The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1917-03-24


he deep breathing of locomotives.
mingled in an uuharmUni"us diapa>"h
# h0rrid sound.
Abbott was right above the pier head
,oy He looked down ut ii through
he struts and floor beams and braces.
fastening his gaze on IN" question:"
member. There il stood Satisfactorily .
IF course. Yet. something impeI!"" MN
Ia wall; out on the nearest floor beam /
to rho extreme edge of the truss anu .
look down az il once more, leaning I"' .
ont To see il better. He could E''
better view of il with nothing between .
il and him. 1t still stood bravery. l.
was all right. of course. He wished
that he had never said word about !!
to anyone. He did not see why ne '""'"
not regard il with the interference 'i"'
it merited. As he stared down III II
over the edge of the truss the "liIN'''
for quitting blew.
Every sound of work ceased after
the briefest of intervals. except mere
and there IA few riv"terS driving NOME
Il final rivet kept at il for Il lew sec
ond hut only for a few seconds. Then
for = moment a silence like death IL
self interviewed. II seemed rs II the
ever blowing wind had been ih"ileh-
turilv Stillcd That Shrill whistle anu
The CONSEQUENT cessation of the work
ALWAYS affected everybody the same
way. There vas inevitably ;Ad IN
variably IA pause. The contrast ne
tween the noise and its sudden stop
mage WAS 50 great that the men IN
Sriuctivply waited Il few seconds ana
drew q breath before they began I"
light their pipes, close their tool boxes
pick up their coats and dinner pals
and resume their conversation as theE
Strolled along the roadway to the
shore.
II seemed to Abbott that ii had never
been 80 silent on the bridge before.
There was almost always Il breeze
sometimes a gale. blowing down or up
the gorge through which the river
flowed. but that afternoon not breath
was stirring.
Abbott found himself waiting in
strained and unwonted suspense for
the next second or two, his eyes hXed
ON the member. The long warm rays
of the afternoon sun Illuminated II
clearly. In that second Immediately
below him. far down toward the plSi
head he saw Il sudden flash as of break
ing steel. Low. but clear enough in tht
intense silence. he heard Il poppin.
sound like the snap Of great finger
Then the bright CLEAN of fre>hl!
broken metal caught his excited glance
The lacing was giving way. Meade wa
right. The member would 90 with it
, The first pop or two was succeeded u.
, a little rattle aS of revolver shot
, heard from n distance. as the laClng
: gave way in quick succession. Abbot
was man with a powerful voice an
, he raised it to its limit.
The idle workmcn. just beginning (
, laugh and jest. heard Il great cry:
I OF the bridge. for Gods sake"
2 Two or three, among them Wilcf
r incS. who happened To be within fe'
$ feet of the landward end. without III
] derstanding why. hut impelled 10y tn
2 agony. the appeal. the horror in I'll
: great shout of the master builde
: leaned for the shore. On the bridg
t itself some stepped forward, son
: stood still staring others peered dow
Il award. The great siXty-foot webs I
g steel wavered like ribbons in the win
s The bridge shook as if in an cart
S quake. There was Il heavy. Shudderin
? SwayinC movement and then the GO
foot cantilever arm plunged dow
Y ward. as Il great ship falls into Il
z trough of a mighty sea. Sharp-key,
1t sounds cracked out overhead as q
r. truss parted at the apex. the outwa
1t half inclining To the water, the inwa
lie half sinking straight down.
d shouts. oathS, screams rose. hea
IS family above the mighty bcll-like
n auiem of great Girders, struts and ii
lS shifting other members and ringing
the ears of the helpless men like doc
re Then. with fearful crash, with
I'd mighty Shiver. the landward half G
" IapSed on the low shore, like house
cards upon which has been laid I
weight of massive hand. The riN
\ S,Ntion. carrying the greater load
the top and torn from its base. plung
like IN avalanche of steel, 200 f
down into the river. throwing
ahead of il. as from a giant catapr
the traveller on the outward end of
suspended span and Il locomotive
the floor beneath.
WilchingS. and the few men safe
the shore. stood trembling. looking
the bare pier head. at the awful t
sled mass of wreclage on the Sh
~ between the pier and the bank: Il
beam and Strlnger. girder and ST
bent. twisted broken in ragged ;
horrible ruin. while the water. dee
than the chaSm it had cut. rolled
waves smoothly over the agitationN
the great plunge beyond the pier. I
stared sick and faint ar the tang
N interviewer mass of steel. ribbOnin.
nj every diroction-for in tn" main
81 riyptS held 80 il was not any de
, of Joints. but structural weakness
the body of the members that
"a brought it down-and inCloSing as
- = not many bodies that a few SecO
. bafore had been living men.