The Bridge Swung, and Fifteen Loaded Cars Went Down
A bridge collapse near Walla Walla sent a tender, fifteen freight cars and a caboose into a ravine, leaving three railroad men badly injured and one likely to lose an arm.
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.
WALLA WALLA, Aug. 6.—[Special.]—The train sent to the scene of the railroad wreck on the O. R. & N. at Alto bridge returned to Walla Walla late this morning, bringing W. E. Watson, conductor, and David Wright and Fred Harrison, brakemen, who were badly injured. Additional particulars were learned as follows: The bridge which crosses Jonas' hollow, 300 feet long and 90 feet high, was reached about 11 o'clock. As the engine came upon the west end of the bridge the latter began to sway, and Engineer Jesse pulled the throttle open. The engine and tender parted at the same time that the section of the bridge gave way. The engine passed over in safety, but the tender, fifteen cars heavily loaded, and the caboose went down, leaving the engine standing near the last bent of the bridge. Brakemen Harrison and Wright were standing on top of the cars and Conductor Watson was in the caboose, and all went down with the train. The injured men are now in the hospital here. Watson has a compound fracture of both arms, his right shoulder is dislocated, his ankle sprained, and he is bruised and cut in a severe manner about the face and body. He will probably lose his left arm, but will recover. Wright had three ribs and his left arm broken and his ankle dislocated; his face, head and body are badly bruised and cut. Harrison was bruised and cut about the face, head and body, but no bones were broken.
“The engine passed over in safety, but the tender, fifteen cars heavily loaded, and the caboose went down.”
Bridge failures and rail safety still command public attention, and this wreck shows how quickly ordinary freight work could turn into a mass-casualty event. The men riding the cars and caboose had no protection when the span gave way, a reminder that infrastructure failures are paid for in human bodies.
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