Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-08-31


Chicago, Aug. 29.-Twelve steel
arches, each weighing 33 tons. to have
supported the superstructure of the
coliseum building in course of recon
structlon on Wabash avenue near 18th
street, fell late Monday afternoon. 1t
is known that nine lives were lost. The
bodies OF two men are supposed to be
under the wreckage. Seven are in the
hospital with injuries received in the
accident. Of these four will die. The
dead are: Charles Walpot, crushed:
Stephen l. Thampson, crushed; John
Farrey, head crushed; Richard Sher-
man, head cut off; Edward Murray,
head and both arms cut off; Theodore
Thorn, crushed; Frank Logan; Leroy
Fenner; Al Norsman.
The two supposed to be under the
ruins are: Edward Swanson and JOS
eph King.
The fatally injured are: John Dowd,
legs broken, eyes out, internal injuries:
John White cut on head, right side, in
ternal injuries; John Marshman, frac-
tured skull and leg; Peter Peletier,
arm cut off and skull fractured. The
others injured are: Cornelius Toomey,
head crushed, internal injuries, may
recover; John Geohegan, hand and leg
broken; John Hawthorne, head cut,
internal injuries, serious; j. H. War
ley; John ]. Johnson; David Reardon:
ii. z. thinner; J. Flack; j. Hanson;
Andrew Morrison.
All u arches were standing, the 18th
and last having been completed short
ly before the accident 1t was the in
tention of the steel contractors, the
Pittsburg Bridge company of Pitts
burg, Pa, to turn over the work Mon
day night to the general contractors.
The immense ''traveller" or derrick
which has been used in the erection of
the arches had been removed and the
agents of the bridge company thought
the work practically completed when
suddenly, without the slightest prelim-
mary warning, the arch last put in
place fell over against the one next
to it. The weight was too much for
this and it gave way and crashed
against the third. Then one by one
the big steel spans fell over to the
south. Nearly all the killed were at
work on top of the arches 40 feet above
the ground. Some made futile at
tempts to slide down the sides of the
arches, but before they could help
themselves they were hurled TO the
ground. Most of them were killed
outright by the awful nature of their
injuries. The skulls of the unfortu-
nate men were crushed into shapeless
masses and their limbs were cut off as
if by a monster knife and mangled be-
yond recognition.
The immense structure began falling
slowly, each arch being sustained by
cross beams supporting the entire
structure. AS the mass gained impe-
tus bars of iron inches thick were
snapped with a loud report and the
great mass moved faster and faster
until it reached the ground.
That more men were not killed or
injured was almost a miracle. Fully
so men were at work in the space COW
cred by the arches as they fell. A
number of men fell into small exca-
vatiOns Of which there are many in
the ground beneath the steel works
and were saved. Several were stand
ing under the arches when they COM
menced to fall and ran to the sidewalk.
None Of the arches save the two south
ern fell at all outside of the space to
be occupied by the building.
The direct cause Of the accident is
not known and it will probably be
several days before it is accurately de-
termined. One theory is that the
shifting of sand beneath the founda-
ton caused the collapse of the first
arch. A story not substantiated is
that a number of workmen were using
a pulley on the north arch while they
were taking down some of the scaffOld
ing. They caused the arch to sway
and it finally swayed too far. j. j.
Johnson, superintendent of the Pitts
burg Bridge company, is unable to ad-
vance any cause. The work Of re-
building the arches will commence at
once. The accident will delay the
opening of the building not over one
month.
No financial loss Will fall upon the
Coliseum company erecting the struc-
ture. The only losses will be to the
Pittsburg Bridge company whose loss
is estimated at 5000. The structure
was to have been 304 feet long, 172
wide and 81 high. It was expected to
be completed by December I.
Singular fatalities have attended all
buildings erected in Chicago called the
coliseum The first collapsed in the
same way while being built in the fall
Of 1894, while all the workmen were
absent. The building was rebuilt and
the last national democratic cOnven-
ton held there. 1t was totally de-
stroyed by fire in December, 1897, and
never rebuilt.
PITCHED BATTLE IN KENTUCKY.