Connecticut western news., 1898-09-08
A Terrific Plunge

Cornwall. Ont, Sept. 7.-An appalling disaster occurred near here yesterday. and its result will probably make death list of 70 to 50. The great rail- road bridge being erected across the St. Lawrence by the New York and Ot- tawa railroad gave way about noon, sending upward of 60 workmen down with the wreck into the rushing river 60 feet below. That a single man sur vived Is remarkable.
 Thirty-three of the victims have been brought to the hospital here and IS of these are dead. It Is believed that more than 20 are yet in the river. and 1t Is expected that the death roll will not be completed for many days.
 The workmen were largely from the New York side of the river, and 1t Is almost impossible to obtain their names. A number of victims were Indians from the famous St. Regis tribe, whose res ervation Is in the northwestern part of Franklin county.
 An eyewitness of the affair says he was sitting on the bank of the river watching the busy workmen above him. when suddenly, without warning. there came a fearful crash and two spans of the bridge collapsed. the immense mass of timber and iron drop ped down, and the agonizing shriels of the men who were being crushed tn the wreck were drowned by the rushing waters. Then he saw floating bodies coming to the surface and the work of rescue began. This was helplessly in- adequate. there being only a few boats in the vicinity and few men who would undertake to swim out into the tur- bulent waters.
 Many who might have been saved were drowned before help could reach them. Piteous. appealing faces sank be- heath the waters before the eyes of helpless onlookers- Broken bodies came to the surface for a moment and then passed out of s!ril
 Even those y. 70 were got to land alive were In sucl; condition that many died on the way 10 the hospital. Some had their backs broken. others both legs. while stiti others were crushed by the heavy Irons.
 About 20 of the men employed on the span were Americans who came here to work fof the Phoenix Bridge company. The rest were mostly Indians who act ed as assistants. Every man on the division went down with the wreck Many of those who escaped climbed up the ircn work which still rested on piers at either end.
 The Dead and Wounded
 The piers were built by the Sooysmith company of New York. The scene around the Hotel Dieu. where the wounded and dying were taken, is heartrending spectacle. The wives and relatives of missing men are anxiously inquiring after their loved ones.
 Following is a list of the dead and wounded made up at midnight:
 Kuled-W. J. Cubby. Paterson, N. J.; W. J. Jackson, Columbus. O.; Louis Baumer. Johnstown. Pa; R. L. Dysart. Tyrone. Pa; J. D. Craig. 22I Franklin street. Detroit; Pat Murphy. Toronto; Thomas Birmingham; Dan Hughes, Cleveland; Frank Levigne, Ogdehsbut 6, N. T.; W. Sherman, Cornwall. Ont: ". Saunders. Baltimore: John Clause, Caughnawaga, ". Y.; H. Davis, Pitts burg: Cyril Campbell. Cornwall Ont
 Wounded. John Wilson, Maiden, Mass., leg broken; George Bloxon. Pee kinsville, Vt. leg fractured; Bert Brant. Toronto, bruised; Peter O'Eeefe, Corn wall. leg and chest injured: Louis White, Cornwall. spine injured: P. Day, Cornwall, scalp wound: Mitchell Reeves. Cornwall, serious; Andrew Smith, Rochester. serious; w. Thompson, Montreal, leg broken; John Fraser. Que bee, leg cut of; John Bero. Indian. Cornwall, internal injuries; P. Dele want. Elkhart. Wis. legs injured: D. Barton. Buffalo. legs crushed; M. Burke. Johnsvilie. slightly hurt: P. White. Cornwall slightly hurt.