The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-11-04
War Eagle Became Unmanaeeable and
Crashed Into keokuk and Hamil-
ton Bridge, Tearing Out
Span.
CITY WAS MUCH EXCITED
Weather Was Much Like That BEING
Experienced Here This Season,
Superintendent Cole of
Bridge Says.

o'clock, the packet War Eagle struck
the second span Of the Keokuk and
Hamilton bridge, tearing out a span
Of the bridge, and demolishing a wheel
and the wheel-house of the boat. The
boat was beached near the old eleva-
tor, and the passengers and baggage
gotten off. A" leak which threatened
to sink the boat was discovered and
patched, and the boat kept af1oat. c.
F. Benning of Douds, Iowa, brother
of Mrs. G. w. Wilson of this city was
the only passenger to lose his life in
the accident.
The Gate City of the following
morning carried front page story of
the affair, under the caption "Dire Dis
aster" The Gate City said:
How It Happened.
'Last evening about seven
o'clock the shrill notes Of the
bridge whistle. accompanied by
repeated whistlings of steam
boats, followed in few minutes
by the changing of fire bells,
threw Keokuk itno excitement
and the widest rumors were
afioat A Gate City representa-
tive hurried to the river front
and upon reaching the levee found
one span of the Keokuk and Ham
ilton bridge gone, and saw the
passenger packet War Eagle
floating helplessly down the river
with the wheel house and wheel
gone. ...
"a large number of passengers
were out on the gansways looking
- 4, Il
swung into the eddy. and cross
currents above the bridge and the
alarm was given that she would
become manageable, and strike
the bridge. The stern of the boat
swung round against the second
span Con Illinois side) and with
a terrible crash wheel and wheel
house of the War Eagle crushed
of the bridge, 800 feet, went out
Weather Like This Season.
John Fl. Cole, who is superintendent
of the Keokuk and Hamilton bridge
now, was superintendent here then,
and he recalled the fact this morning
that the weather on the DAY and even
ing Of the catastrophe was much like
the weather we are having now.
The weather bureau figures show that
on November.4 1881, the river stage
was 1879 feet and the temperature
ranged from 40 to 80 degrees. The
stage Of the-river today Is 5.44 feet
and the temperature this morning was
SO degrees. The water was unusually
high. fact which interfered with the
rebuilding of the span which was
r. yr,ft TnY7o-
Der II that Tthe span was again in
place. 1t was a moonlight night, when
the War Eagle hit the bridge.
The dredEe boat W. D. Smith and
the steamer Penguin Of the st. Louis
and St. PAIL line of which Capt. A.
NJ. Hutchinson was the head. went to
the rescue of the War Eagle, and
helped to run the boat ashore near
the elevator. The boat did not sink,
as seems to be prevalent opinion
now. but struck a boulder which
caused it to list until the leak was
located and repaired. -
Losses were Considerable.
Captain Jerry Wood was IN COM
mand Of the War Eagle. H. Beadle
was the pilot on duty at the time. He
said that the eddy was strong and /
caught the bow of the boat. and car
ried it backward so that it struck the
second span. The boat was too long
to go through the bridge broadside.
Captain Hutchinson valued the War
Eagle at $4,000, with insurance OF
$4,000 The bridge loss. according
to figures given by Superintendent !
Cole would be s15O,000 and no insur-
ance was carried against such an &C
cident. On account of the high wat
err, Mr.. Cole told the public, it would
be some time before the bridge could
be repaired, and in notice published
in The Gate City a day after the &C
cident, he warns people to keep Off