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Show . '-! i ' -)V , 1 - 1 ' 1 .,(11 , ' , ... : JftKEttOL FALL 01? FIFTY . FEET; INTO ' " iiVEfc bmdce -tos mm, xmmmwm. to ...watery death Twelve to Thirty Believed to Have Fallen With Treadir erous Structure, and Only Eight Recovered Alive. BULLETIN'. ! . CnABLESTOJT, W. Va., Dec. 15. ' TThile "crewded with people, including includ-ing many children, on their way to school, the old suspension bridge rMch connects East and "West Charleston, collapsed today, turning turtle &a it fell, throwing twenty to thirty people and half a dozen, teams to the ice fifty feet below. The ice broke under the weight, and it is feared that the number who were ' swept under the ice to their deaths will not be known for a long time. Two dead bodies were taken out within a short time, and a number of injured were assisted to the shore by . rescuers who were promptly on the scene. Kews of the accident spread ' rapidly, and the" banks were soon lined with frantic people whoCf eared that friends or relatives had gone down with the bridge to their deaths. The bridge was built fifty-two years ago, and during the past few months there has been considerable doubt regarding re-garding its safety, heavy traffic being kept off on a number of occasions. CHARLESTON. W. Va.. Dec. 15. The suspension bridge connecting East and West Charleston collapsed today, precipitating pre-cipitating six teams and a number of school children, estimated variously from a dozen to thirty, into the ice-covered ice-covered waters, fifty feet below. The following were rescued within an hour: . Zelia Smith, 9, arm broken and Internal Inter-nal Injuries. . Lillie Cavendar.. 16.1 bruised. Louise McWhorter. Helen Cavendar. ' Ira Wood, a driver, badly bruised. William Holmes, a driver, badly bruised. ' ' .-Georre Woodall. a ttriverr ' ". Henry Fielder, perhaps fatally Injured. In-jured. . One Dead Body Becovered. The dead body of Mamie Higgln-botham, Higgln-botham, aged 8, was recovered. Of thirteen horses, but one escaped. Ray Humphrey Is missing. Great crowds soon collected on both banks. Many persons on the west side are employed at Charleston. Bridge Turned Turtle. The bridge turned turtle as it went down and only one strand of the cable remains. Men in boats are fishing in twenty feet of water for. bodies. The bridge had been in a dangerous condition far a long time. The body of Ray Humphries, aged 15 years, was recovered. Thrilling Escape. Gordon Long and Tom Michie, drivers dri-vers went down with the bridge, but cauerht the edge of the ice and managed man-aged to reach shore in safety. The bridge floor was covered with several inches of Ice and snow. It had been considered unsafe for heavy loads for several months, and on last Labor day officers would not allow the floats in the parade to. cro the bridge on account ac-count of its supposed unsafe condition. Arrangements have been made for a Government diver to search -the bed of the river for bodies. The span of the brid.ee which fell was about 800 feet long. The bridge was built In 1852. |