The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1923-01-05
EIGHT MISSING IN
BRIDGE DISASTER
Kelso Structure Collapsed
Late Yesterday
THROWNINTORIVER
Exact Death Toll May Not Be
Known For Several Days;
Rescuers at Work

= . II
ASSOCIATED Press Dispatch.l
Deputy Coroner William D.
Vannote, who saw the crash, es-
timated this morning that twenty
or twenty five bodies and fifteen
to eighteen automobiles were IN
: the. river. Three divers were
expected here to aid in sitting
the wreckage.
Kelso, Wash, January 4.-Names
of eight missing persons were known
while estimates of the number lost
ran as high as thirty when rescue
parties resumed today their search
of the Cowlitz river into which the
old suspension bridge here bearing
scores of men and women collapsed
at FIVE o'clock last evening.
From fifty to one hundred pedese
TRANS, one truck and at least ten
passsnger automobiles were on the
gave way In the midst of traffic
jam caused by a stalled car.
Most of the persons on the bridge
were thrown into the river and many
were picked up by boats or swan
ashore. After darkness efforts to
recover bodies were futile though
the river steamer Pomona breasted
the current during the night to play
searchlight over the scene. But
early this morning no bodies had
been found. .N,. .-..
Exact Toll Not Known
Of those rescued one was fatally
hurt and died this morning, and ano-
Their was believed fatally injured.
Six others were taken from the water
seriously hurt.
The missing include Ben Barr,
county commissioner elect; Mr.. ana
Mrs. A. G.. Huntington, pioneer resi-
dents of Kelso and several employees
of logging camps.
Early today there was rush of
relatives seeking some word OF lost
loved ones and Z constantly growing
list of missing persons. The exact
toll may not be known for several
DAYS as the Cowlitz and the Column
bia rivers into which it flows about
two miles below the city may carry
the bodies of the victims many miles.
The bridge connected East and
West Kelso. A cable support buckled
and the bridge threw trucks, automo-
biles and wagons and their passen-
gers into the torrent, swollen by re-
cent floods. Many leaped to safety as
the span sank. -.
Made Repairs On Bridge
Had the bridge collapsed a few
minutes earlier, the loss of life would
have been greatly multiplied. During
the afternoon, workmen had been
making repairs on the draw when
was partially raised at times. rive
minutes before the accident. at the
close of one these periods OF work,
scores of cars were backed up at
either approach, together with many
pedestrians waiting to cross. rms
press of traffic had dwindled to APP
the normal average
load when the bridge crashed.
EXPLORATION of the wreckage was
not attempted last night owing to
a fear that bodies which might be
caught among the timbers would be
released and carried away in the
darkness. This was begun with day \
light and an endeavor was also made
to .grapple for submerged automo-
biles in which bodies might be held.
The estimated number rescued
from the river was forty. j. F. Ham
ilton. a construction engineer,
witness of the disaster, commented:
Some will say that the height Of
the river and the log jam that mad
against 1t weakened the
structure and caused it to Collapse.
cannot agree with this for only
few days ago / inspected the piers
and they were not weakened. 1t
was the cable which broke for some
unknown reason, possibly at the i'm
pact of a heavy jar"