Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-09-12
Foot Path Support Gives Way Under
Weight Crowd Watching Efforts to
Save Drowning Boy---Fifty Precipi-
tated Into Narrowed Water Space
Vain Efforts of Victims Piled in
Tangled Mass - Heroic Work Of
Rescuers--5 Others Seriously Injured

Chester, Pa, Sept. 11-Twensy-
-four persons were drowned and five
others seriously injured in the col
lapse last night of the bridge SPAN
ming the Chester river at Third
street, in the heart of the city's bust
ness district. The police made this
announcement tonight after divers
had definitely. determined no more
bodies remained in the water.
A small wrought iron gussett
plate, part of the support for a foot
path along the side of the structure,
which had been half eaten by rust,
gave way under the weight of nearly
a hundred persons who were at
tracted to the spot by the cries of a
drowning boy and precipitated the
victims into the river.
The last body to be dragged from
the deep mud at noon today was that
of S-year-old Charles Apostolus, the
child whose death was the inadver-
tent cause of the accident.
The Apostolus boy was in a large
group of children who were stand
ing on the river bank in the rear of
theatre, watching the antics of a
, bear which was to appear in the
show. In some manner he was
knocked into the. river by one Of his
excited playmates and his cries for
help, together with the tumult that
accompanied the accident, attracted
the crowds on Third street.
Several hundred persons dashed
for the small bridge and others were
trying to push on to it when. with
out the slightest warning one end of
the footway buckled. The heavy
board walk dropped like a trap door
and before any one could realize
what had happened 80 persons were
struggling for life in the muddy wa
ter A score more still chung to the
bent hand rail and iron water pipes.
fighting desperately to reach safety
/ before their fragile perches also gave
i
veritable death trap. At the point
of the accident the water is IS feet
deep. The river is scarcely more
than % feet wide and factory store
walls are built to it's very edge.
Those who could swim found it
physically impossible to scale the
slippery walls and not a splinter of
debris to which they might cling
had fallen into the water. The foot
path simply dropped and hung to
twisted supports.
Not more than Is feet of the walk
collapsed and the victims were
| thrown one on top of the other down
this chute into the water. Scream
ing women clutched to men who
could swim and others thrased about
in the water fighting for their lives.
! A minute afttr the accident half a
dozen men dove in and pulled half
drowned men, women and children
out of the tangle mass of humanity.
Several boats hurried to the scene
and rescued others. One young can
oeist, was nearby in his own frail
craft and hurried to the rescue, dis
regarding his own danger. Frantic
persons snntched at his canoe and
tipped it over in second. The
young man swan to, safety, towing
child with him but got away be-
fore his name was learned
Soap" George Pierce, a Chester
river boatman, was nearby in his
skiff. He drove the boat into the
midst of the drowning mass and
brought to safety II persons. Re-
turning, he dived and recovered five
bodies before he was forced to quit
from sheer exhaustion.
| In the meantime every available
fireman and policeman in the city
/ had been hurried to the scene. While
some erected a temporary dam of
I fire ladders and fish nets below the
scene of the accident to prevent bod
! les from floating out on the tide.
| others dragged the rivers bed for
bodies. Many of the victims were
, recovered before midnight and ply
sicians made every effort at resus-
/ citation before hope was abandoned.
Those who showed signs of life were
sent to HOSPITALS hut onIy five NJ