The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1899-09-02
IMMENSE CHICAGO
STRUCTURE COLLApSfs
Great Steel Arches in the New
Coliseum Building Sud
denly Give Way.
INSTANT DEATH FOR NINE MEN
-Four More Are Fatally Hurt and
INSTANT DEATH FOR NINE MEN
More Are Fatally Hurt and.
Two Arc Missing--lhc Direct
Cause of the Accident
Is unknown.

.'te, ollc may IuSSlDlS recover anu lic
are for the greater part seri-
ously injured.
Dead:
CHARLES W.NLPOT.
EDWARD MURRAY.
FRANK LOGAN.
STEPHEN j.. THOMPSON.
join F.ARREi.
RICHARD SHERMAN.
THEODORE THORN.
LEROH FENNlGR, workman, from
Toledo, O..
AL NORMAN, workman, from To-
edo.
Fatally injured:
John Marshaan, fractured skull and
fractured right leg.
j. j. Dowu, internal injuries, both
eyes out, both legs broken.
Peter Peletier. right arm off at
shoulder. skull fractured.
John White. skull fractured, internal
injuries.
Missing and believed to be in the
ruins:
Edward Swanson.
Joseph King.
Injured, not serious:
Cornelius Toomey.
j. II. Marley.
John Hawthorn.
John j. Johnson.
David Reardon.
II. =. thinner.
j. Flack.
]. H. Hanson.
Andrew Morrison.
Dead, o.; missing, 2; fatally injured.
4; injured, not seriously. ..
All of the twelve arches were stand
Ing, the twelfth aud last having been
completed yesterday. 1t was the in
%tention of the steel contractors. the
Pittsburg Bridge company, of Pitts
burg, Pa, to turn over its work to-
night to the general contractors. The
immense traveller" or derrick, which
bad 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
completed. when suddenly and with
out the slightest preliminary warm
ing the arch last put in place suddenly
fell owe against the one neNt TO it.
The Weight was too much for this; it
gave way. crashed against the third,
and then II by II the great steel
spans fell over to the south. precisely
in the same manner as a number of
cards would fall. Nearly all the men
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
themselves they were hurled to the
ground. Many of them uttered pierre
ing shricks for aid rs they fell. Most
of them were killed outright by the
awful nature of their injuries. The
skulls of the unfortunate men were
crushed into shapeless masses; their
limbs were cut off as if by i; monster
knife, and they were mangled beyond
recognition. The immense structure
began falling slowly, each arch being
sustained by the cross beams support
ing the entire structure. AS the mass
gained impetus, bars of iron several
inches thick snapped with Il loud re-
port and the great mass moved faster
and faster in its descent. TO the
ground. with II crash that was heard
blocks distant. the structure fell, leav-
ing the walls practically uninjured
and sending up great clouds of dust
and dirt.
An immense crowd gathered around
the place, and despite the efforts of
the police, who were close at hand.
they Swarmed over the mass OF wreck
age, making desperate but i'll directed
efforts 10 drag out the dead and to
save the wounded. 1t was only with
the greatest difficulty that the police
E,,1I ,It, -. -. f,..1. a..
crowd. and give the tiremen and unin-
jured workmen Il chance to rescue the
injured.
The direct cause of the accident i.
not known and il will probably h,
several days before it is accurately d.
1ermincd.
One theory which receives some sup
port is that a shifting of sand beneath
the foundation caused the collapse OF
the first arch. which brought all the
others to the ground.
The work of rebuilding will com
mcnce a, once and it is expected that
the accident ,vill delay the opening OF
the building no over one month. Nc
financial loss will fall upon the Colise
um company. which is erecting the
structure. The only loser will b. the
Tittsbnrg Bridge company. The ccm
pany's loss is estimated at $4,000. The
unfinished building occupied this
ground on the east side of Wabash nv
enne between Fourteenth and Six,
teenth streets on which Libby prison
formerly stood. The structure was
405 feet long by liz feet wide and whei,
completed would have leen S. feet
high. Construction was Ecgun upon
the building about Sin weeks age and
it wa expected before the accident
that it would be completed by Derem.
Der | next. 1t was designed for the ac
commodation of large convent ons, eN-
positions. %circuses. foot ball games and
other affairs of great, public attfac
ton.
A singular fatality has attended al
buildings erected in Chicago and called
Coliseum The first 10 be erected
stood on SiNey-third street and like
the present coliseum it collapsed while
being built in the fall of 1924. Nobody
was injured. bat the accident caused
a property less of about $40 900. The
building vas rebuilt and the last ma,
tional democratic convention WAS hclr
within its walls. The second coliseum
was totally destroyed by fire on tht
night Of December "a. 1897, aud wa.
never rebuilt. The accident yesterday
| brought down the third coliseum.
notwithstanding the fact that there
is nothing new under the sun, the