The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1898-08-18


12x12 piece, that struck Darling on
the right side of the head, as it came
down distance of nearly 40 feet
Louis Anderson, who was sent back
ward through space, distance of ten
or twelve feet, was the first to recover
from the shock, and he Immediately
looked for the injured. He found
Darling in the worst condition, aside
from the above injury, he having been
struck by an 8x12 timber in the right
thigh, causing the deep cash there.
The other injured men, stating that
they were not seriously hurt, Darling
was taken to wagon on the south
side of the bridge, and hurried to Bel
view. He was pronounced dead by
DR.. Dredge Immediately on arriving
there, and Coroner Gibson was noti-
fed of the affair. Later in the day
the two physicians made an investi-
cation of Darling and found that his
neck had been broken by the large
piece of timber that struck him on the
right side of the head, causing only a
scraping Of the skin, 50 far as outside
Investigation could discover.
Aug. Tiedeman is the son of a farm
or residing in Hawk Creek township.
He was employed as fireman on the
engine. He was standing near Mr..
Anderson when the bridge went down,
and he had three gashes cut in his
left leg below the knee and the skin
erased from his right leg above the
knee. No bones were broken, and
Tiedeman, after having his wounds
bandaged, appeared for work.
Michael Olsen, who was standing
just west of the engine, made the
boldest leap of the day. As before
stated there was no preliminary alarm,
but as the old span went down Olsen
leaped into the river, and got off with
his left hand being slightly hurt and
the skin scraped from two fingers, re-
ceived while going through the iron
and wood superstructure. He was al
so slightly shaken up as a result OF
the jump.
Immediately after the coroner de-
cided that an inquest over Darling
was unnecessary, his two sisters in
Jacksonville, ILL.,, we're notified of his
death by accident. and Miss Grace
Darling of that place Immediately
wired back to have the body embalmed
and forwarded to a point near Jack
sonville for burial.
The bridge wreck is something ter
rible. For ten feet on either side the
wreck slants down suddenly, but COM
pletely off either pier. Then comes
eighty feet of straight bridge similar
to pontoon. The Minneapolis thresh-
ing engine of last years pattern, is
right side up, about 18 feet from the
north end of the span. Four or five
spokes are out of the traction wheel
on the east, and the hub appears to
he sprung. The governor, steam
gauge, smoke stack, and one or two
other parts was knocked off, but aside
from this there appears to be no other
injuries. The bridge tipped slightly
to the east as it fell, the engine being
nearly off the bridge on that side.
Three huge l2x12 timbers, one of them
that gave Darling his quietus, are lay
ing over the engine, while around it
and above are wooden and iron debris
too numerous to mention. In nearly
every case the wooden material shows
signs of decay, and the big piece that
undoubtedly gave way first is rotten to
the core.
Nothing held the two sections of
the bridge proper together. Indeed,
there is no sign of even a plank be-
tween the two sections, haying been
broken, and a cursory observation
clearly proves that if there ever was
official negligence it was in this struc
ture that has cost human life. Dan
gerous approaches on either side. piers
that are of feather weight and hardly
large enough to allow for good sup
port, timber that has decayed years
before its time, and iron that seems to
have turned into moulten lead, stands
before the honest man as a phantom
of official rottenness.
The bridge was built prior to 1890,
at a cost of about s., ,OOO, the State hav-
ing rendered between $1,000 and
&20(O Aid for the nnrf,nao and Rod.