Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1921-09-15
old BREAK LED
To BRIDGE CRASH
Iron Plate Cracked Ten Years
Ago Found on Collapsed
Structure at Chester, Pa.
HEROIC WORK Oh: RESCUE
Trained Bear the cause--crcxd Fol.
lowing Animal Saw Boy Drown and
Overloaded the 5ridgs-coIlapse
Puts City In Mourning.

NeSaef' Ea.-A cFackeu guSSet plate.
which was bolted instead OF riveted.
caused the collapse OF the fOotpath ON
the Third street bridge over the Ches-
Ter River ut Chester, hurting twenty
i've persons to their death In the
murky waters below.
All OF the bodies have been recov.
cred. The last one taken out Of the
river was that OF ApostOlos Apostolic,
five years old, 40 Edgemont street,
Chester. He was the child whose
drowning led 10 the disaster. Three
of the seven injured persons In the
Chester Hospital are not expected TO
recover.
a section OF the bridge collapsed
when several hundred persons rushed
upon II 10 watch attempts To rescue
the Apostolic boy, who had fallen into
the narrow river. The crowd was
watching swimmer trying To find the
O"dy' when. without Il warning, there
was sharp, cracking sound, and a
terSfoot section OF the bridge col
lapsed.
! Nearly 100 persons, screaming and
struggling, slid down into the water.
More than seventy OF those were saved
by others, who jumped into the river
or got boats and carried the victims of
the crash ashore.
! III. ii. DUMMY, chief engineer of the
Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company,
ana Edward Temper inspected the
Z hFiHwn =. cot
accident. After long examination
or the structure they issued the FOL.
lowing statement through Thomas J.
! Feeley. member OF the County Com
! misS1Oners:
The gusset plate which supports
one OF the sldearms, which I'm turn
supports the foothpath, was made of
wrought iron. The bridge was faulty
In construction. The grain In the plate
was perpendicular instead OF being
horizontal, and we found n crack I'm
the plate nearly eight inches In length
The length OF the gussct plate was
fifteen inches, and the old crack In the
/ plate was eight inches long and had
/ been there for eleven years II Is
what we call progressive break"
When the plate was unbolted from
The bridge II was seen that the plate
I was nearly crystnllIZed and the piece
Of gusset plate could almost be broken
/ with ones fingers. 1t was said that
/ about ten years ago a canal boat laden
! with coal broke loose from its moorIngs
hundred feet up the river and Jam
med against the bridge. A rising tide
| forced the canal boat further against
the bridge, bending the gussct plate.
! The morning following the canal
| boat accident, an inspection OF the
bridge was made and the bent plate
was located. The rivets were cut out
| of it and workmen took the plate 10
| the street. Instead OF putting I'm
new plate they attempted To straighten
out the plate while 1t was cold, with
| the result that the plate was cracked
/ Despite that crack, however, the plate
WIS put back into place and bolted.
The disaster was Indirectly brought
about by the desire OF Apostolic to see
"A trained bear that was being led
about the streets of Chester To ex-
plot n moving picture that was being
shown ut the Edgemont theater. The
/ youngster was walking along the bank
of the river, when Vincent Desmond.
aged twelve, of No. 912 West Third
! street, called 10 him that the bear was
coming down the street. The child
| started to run. and had almost reached
| the bridge when he Slipped and fell
| intoV the water. The Desmond boy
saw him fall, and called for help. Two
men In rowbOat rOwed out to the
spot where he went down and began
diving for the lads body
| When the crowd surged on the bridge
to watch the rescue OF the small boy
they seemed by fate 10 gather at the
spot where the cracked plate was up
holding the fOotpath.
| Coroner Charles Drewes looked nj
! the bridge and condemned the whole
| structure. lie told the authorities
! that he would forbid any traffic across
/ the bridge despite the fact that only
! the foofpath seemed In danger. Ropes
were thrown across both sends OF the
bridge and no one was allowed 10 cross
Ten minutes after Coroner Drewes
| left the scene the ropes were taken
down and pedestrians and vehicles
were allowed TO pass over. When
| Mr.. Drewes heard Of the dlsre-
iSirdIng Of his orders he rushed back
to the bridge and again ordered the
! structure closed.