Year: 1873

This is q dark day for Dixon. Over
the whole city there is pail of sadness
that the most disinterested cannot help
feel The calamity strikes at nearly every
household, and the rich and poor meet
together in mourning. SO closely bound
are the citizens by the ties of blood and
intermarriage there is scarcely family in
the whole place but takes the sorrow to
its home. The stores are closed and the
houses darkened. Everybody is on the
street, and all the country around has
emptied itself into the town till the roads
and walks are crowded, and both banks
of the river by the wreck are black with
human forms. The meager information
published this morning gives but faint
idea of the disaster-and as details de-
velop-as survivors tell the story of their
escape, as fathers report the names of
missing children, and friends of friends
who are missing-the catastrophe grows
in magnitude, and it will be days before
the horror can be fully comprehended.


Sabbath morning dawed warm and
bright. The ceremony of immersion by
the Baptist Church, which had been sew
eral times postponed, was announced for
twelve O'Clock, and eleven converts pre-
sented themselves for the rite of baptism.
The mildncss of the weather drew large
crowd to the river, which gathered upon
the steep banks and upon the bridge, at
the north end of which the ceremony was
to be performed. The morning service in
the other churches was just closing, and
as the bridge was a thoroughfare the
thrOng received constant accessions, till
nearly two thousand souls were gathered
at the place. The bridge, which stretches
not more than fifty or sixty feet above the
natural font which was used for the bap-
tismal ceremonies, was the favorite out
look for the women and children. Just as
the third candidate was presenting HIM
self for baptism there was sharp, quick
crash, heavy rumbling, and prolong-
ed, soul-rending shrek from 500
lungs. The main western stringer
of the north span of the bridge broke
like reed, tipping 300 persons into the
stream, and falling fifty feet with crushing
weight upon them. The fall dislodged
the stays from the abutments; the shock
ran along the whole length of the bridge
like flash of electricity, and span after
span was drawn from the piers and sunk
sagging to the waters surface, till the
whole five were coiled up like massive
bags, holding bruised, bleeding, fright
ened, frantic mass of men, women, chill
dren and horses. The imagination can
scarcely conceive of more terrible Ca
lamity. The situation was so terrible, the
chances of escape so few, the sources of
aid so scanty that it is merely marvellous
that the loss of life is comparativly so
small. The water runs in swift, frothy
currents over a dam not more than 100
yards above, and ii was so swollen by re-
cent rains that its depth was about twenty
feet. Not only those who were precipi-
tated with the falling span went under
the water, but many on the other spans
were either thrown by the shock into the
stream or plunged in themselves to escape
being crushed by the crazy crowd.


The scene cannot be de-
scribed. The fancy cannot picture
it. The eyes of those who witnessed it
were blinded with horror, and the whole
crowd on the banks stood paralyzed for a
moment, unable to think, speak, or move
till the mind could catch faint compre-
hension of the awful situation. An old
man who sat on log near the bank when
the bridge went down says, 81 heard the
crack, saw a swaying, rolling line; |
heard voices, and then my head was dizzy,
and whirled till the sky looked black"
AS soon as the fact was felt in the crowd
on the banks there was rush to the water,
strong men plunged in to rescue those
who came TO the surface, boards and
planks were thrown to their relief, and a
number of boats, which were fortunately
at hand, were sent Immediately to the aid
of the wounded. Few of those who were
saved can tell who rescued them, and most
of those who were most instrumental in
saving life are unable yet to recall what
they did or whom they helped in the mo-
ment of frenzy. There were stretches still
clinging to the abutments, which were not
loosened by the fall, and to these were
cllnging persons desperate for life.


AS soon as the observers fully compre-
hended the horrors of the situation messen-
gers ran over the city to the hotels and
churches where Sunday schools where in
session, and for the rest of the day the
town was one grand chaos. Men were
working and women were weeping at the
bank of the river; mothers rushed franti-
cally into the crowd half crazed with
anxiety, and calling frantically for their
children; little ones terrified into stupor,
stood mutely still until found by their
parents, or taken to places of safety
There were scenes of JOY and scenes of an
guish, and as the crushed and pallid bodies
were brought to the shore the air was rent
with walls of sorrow from broken hearts
robbed of their dearest treasures. Hus-
bands and wives were clasped in each
others arms. PiOus mothers knelt down
in the dust and thanked God that He had
been merciful to their households, while
others whom the blow of Providence
had stricken heavily fell senseless
to the ground. There were cries of
thankfulness and curses of despair.
Weak women tainted, and strong men
bent down and wept. Each lifeless body
brought to light rent some heart anew,
and each one rescued alive caused a shout
of Joy. Mourning and rejoicing were gen
eral and universal, for the ties of kindred
were hidden in the closer relationship of
sorrow. The work of rescue and recovery
continued through the afternoon. Nearly
all the loss Of life was owing to the crush
ing force of the bridge, for all who came
alive to the surface of the water were
quickly saved. Men seemed to have SUI
perhuman strength given them, and took
alarming hazards without the quiver of a
muscle. Edward Patrick, Fred. Shaw,
William Shylock, Atwood Burr, Henry
young men, plunged boldly into the water
and swan like heroes with the bodies of
senseless women and children. Jacob
Armstrong went down with the crash, but
crawled on the bottom of the river from
under the network of iron that hemmed
him in, swan to the surface, and after
few moments rest plunged in again and
saved others as he had saved himself.


William Schuler, Joseph Haden, and
Eustacie Shaw narrowly escaped death,
but exricated themselves from the iron
work and swan ashore. Tony Brantigan,
a boy eight years old, clung to plank and
was rescued after floating down half a
mile with the rapid current. Several
bodies, which had been carried by the un-
dercurrent, were picked up mile or more
down the stream. The body of Frederick
Hope, German baker, was found floating
nearly two miles below the bridge. Mr.


and Mrs Fowler clung to the iron rail and
were rescued exhausted. A young lady
named Hazenplug had miraculous es-