Tragedy on the Wenatchee River
Two more victims succumb to injuries following the collapse of a Great Northern bridge, as details emerge of the frantic, improvised rescue efforts.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Two more names were added today to the list of those killed in the terrible accident at the Great Northern bridge over the Wenatchee river Monday, by the death of James Gilman and James Campbell. It is probable that the name of George Nelson will also be added before another day passes. Gilman's back was broken near the hips and his skull was fractured; he never recovered consciousness and died at about 9 o'clock this morning. Campbell, whose legs and arms were broken and skull fractured, died shortly after being taken from the river. The wounded were taken out and cared for with the limited means at hand. Willing hands bore the bruised and mangled bodies of the dead and the bleeding, helpless wounded to a vacant storeroom in Wenatchee, which was converted into a combined hospital and morgue. Work on the bridge commenced today; it will take two weeks to repair it.
“Willing hands bore the bruised and mangled bodies of the dead and the bleeding, helpless wounded to a vacant storeroom in Wenatchee, which was converted into a combined hospital and morgue.”
This disaster highlights the breakneck pace of railroad expansion in Washington State during the 1890s, where safety was often sacrificed for speed. Today, infrastructure projects of this scale are governed by rigorous public safety oversight, a stark contrast to the improvised medical care provided in a local storeroom in 1892.
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