The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-05-28
FootbrIdgs In Big City Gave
Way and One Man Killed.
IWENTY.FOUR WERE INJURED
Procession In Honor Of French Visitors Was
Passing and The Militia Came Promptly
10 The Rescue.

New York. May 2s.--some rs. New
Workers. including half dozen police
men. were tumbled In 15-foot excava-
tion at Fifth avenue and Eighteenth
street at 6:25 o'clock last night by the
collapse OF a sidewalk footbridge as the
parade in honor of the French visitors
went by.
The visitors had got by and did not see
II, and they were not told about It,
either. at the reviewing stand.
There they knew only that something
had delayed the parade and that strag-
glers of the Twenty-second regiment
were plenty long after that regiment had
passed.
The stragglers had been doing rescue
work and police work. for there were not
enough police at hand
A rush of shop girls, who bore down
bars that had been put up to close the
Eighteenth street side of the bridge, i'm
mediately preceded the collapse.
One man was killed and "a persons were
taken TO the hospitals seven swith broken
arms or legs. Most of the others were
but slightly hurt.
The bridge that collapsed was beside
the excavation on the side OF old Chick
ering hall II sent almost everybody who
was on IL down amid broken timbers TO
the rough and rocky bottom OF the pit.
President Cantor and the Superinten-
dent of Highways blame tbs police for
not keeping the footbridge clear. Capt
Foody, who was I'm charge at this point
however. says that he had no authority
TO close thoroughfare and that he did
Keep the people moving and did not al
low them To hnger on the bridge. The
foreman In charge OF the excavation was
arrested
IL was at least half an hour after the
French guests had passed. preceded by
Gen. Roe and STAFF. the French marines
and the American jackies. and the head
OF the Twenty second regiment, which
followed, had only just got by the corner
There was a sound Of cracking timbers,
followed by screams Of men and women,
who felt the bridge giving beneath them
Then those who were watching saw the
whole mass go out of sight. Some OF the
planks parted. and. with a springboard
effect threw those who had been stand
Ing on them into the air.
There was a moment that people who
had seen the accident stood as IL para
lyzed by what they had seen. Then they
made rush for the excavation and the
MILITIA ACTED PROMPTLY.
Police Capt Foody. who had been di-
rectly i'm front of the place. shouted in
structions to his men TO hold back the
crowd in order that other parts of the
bridge might not give way. too. But
the police seemed for moment to be
swallowed up. Then the militia acted,
and with such promptness that they
earned the admiration OF all that wit
messed them,
Col Bartlett of the Twenty second regi-
ment at once ordered a halt that brought
the first company of the First Battalion
opposite the scene of the accident. 1t
took only an instant for Col. Bartlett TO
get word to Capt Lilliendahl for his COM
pany to fall out and do what they could
to help those injured and 10 keep order
Col. Bartlett then ordered the ambu
lance OF the regiment to be brought up
and got word TO the ambulances Of the
Thirteenth Regiment and Troop C. He
then detailed the entire Second Battalion
OF the regiment TO assist the work of res
cue by holding the crowd back. The
militiamen faced around and by forming
n line about the excavation kept the
crowd back The police had by this time
been reinforced and succeeded in getting
a place for the ambulances and doctors
20 work in.
WORK OF RESCUE.
When the rescuers got into the exca-
walton they found that some of the police
men who had gone down with the bridge
had already begun to pull people out. al
though they had been badly bruised
themselves.
Ii was the work Of a very few minutes
TO get nearly all Of the injured out. I'm
der one large timber which had support
ed the bridge the rescuing party found
man unconscious and with part of his
head knocked In by the beam which had
fallen on top OF II.
He was Just breathing when he was
put into the ambulance, but died almost
as soon as II started for the hospital. He
was identified later from cards found in
his pocket as Il. X. Coolidge Of 929 East
One Hundred and Third street circula
tion agent OF the New York Commercial
The mass OF timbers forming the bridge
piled up 10 within "A few feet Of the street
level A few persons were neiped out by
the people on the street. Some Of the
injured were taken to the Hotel Logerot
on the opposite corner, which had been
decora ted for the occasion, all OF the win
dows and balconies OF which were filled
with Frenchmen. who had been cheering
their. compatriots.
FOREMAN ARRESTED FOR NEGLECT.
Seven women with broken ankles were
carried into the hotel and there revived
The work Of rescuing people was per-
formed at some risk TO the rescuers. for
when the bridge collapsed II left little
building used as an office resting only on
one beam.
Ten minutes from the time the accl-
dent occurred the ruins had been thor
oughly explored jsnd all the injured taken
out.
Coroner Scholer. who reached the scene
soon after the accident happenws started
on an investigation.
In charge OF the excavation at the time
the accident occurred was James Law
ton. n foreman employed by Charles A.
Cowan. the contractor.
Coroner Scholer ordered lawton placed
under arrest. Tawton said that the
bridge had never been meant TO hold the
crowd IL had on II when the accident
happcned. and declared he had warned
,ha roitco hefora the collange occurred