Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1899-08-31

NINE MEN KILLED.
NEW CHICAGO COLISEUM ARCHES
COLLAPSE WITH FATAL RESULTS.

NEW CHICAGO COLISEUM ARCHES
COLLAPSE WITH FATAL RESULTS.
Structure Under Construction In Chicago
Topples and Falls without Warming.
Bodies of Two Under the Ruins-Four
In the Hospital Fatally Hurt.
CHICAGO, Aug. 29.-Twelve steel
arches, each weighing SO tons, which
We're to have supported the superstruc-
ture OF the Coliseum building, in course
OF erection on Wabash avenue, between
Fifteenth and Sixteenth streets, fell to
the ground last evening. 1t is known
that nine lives We're crushed out. The
bodies OF two men are supposed to be
under the wreckage. Ten are in the
hospital with injuries received in the
accident and of these, four will surely
die. The dead:
CHARLES WALPoL.
EDWARD MURRAY.
FRANK LOGAN.
STEPHEN J. THOMPSON.
JOHN FARREY
RICHARD SHERMAN.
THEODORE THORN
LEROY FENNER, workman from Toledo.
AL NORMAN, workman from Toledo.
Fatally injured:
John Marshman, fractured skull.
j. J. Dowd, internal injuries, both eyes
out; both legs broken.
Peter Peletier, right arm cut off at
shoulder; skull fractured.
John White, skull fractured
Edward swanson and Joseph King are
missing and believed to be in the ruins.
Some Narrow Escapes.
Some exceedingly narrow escapes
We're made along with the story of how
some unfortunate workingmen went to
their deaths. Thomas Rabishaw of
1909 Wabash avenue, a bridge builder,
was at work on the second arch, next to
the south end of the structure. When
he heard the cry Of warning coming
from his comrades on the roof and felt
the building shake, he took right hold
on the beam on which he had been
working. When he realized that the
Whole superstructure was going to the
ground, he slid down the beam 40 feet
and then plunged into the mud at the
excavation at the southeast corner of
the building. He was stunned only for
few minutes, and then assisted in the
work OF relieving his fellow workmen
Afterwards he said he felt as if he had
come up out of the grave. He said he
never expected to make the descent and
come through it alive
i siaes.@ol Bloomer was working on the
south end of the building on the west
side OF the roof. With him was his
partner, Cornelius Toomey When
they felt the building shaking, both
grasped the iron arch upon which they
had been working and came down with
the falling structure. Toomey was seri-
ously, if not fatally, injured and re-
moved to the hospital. Bloomer only
received few bruises.
Cause of the Collapse.
The direct cause Of the accident is
not known. One theory which receives
some support is that shifting of sand
beneath the foundation caused the COL
lapse OF the first arch, which brought
the other II arches to the ground.
A story which cannot be substanti-
ated is that number Of workmen were
using pulley on the north arch, with
which they We're taking down scaffold-
ing that had been erected around it.
They caused the arch to sway, and
finally it swayed too far and toppled
over.
81 cannot say what caused the acci-
dent, said Superintendent johnson, 'I
am at loss to account for it. l left
the building only few minutes before
the whole thing fell with a crash and a
roar. We had finished putting up the
last arch and had begun taking down
the traveller upon which the arches were
raised to be set into place. This work
was almost completed when left the
building. There remained but one or
two more beams to be removed. Then
! heard the crash and could hardly be-
ieve my eyes,"
The work of rebuilding will COM
mence at once, and it is expected that
yesterdays accident will delay the
opening of the building not over a
month. No financial loss will fall on
the Coliseum company, which is erect
ing the structure. The only losers will
be the Pittsburg Bridge company. The
company's loss is estimated at $25,OOO.