Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-09-12
CAPTAIN TELLS VIVID STORY
OF CHESTER BRIDGE HORROR
Harry Robinson Gives Realistic Picture OF Heroic Recues and
Acts of Sell ltSacrifce FOLLOWING Collapse of Span

The dismal gray Of today's dawn
was like the pail of sorrow that lies
over Chester. Something of the
dnze caused by Saturdays bridge trag-
edy, in which twenty five lost their
lives. has cleared away, and the citi-
zens' minds are near normal again and
keen to the pain of the task Of burying
the victims.
AS the hours wear on and the trag-
edy gets little farther in the past /
more connected and perfected accounr
Of the accident is available. Police
Captain Harry Robinson. who .s tn"
night man and in charge from 6 O'Clock
en-. tells the clearcst story. He was in
charge Of the police detail that did
such wonderful work in the rescue and
oded most in .he task of caring for tn"
dead bodies.
Captain Robinson said:
1T vas Just after 6 30 when 7 first
got call from the Edgmont theatre,
telling me that a boy had fallen in the
creek and drowned. They explained he
had been running to see trained bear
when he slipped and fell into the water.
] Immediately gave orders for the grar-
pling crew 30 set to the river and try
to recover the body.
| or four minutes after / had given the
orders when the phone rang again and
l was informed that the bridge had
collapsed. l shouted to the officers who
were in the station-an unusually large
number. because they were waiting for
Z o'clock rollcall-and with fifteen OF
them | ran around to the scene. We
got there in time to see many people
still bobbing up and down in the water
and hear the shrieks of the dying.
Twenty nine Men on Duty
eve got to work at once with ropes
and hooks and succeeded in saving sew
eral. Chief Davenport was on the
scene and he ordered the traffic squad
off the streets and had them report
at the. bridge. There are eight Of them,
! and with four detectives who heard of
the disaster and hurried to the scene
we had twenty seven men on duty be-
sides the chief and myself.
IT should Judge there were about a
hundred people in the water altogether.
| | counted sixteen who were pulled upon
the banks and at least that many more
swan ashore unassisted. There were
twenty six, taken to the hospital,
twenty FIVE dead, and | am sure there
were enough pui'h hp vi lh'
! Third and Second streets bridges to
make up the hundred. Lem Miller, the
diver. deserves lot Of credit. He was
nassing on the Second street bridge
when he saw the crowd and the excite
ment. He diyed in and did what he
could at the work of rescue, then went
home and got his divers suit and
| worked like a hero until all the bodies
we're recovered. The police department
il not without its personal tragedy.
Mrs, Maud Murtha, one of the dead, is
, the mother Of Mounted Officer Els
worth Murtha.'
Many Kinds OF Heroes
Heroes in the tragedy were of the
most oddly contrasting types. When
the sickening crash came, so soon
acboed by the wild screams and the
manic stricken means of the crowd on
tbe bridge. all barriers of caste were
swept away. Every one who was near
nitched in 10 help. Taxi drivers. fish
ermen. colorcd porters and well known
business men alike stripped themselves
NJ their shoes and coats and diVed into
tbe greasy creek on their life rlsking
errand of mercy. That 1t was life
risking task is proved in the death Of
at least one man.
Richard Gordy. thirty FIVE years
old, Negro, 322 Fulton street, was
standing near the bridge when the
crash came. He threw off his coat and
leaned in. An excellent swimmer and
man of cool courage. he succeeded
in dragging three victims to safety.
After he had handed up the third per,
son TO willing hands on the banks he
turned and started after his fourth.
Four people in the water, seeing his
poWerful ability as a swimmer, grasped
him In a panic. Unable to extricate
himself from their frenzied grip, he,
with all four, sank below the surface
never to come up alive.
Man Saved Three Girls
Alexander McCloskcy, 600 West
Ninth street, head of the Chester lodge