva-
tion. The bridge that gave way was
being built across the St Lawrence
river at the foot OF Long Saul;c rapids
near Reinhardt's island The water at
this point is known to be as swift as
in any part of the river. The imme.
diate cause of the disaster and the Civ
ing way of the span of the bridge
seems to have been from the wash
ing away Of one of the large
piers. The pier in question was
begun last fall and work was contin-
ued all winter and Gnishei this sum
mer. The contract work was IN charge
of Messrs Sooy, Smith & CO., who are
we'll known es extensive and careful
contractors in their line and known to
have had instructions from the rail-
road com pany to build for "perman-
ency." The pier had been accepted
as perfectly reliable and safe.
1t would seem from this that the
swi:tness of the current was under.
estimated.
Late reports frcm Germ wall hospital
says 50 men have been taken out OF
the river and trans erred to the hos
pital. Eighteen OF them have since
died
The latest Information mak-s it
~ - CbsiplS Nlltt tIlC t!SdSAl lISl ~ tII EcdCA
80.
AS far as can be learned 81 men were
on the pay roll Of whom s. reported
for work Tuesday morning. or this
list only 3s have actually been ac.
counted for. Among those thrown
in to the river was the foreman, Tho.
F. Irady Tor Bricer!y) whose home is
in Pottsville, Pc. He had not been ac-
counted for up to a late hour Tuesday
night All efforts to get a list Of the
names of the worknen and those miss.
inr have proved futile as yet
Just before dark TIE dead body of an
Indian laborer was picked up on the
Cornwall side. There was only slight
bruise on his forehead. He probably
was stunned ty the fall and drowned.
CORNWALL. Ont, Sept An eye
witness of the fal! Of The New York e
Ottawa railroad bridge says he was
sitting on the bank Of tie river watch
ing the worknen about him, when
without warning there came a fearful
crash. Two s!ans of the bridge col.
larsed, the immense mass of timber
and iron drop! ei and the aGonizing
shr:eks Of TIE men who were be-
ing crushed in the wreck were
drowned by the rushing waters
Then he. saw bodies coming TO
tile surface and the work of rescue be-
gan. This was helr lessly inadequate
there being only few boats in the
vicinity and very few men who would
undertake to swim out into the turOu-
lent waters. Many who might have
been saved were drowned before help
could reach them. Piteous appealing
faces sank beneath the waters before
the eyes of helpless onlookers.
Margled bodies came to the surface
for a moment and then passed out of
sight. II was a terrible and heart.
relGing scene. Even those who We're
60. TO lanl alive were in such con-
dition that many died on the way to
the hospital. Some had their backs
broken, others both legs, while others
were crushed by the heavy irons
Among those who are missing are
Cyril Campbell, william Jackson,
Craig and W. Cubby.
About ffyy of the men employed on
the span We're Americans, who came
here 20 work for the Phoenix Bridge
Co. The remainder were mostly In.
dams who acted rs assistants. Every
man on the division went down with
the wreck. Many of those who
escaped climbed up the iron work,
which still rested on piers at either
end. The scene around the Hotel
D.eu, where the wounded and dying
were taken, was heartrending The
wives and relatives OF missing men
are anxiously inquiring after their
loved ones
II phh,Ia'nhia har