The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-08-29
THE DEAD:

THE DEAD:
CHARLES WALPoT.
EDWARD MURRAY.
FRANK LOGAN.
STEPHEN J. THOMPSON.
JOHN FARREY.
RICHARD SHERMAN
THEODORE THORN.
LEROY, FENNER, workman from To-
ledo, o.
AL NORMAN. workman from Toledo.
FATALLY INJURED:
John Marshman, fractured skull and
fractured right leg; J. J. DoWd, internal
en-; Peter Peletier. right arm cut off at
shoulder. skull fractured: John White,
skull fractured, internal injuries.
,.d; Dead; 9; missing. 2; fatally injured. 4;
injured, not serious TO-
FALL OF THE ARCHES.
All of the twelve arches were standing,
the twelfth and last having been COM
pleted today The ''traveler'' or derrick
which had been used IN the erection of
the arches had been removed, and the
agents Of the bridge company were ac-
counting their work as practically COM
pleted, when suddenly, and without the
slightest warning, the arch last put in
place fell over against the one next to it.
The weight was too much for this, it
gave way, crashed against the third, and
then, one by one, the great steel span
fell over to the south. Nearly all the
men who were killed were at work on the
top of the arches, forty feet above the
ground. Some of them MADE futile at
tempts to slide down the side of the
arches, but, before they could help them
selves, they were hurled to the ground.
sHRIEKED FOR AID.
Many of them uttered piercing shrleks
Ior aid as the fell Most of them were
killed outright. The skulls of the an
fortunate men were crushed into shane
less masses. their limbs were cut Oft as
If by a monster knife and they were
mangled beyond recognition
The immense structure began falling
slowly. each arch being sustained by the
cross-beams supporting the entire struc-
ture AS the mass gained impetus bars
of iron inches thick snapped with a loud
report, and the great mass moved faster
and faster in its descent To the ground
with crash that was heard blocks dis
tant, the structure fell, leaving the walls
practically uniniured and sending m
great clouds Of dust and dirt
An Immense crowd gathered around tha
place and DESPITE the efforts of the po-
lice, who were close at hand, thev
sWarmed over the mass Of wreckaga,
making desperate but ill-directed efforts
to drag out the dead and tn save tha
wounded 1t was onlv with the greatest
difficulty that the police ware finally able
10 drive back the crowd and give the fire,
men and uniniured workmen a chance IN
rescue the injured
Fully hrty men were at work in the
space covered by the arches as thov fell
Several of them We're standine urdar tho
arches when they commenced to fall ana
running TO the side wall by great rood
fortune, happened to stand n the spacA
left vacant by the curve Of the arches
away from the side wall Had the arches
fallen to either side, the loss of life must
have been much heavier
CAUSE A MYSTERY
The direct cause of the accident IS not
known. and 1t will probably be several
Gays before 1T is accurately determined
one theory is that shifting Of sand he
meath the foundation caused the coIIansa
OF the first arch, which brought all the
others to the ground story which,
cannot be substantiated Is that a nunobay
or Workmen were using pulley on tba
north arch while they were taking down
some scaffolding. It caused the arch "a
sway and finally IT swayed too far and
Tell over. John Johnson superintendent
OF the Pittsburg Bridge company. was
unable 10 advance theory as to the
cause of the collapse
cannot say what caused the acct
oent, said Supt. Johnson ''I am utterly
at a loss to account for it. I left the
building only few minutes before tbs
whole thing fell with a bang and a crash
we had finished putting up the last arch.
ana had begun taking down the traveller
on winch the arches were raised to be
set In place. This work was almost COM
pleted When 1 left the building. There
remained but one or two more beams to
be removed. Then I heard the crash,
ana could hardly believe my eyes when
saw the result Of our weeks Of work de-
stroyed in a minute"
Ihe manasement have decided to at
once proceed with the immediate com
nletion Of the building and have If ready
fer the national convention next summer
The loss will not exceed -S25. 900. The
worst fea ture of the accident was tho