Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-09-05

the new bridge across the st. Law.
renee river five miles below this city
, collapsed late yesterday, carrying
scores of bridge workers and mechan-
les into the water. 1t is estimated
that the loss of life is at least so and
may exceed that number by 90
The bridge was about a mile and
half in length, and half of it. from
the south shore to mid-stream, crum-
pied up and dropped into the water.
Ninety men were at work on this Sec
ton of the structure and the whistle
had Just blown at $50 for the ,'men
to quit work for the day when there
came grinding sound from the
fridge mid-stream. The men turned
to see what had happened and an in
slant later the cry went up 'the
bridge is falling"
Men Go Down in Crash.
The men made a rush shoreward
but the distance was too great for the
men to escape. The fallen section of
the bridge dragged others after it,
the swapping Orders and cables boom
ing like crash of artillery Terror
lent fleetness to the feet of the fright
ened workmen as they sped shore
ward, but only few of them reached
safety before the last piece of iron
work on the south shore was dragged
into the river.
Eight Workmen Rescued.
Near the shore the wreckage OF
the bridge did not go below the sur
face of the water and eight workmen
who remained above water were res
cued and taken to the, hospital at
Lewis.
Steamer Narrowly Escapes.
The steamer Glenmont had just
cleared the bridge when the first sec
ton fell. The water thrown up by
the debris came clear over the bridge
of the steamer The captain at once
lowered boats. The small boats
piled backward and forward over the
sunk wreckage for half an hour but
there was no sign of life. The twist
ed iron and steed had its victims In a
terrible death grip. A few floating
timbers and the broken strands of the
bridge toward the north shore were
the only signs that anything unusual
had happened. There was not rip
pie on the smooth surface of the St.
Lawrence as it swept along toward
the gulf.
All the men drowned were employees
of the Phoenixville Bridge company
and sub-contractors of Quebec and
Montreal
Sixteen Bodies Recovered.
At 10 O'Clock last night 16 bodies
had been picked up and of the eight
men in the Lewis hospital, two were
not expected to live throughout the
night.
The Quebec bridge was begun about
seven years ago and it was to be
fipished in 1909 Subsidies had been
granted by the federal and provincial
governments and the city of Quebec,
and the estimated cost of the work
was $10000,000.
The Phoenixville Bridge company
of Pennsylvania had the contract for
the construction of the bridge, and
was working from both sides OF the
river
The southern extension of the
bridge which collapsed was rapidly
nearing the zenith of the immense
steel arch which was to span the
river For 500 feet from the shore
the massive steel structure reared an
arch with no supports save the piers
from the shore and one pier in the
river about $50 feet from the shore,
while the outward extremities were
$50 feet above the water.
Thought Twas an Earthquake.
The end of the half arch bent down
a trifie and a moment later the whole
normous fabric began to give way.
Slowly at first, then with terrific
crash which was plainly heard In
Quebec and which shook the whole
countryside so that the residents
rushed out of their houses thinking
that an earthquake had occurred
OF The go men working on the
bridge, eight so far have been re-
covered. OF the other 81, 16 have
been taken from the water dead and
it is feared that the greater majority
of the others have been either
drowned or crushed by the falling
girGers.
Wounded Men in Wreeksse-
The horror of the situation Is IN
creased by the fact that there are
number of wounded men pinned IN
the wreckage near the shore. Their
groans and shrieks can be plainly
heard by the crowds who have gath
cred at the waters edge. bin nothing