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Scenes at Laying
Cornerstone of
Omaha Auditorium
Photographs by a Bee Staff Artist
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PRESIDENT SANBORN LAYING THE STONE.
SENATOR MILLARD READING HIS ADDRESS.
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ASSEMBLAGE ON PLATFORM DURING CEREMONIES.
PART OP CROWD IN FRONT OF SPEAKERS' STAND.
Land Slide on the Approach to the Union Pacific Bridge
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AT WEST END OF SUDE. SHORTLY AFTER TRACKS WENT DOWN. Photo by a Staff Artist.
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VIEW OF THE TRACKS SHORTLY AFTER SUBSIDING. Photo bj a Staff Artlit. ( ;
jiniu uuLjAfsis oi tne union Pa
I I clflc railroad embankment near
mo wen eua oi lue iuiasouri river
bridge Monday, though far lesa
erloua in remits, recalls the ter
rific storm of August 25, 1877, which swept
away two spans of the bridge at the east
ern extremity. The accident Monday
displaced probably 14,000 cubic yards of
the north side of the embankment and ne.
Icessltated lmprovlslons In trackage to ob
viate Interference with traffic, thus avoid
ing any suspension of train service what
ever. In all the loss and Inconvenience
la considerable, but Insignificant as com
pared with the great disaster of twenty-
five years ago. 1 1
The accident Monday did not Interfere
with the passage of trains a minute, while
that of August 25, 1877, shut off traffic over
the bridge for several months. There is
one feature alike In both, however; there
were no lives lost In either case, though
In the former one narrowly escaped.
John Pearson, a watchman at the en
trance of the Union Pacific bridge on the
Nebraaka side, was a witness to the minia
ture avalanche of Monday, as he likewise
was of the calamity a quarter of a century
asro. Ha was let I nor in tha lima rananltv
?for the railroad company on the morning
, when tne tornado wrested from the bridge
11m pair of spans as he ia today, that of
vatchman. But bis service In thla posl-
tlon goes back even farther. He helped
build the flrat Union Pacific bridge across
the Missouri river in 1872, and he has been
the faithful vigil at the river's edge ever
since. (
The eventful storm of August 25, 1877.
came early In the morning, about 1:30. it
waa the culmination of a aeries of strong
winds which had 'prevailed for several
days. Tremendous rains had distorted the
old Missouri then as now, and It was leap
ing its banks In many place. Excessive
tides caused the treacherous stream to
form a cut-off, and for days the railroad
company, fearing damage to Its bridge, kept
forces of men at work throwing in riprap
on the east side, as indications were that
the channel would sweep against the Iowa
approach. Thus the destruction of the
eastern extremity of the bridge had been
anticipated.
Mr. Pearson's shanty waa altuated at
that time on the Iowa side of the river in
stead of on the Nebraska aide, as It is to
day. He saw the fatal storm coming, in
a few seconds heard the tremendous roar
and splash as the two spans of the bridge
were twisted from their pillars and hurled
Into the water.
It was a thrilling experience for him,
and came near being a fatal one. Hla little
shanty went iown with the laat span of
the bridge, which rested with one end on
the Iowa bank, while the other end waa In
the river. The other span was sunk en
tirely and the piers left standing.
The wind which did the mischief was
preceded by rain and hail from the north,
accompanied by thunder and lightning.
Suddenly the wind shifted a little to the
south, and it was at thla Juncture that the
catastrophe occurred. One man claiming
to be an eyewitness declared the bridge
was struck by lightning and went down a
sheet of fire. There haa always been more
or less difference In opinion on this point
It was Mr. Pearson's first impression that
lightning struck the bridge and that the
two spans were torn from their places cov
ered with flames.
Mr. Pearson's shanty, with him inside,
was caught under one end of the bridge
and among some brush on the river bank.
He was cut about the face and for aomo
time waa imprisoned within his .narrow
cell. Realizing that a Union Pacific train
was due to cross the bridge at 5:10, less
than two hours after the terrible accident,
the faithful watchman became desperate
in hla anxiety to get out of hla battered
shanty and make his way over the river
to give the alarm and keep the train from
plunging off the wrecked bridge Into the
river with lta human freight.
He finally succeeded in tearing his way
out of the shanty. Fortunately a small
canoe waa at hand. Into thla he Jumped and
soon rowed himself over to the Nebraaka
side of the stream. Leaving hla boat at
the bank of the river he ran aa faat as
possible to the train dispatcber'a office and
reached there barely in time to prevent a
more terrible disaster. The train waa Just
ready to start for the river and might
have rushed across the bridge without the
destruction being noticed until It waa too
late.
Tha loss of these two spans represented
a capital of about $180,000 or more, as the
bridge waa built at a cost of about $2,000,
000, and it waa composed of eleven apans,
2,750 feet in length. Several months were
consumed in the work of reparation. In
the meantime there was a heavy freight
and passenger blockade, as it was neces
sary to carry both acroaa the river at
Plattsmouth and Blair ferries. Tele
graphic communications were cut off with
the east for some time and there were
other serious losses to Omaha and sur
rounding country.
The narration of the bridge disaster
brings up two other serious accidents
which occurred at or near the same fatal
scene. On July 8, 1887, General Terry,
one of the old-time steamboats of thu
Missouri, collided with a pier of the bridge
and was sunk. Its remains are still in
the bosom of the old stream. The boat
waa carrying about seventy soldiers from
Fort Keogh and had considerable cargo on,
but ail the men escaped. During the fol
lowing summer the steamer Milwaukee was
partially wrecked at the same place, but
was not sunk. Like Terry, Milwaukee
also had on board a number of soldiers.
Pointed Paragraphs
Chicago Newa: If the wife is untidy the
husband may try to get untied.
Truth Is mighty enough to become more
prevalent than it Is.
The average man imagines that he in
herited Job's troubles.
No man is half as good as ha expects
his daughter's husband to be.
One way to avoid disappointment is to
seek something other people don't want.
Crops may come and crops may go, but
tho annual crop of sweet girl graduates
never falls.
It Is easier to get a man to tell you how
a thing should be done than it la to get a
man to do it.
The man who Is always calling for the
fool-killer would be the first to hide
if be saw him coming.
After making his flrat publlo speech the
average man cannot understand why he
isn't famous the next morning.
A word to the wise may be aufftclent
yet doubtleas you have observed that most
of the letters you receive are wr.tteu at
length.