The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1907-09-05
SEyENTY-EIGHT
WORKMEN PERISH.
LATEST ESTIMATE OF LIVES LOST
WHEN ST. LAWRENCE STEEL
STRUCTURE COLLAPSED.
BODIES FAST IN DEBRIS.
Canada Shocked by Terrible Disaster
and Rigid Investigation Will Be
Made to Fix Blame.

+ QUEBEC, Quebec, Aug. 3O.-One-haIt
| of the enormous cantlleycr $4,000, 900
| bridge being constructed across the -,
| Lawrence, six miles from Quebec,
| crumpled up and crashed 100 feet into
the river late yesterday afternoon, carry
ing to their death seycuty-eight work
men, many of whom were skilled Amer
! lean mechanics.
The number Of victims as stated at
! the head office of the Phoenix Bridge
company today is as follows:
Eighteen Canadians, iurty-three In
/ dams and seventeen Americans, but the
! officials would not venture tn give out
| any names at present. They also state
| that five Canadians, four Indians and
/ three Americans were injured.
/ With the first break Of dawn half
1 dozen government and Quebec Bridge
/ company tugs began Il search of the ST.
/ Lawrence river for the victims, Less
than twenty bodies have been recuy-
/ cred. The terrific drop of the great
| steel structure from $50 feet above the
surface of the river crushed the bodies
of many OF the workmen III fright
| full manner and it is feared many OF
them never Will be found,
List of Known Dead
/ Many of the dead were Americans,
| brought here by the Phoenix Bridge
company of Phoenixvilc, Pa, which had
the contract for the iron work on the
! bridge.
Among the known dead are:
| CAMEL, Il. A., genera foreman for the
/ Phoenix Bridge company,
BlRkS, chief engineer.
DAVIS, fireman of the bridge switch en-
CINE
WIIALLEY, JOHN, foreman.
IDAH, JIM, Indian foreman.
About twenty-eght Caughnawaga Indians
| employed as laborers.
VICTOR, JAMES and HENRY BARDY,
| brothers, of New Liverpool, Que.
PROULEN, WILFRlD, of New Liverpool,
Que.
LA FRANCE. ZEPHRlAN, quebec
Crash Comes Without Warning.
Ninety men were at work on the
wrecked half If the bridge extended from
the south shore to mdstTuam. The quit
ting whistle at $50 had just blown and
the men were preparing to leave their
work.
Suddenly grinding cruncling sound
from midstream startled the men. An
instant later those tarthcst out screamed
The bridge IS falling.
Some OF the men made a frantic rush
shoreward, but the distance was too
great for them TO escape. The fallen see
/ tlOn OF Tue bIluSe uIbSEtI tlutIS WIN II,
the Swapping orders and cables booming
like the crashing Of artillery. Terror lent
speed TO the terrified mechanics who had
been working nearest the shore
With the bridge crumpling up behind
them they ran desperately 10 reach the
shore.
None of the men reached the shore, bet
eight who went down with the section
nearest the land were rescued,
rt ,t 10 hri bn
section Of all that fell that did not van
ish in the water.
River Closes Over Tragedy.
The steamer Glenmont had just cleared
the bridge when the first section tell.
The waves thrown up by the debris
drove clear over the bridge of the steam
er. The captain at once lowered boats.
The small boats piled backward and for
ward over the sunken wreCkage for half
an hour, but there was no sign of life.
The twisted iron and steel had its VIC
TINS in terrible death grip. \ few
floating timbers and the broken strands
of the bridge toward the north shore
were the only signs that anything I'M
usual had Happened.
Ten minutes after the crash there was
not a ripple on the smooth surface Of
the St Lawrence as ii swept along to-
ward the gulf.
The contractors Offices On each side Of
the st. Lawrence az the point where the
bridge fell were the first to send tine
news of the disaster to Quebec. There
are DO hospitals in the immediate yicju-
ity of Lewis and few physicians could be-
obtained.
Relief expeditions were fitted QUO at
once and sent across the river at this
point by the electric cars and ON up the
other side of the ST Lawrence by teams.
Tho Dupbpr hpsUlfgIS wore ulI pullrb