The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1899-09-01
STEEL ARCHES FELL.
sig Lives Crushed Out, Three Men Missing
and several Hurt 1T the chicago
Coliseum Building.

CHICAGO, Aug. ~. - Twelve steel
arches, each weighing Ss tons, which
were To have supported the super
| structure of the Coliseum building.
in course OF erection on Wabash av-
| enuc, between Fifteenth and Sixteenth
streets fell to the ground late Mon
day afternoon. IL Is known that six
lives were crushed out The bodies of
three men are supposed TO be under
the wreckage.
Seven are in the hospital with in
juries received of these two will sure
ly die, one may possibly recover. aud
the balance are for the greater part
seriously injured,
All of the IL arches were standing,
the twelfth aud last having been com
pleted Monday. 1t was the intention
of the steel contractors, the Pitts
burgh Bridge Co., of Pittsburgh, Pa, 10
turn over its work Monday night TO the
general contractors The immense
traveller or derrick. which had been
used in the erection OF the arches had
been removed and the agents of the
bridge company were accounting their
work as practically completed, when
suddenly and without the slghtes;
preliminary warning. the arch last pu;
in place suddenly fell over agaius, the
one next TO it.
The weight was too much for this.
IL gave way, crashed against the third
and then one by one the grca, steel
span fell over TO the south. precisely in
the same manner as a number OF cards
would fall Nearly all the men who
were killed were at work ON the top OF
the arches, 40 feet above the ground.
Some of them made futile attempts To
slide down the side of the arches but
before they could help themselves they
were hurled to the ground.
Many OF them uttered piercing
shricks for aid as 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; theirlimhs were
cut of as by 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
structure.
A. the mass gained impetus, bars OF
iron inches thick snapped with loud
report, aud the great mass moved
faster and faster in its descent To
the ground IL fell with crash. aud
was heard blocks away, the structure
leaving the walls practically unin-
iured aud sending up great clouds OF
dust aud dirt.
That more men were not killed and
in jured was almost n miracle. Fully
80 men were az work in the space GOV.
cred 10y the arches as they fell A
number OF the men fell into the small
excavations, OF which there are many
in ground beneath the steel works.
and although somewhat battered up
10y their tumble, were saved from
the great masses OF steel that
crashed down over them. Several
OF them were standing under
the arches when they commenced
TO fall aud running 10 the sidewalks
by great good fortune, happened to
stand in the space left vacant by the
curve Of the arches away from tho
sidewalks. Had the arches fs}tcn 10
either side the loss Of life must have
been much heavier. but they fell true
south on a line parallel TO the side OF
the building and uone Of them save
the two southern arches fell a; all out
5 dc the space to toe occupid 10y the
building.