The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-20
Cable of "a Travelling Crane Broke and
Precipitated Workmen Into the
River over 100 Feet Below.
TEN MEN INSTANTLY KILLED
SIX SERIOUSLY INJURED, ONE OF
WHOM MAY NOT RECOVER.
Postal Clerk and Three Employees
Killed and Five Persons Hurt i'm n
Southern Railway Collision.

PITTSBURG, Pa, Oct. 19.-By the break
ing of the ropes carrying five beams TO
their position, letting tons of iron fall upon
the movable crane at the Pittsburg end
of the new Wabash bridge over the Mo-
nongahela river. being built by the Ameri-
can Bridge Company, ten workmen were
hurled TO death by fall Of more than 100
feet, striking the water and two barges be-
meath. Six were seriously injured. The
part of the bridge extending out over the
river from the Watershed side is a
wreck. The casualties follow:
Dead-W. ]. McCloud, George Wells, @.
w. Keitlinger. William Kempton. c.. L.
Fleming, Fred Sallinger, Frank Dalby. }.
Campbell, Edward Morris and James Sim
mons.
Injured-Adolph vosburg. Frank Hoover.
probably fatally. William Jay, A. M Fowl
er and Earl Crider
Deputy Coroner L. c. Huchel made an
investigation at the scene of the disaster.
He believes the blame rests on whoever
was in charge of the hosting and fasten-
ing of the beams He says that failure
to properly secure one derrick load caused
the breaking strain to fall on the crane.
Just before this happened" said Mr.
Huchel, "the men had hauled up load
Of five bars. They were fixed in position
by long steel bar. which was pushed
through the eyes at the end. Then five
more bars were hauled UP to the same
point and this fastening bar was drawn
| back with the intention of showing it
through the eyes of the FIVE additional
| bars. In some way a blunder was made
and the bar was not put through. AS a
result the bars suddenly fell, the result
| ing jerk pulling down the crane.
The accident was caused by the giving
away OF two inch steel cable which was
used as one of the guys TO support the big
| crane. This cable was tested to bear a
strain of one hundred tons and Il is said
| that IL did not break but pulled loose from
its fastening. There were thirty-four men
| at work on the superstructure OF the bridge
aud In the barge below, from which the
beams were being hoisted by the crane l75
feet above the river level. when the booms
collapsed OF the men who were In the
barge some escaped with their lives by
! jumping into the river the moment they
heard the crash above. Some of the men
| on the superstructure who were engaged
| in riveting and handling the bars that were
! lifting from the barge also got off unin-
| jured.
to an experiment in the construction Of the
| bridge in order to save time. The rumor
! had it that this was the first bridge ever
built without underpinning and that the
| company did not any UNDERMINING be-
! cause IL was thought that much time might
be saved. J. A. Huston. general superin-
| American Bridge Company, said: Such a
rumor is absurd and without any founda-
! ton In fact. 1t is the universal rule to
| build cantilever bridges, such as this one.
| in the manner In which the bridge is being
built. No UNDERMINING or false work under
| the bridges required or used We have
| built hundreds of bridges in the manner
| In which this bridge is being constructed.
| 1t would be an experiment TO build them
| any other way, but the system of overhead
support alone is the adopted and approved
| plan"
| The work on the bridge will be deloyed
about three months Several marvellous
escapes from death were reported. One OF
| the workers on the traveller, as soon as the
| guy wires snapped, attempting to jump back
| to the part remaining on the bridge. He
| missed his footing and was falling to the
river. Part of a rope attached to the
bridge struck him on the face. He instinc-
| lively caught hold of il, and Was saved
| from being carried down into the barge
| He continued 10 hold to the rope until one
\ of the skiffs came to his rescue, when he
| slid down and took his place in the boat as
| one of the rescuers.
|. Thousands visited the scene Of the dis
| aster during the morning and at lunch time
the wharf was crowded with men, women
and children. They watched the workmen
| on the sunken barge with intense interest
| and sought every point Of vantage from
| which they could get view