The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1899-08-29
HUGE ARCHES
TOPPLE OVER
------
Eight Lives List In the Chicago
Coliseum Building.
FOURTEEN BADLY INJURED
The Immense Arches Fell Win a
Crash. Crushing the Helpless VIC.
hms Beyond Recognition.
FOURTEEN BADLY INJURED

| CHICAGO. Aug. zs.-Twelye stee
arches. each weighing aS tons. whiel
were to have supported the aupers.rue
tllre OF the coliseum building. In. th'
course OF erection on Wabash avenue
between Fifteenth and Sixteenth
streets. fell 10 the ground this after.
noon. IL In known that nine lives wer,
crushed. The bodies Of three men arr
supposed 90 be under the wreckage
Seven men are In the hospital with In.
juries received by the accident. and Of
these two will surely die. one may pos-
aibly recover and the balance are toT
the greater part seriously injured.
All OF the twelve arches were stand
ing since the 18th. the last having been
completed today. II was the intention
Of the steel contractors. the Pittsburg
Bridge Company OF Pittsburg. Pa.
to turn over the work tonight to the
general contractors. The iron travel
or" 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
aA practically completed. when sud
denly and without the slightest prellm-
mary OF warning, the arch last put In
place suddenly fell over against the one
next TO Il. The weight was too much
for this. and Il gave away crashing
against the third. and. one by one the
great steel spans fell over 10 the south,
Nearly all the men who were killed
were ai work on top OF the arches,
forty feet above the ground. Some OF
them made futile attemps TO slide down
the side OF the arches. but before they
gould help themselves ;hey were buried
TO the ground. Many Of them uttered
piercing shrieks for aid as they
fell. The most OF them were killed out
right by the awful nature Of their In
jurica The skulls OF the unfortunate
men were crushed into shapless masses,
their limbs were cut OF as II by a
monster knife and they were mangled
beyond recognition. The immense
structure began falling slowly, each
arch being sustained by oross beams
supporting the entire structure, As
the mass gained impetus. bars OF iron.
inch thick. snapped with loud report
and the great mass moved faster and
faster in It's descent to the ground with
n crash that was heard blocks distant,
the structure fell, leaving the walls
practically uniaJurcd and sending up
great clouds Of dust and dirt.
A number OF men fell into the small
excavations, OF which there are many
In the ground beneath the steelworks
and although some were scattered up
by the tumble. these were sawed from
the great masses Of steel that crashed
down over them.
Today's accident will delay the open
ing OF the building not over one month.
No financial loss will fall upon the
coliseum company. which is erecting
the structure. The only loser will be
the Pittsburg Bridge Company.
The company's loss Is estimated at
$4,000. The coliseum will lose indirect
ly financially. through the inability to
arrange for attractions during the COM
ing winter season.
The structure was S0l feet long by
i7s feet wide. II was designed for the
accommodation OF large conventions,
expositionA. oircuses. football games
and other AFFAIRS of great public at
traction.
The list OF dead and injured are;
Chas, wapol.
Edward Murray.
Frank Logan.
Stephen J. Thompson.
John Farrey.
Richard Sherman.
Theodore Thorn.
Leroy Fenner, a workman from
Ohio,
The fatally injured are;
John Morshman, fractured akull and
fractured right leg.
]. j. powd, internal injuries, both
eyes out, both legs broken.
Peter rellteir, right arm cut of at
the shoulder and skull fractured,
John White. skull fractured and in
ternal injuries,
The missing and believed to be
dead are:
Edward Swanson.