The Chicago whip. (Chicago, Ill.) 1919-19??, 1922-09-23
EIGHTEEN DROWN
WHEN BRIDGE
COL- |. APPS 6
Death HaltS Motor Party
When Bridge Gives Way,
Plunging Many In River.

WAYCROSS, Ga, Sept. 23.-Eigh-
teen Young people lost their lives
Monday at noon when truck load OF
thirty persons returning from Nichols,
Ga. bound for Homerville, went
through bridge spanning the Satilla
river The truck with its load was too
heavy for the frame bridge which
broke in the middle and dropped some
twenty feet with those who lost their
lives and the few who miraculously
escaped
Bodies Recovered
The bodies were recovered during
Monday night and the forenoon today,
and wercF brought to bonneville,
where most of the drowned ones re-
sided. and given a resting place IN the
burial ground there. The Baptist
Church Of that place was turned into
A morgue. The seats OF the middle
aisle of the church were removed and
one after another of the dead lay on
the floor as stricken families and
friends and hundreds OF sympathizers
looked into the faces of the untor-
tunates.
1t seems that the party travelling in
two-ton truck was getting back on
its way home from an outing and that
as the driver was not aware OF the
frail condition of the wooden bridge
he did not hesitate to cross 1t with his
loaded vehicle. Just ahead of the
truck was a large touring car which
was also loaded with friends OF the
occupants of the truck. This machine
got across all right, but when the
heavy truck got midway OF the bridge
It was heard to make loud noise as
the beams gave way and the truck
was precipitated into about ten ieet
of water So thickly was the truck
crowded said to be carrying thirty or
more persons, that few of those who
realized the danger were able to jump
to safety.
Heartrending Scenes
The scenes at the point where the
drowning occurred were heartrendlng.
As one body after another was lifted
from the water and distinguished by
relatives or intimate friends even the
strong men present gave way under
the strain. Such an accident happens
to a community but once i'll long
while There IS no way to fit ones
self into the dreadful situation. In
small town OF a thousand people where
everybody knows everybody else and
where personal contact is a daily at
fair. we on the outside can little imag-
inc the effect OF the loss upon Homer
Vile of so large a number.
Mr. Gaskins. the father OF two OF
the drowned boys and one OF the best
colored citizens OF bonneville, said
to a reporter who was there as he
stood at the head OF the casket which
bore his older son; This is my boy,
and looking down the line OF cold
bodies, and that is my little one
yonder, and | have a sick child at
home whom we are expecting to die
anv moment" He paused a moment,
shaking his head, and said: It's not
for me to ask the reason why. | must
bear it Mr. Gaskins has wife and
ten more children.
Among those drowned were Hardy
Brown and his bride of just three
weeks, ages % and 20, respectively:
!. B. and Minnie Hopkins, a young
couple, ages 20 years; Bertie Brown
and her daughter, Artie Lee, ages IS
and 19, respective; Dennis Hopkins,
age 40 wears. stepfather of ]. B. Hop
kins; Jim Gaskins, age "a, and his
little brother, Harry, age Il years;
Susie Wells. age "a; Jim Burke, age
40; Charlotte Evans, age IS; Ernest
Jackson, Susie Brown, Marie Foster
Efic Wilson