Bristol, Connecticut Flood & Bridge Collapse

February 6, 1896

DUMPED INTO A RIVER.

Men Working on a Bridge Engulfed by a Raging Torrent.

Eleven Out of Twenty Reported to Be Drowned.

Carried Down Pequabuck River and Lost In the Darkness.

Bristol, Conn., Feb. 7--A most appalling disaster occurred here shortly after 9 o'clock last night, in which 20 workmen were precipitated into Pequabuck river from the East Bristol bridge, and 11 of them are probably drowned.

Yesterday afternoon the structure was found to be shaky, and the 4:42 train on the New England road had a narrow escape from wreck as it crossed on the way to Hartford.

For some time the bridge had been looked upon with suspicion, and at the present time a new bridge was in process of erection, and was almost completed. It was close alongside the bridge which was carried away.

The fierce storm which swept over the state played havoc with New England bridges, and the swollen waters of the Pequabuck river threatened to carry the bridge away. At 5 o'clock a special wrecking train with 40 men left East Hartford and were put to work on the new bridge which the company is building over the river, and which is almost completed. It was intended to put the new bridge in shape at once so that trains could cross the river. The old bridge was declared unsafe about 4 o'clock, and since then no trains have crossed the river.

Twenty workmen were put to work on each bridge. About 9 o'clock one of the foremen, John Barry, called the 20 men on the old structure toward the center to assist in tearing up the ties, which were wanted for the other bridge. The weight of the men was too great for the bridge, and without hardly a moment's warning it collapsed. precipitating 16 or 17 of the men into the raging waters of the river. Three or four were caught by falling timbers and seriously injured. Three managed to cling to fragments of the bridge and were rescued by a number of their comrades, who rushed over from the new bridge as soon as they realized the extent of the disaster.

Beyond Reach of Aid.
The tottering condition of the remaining portions of the old bridge rendered the work of reaching the men impossible, and had a boat been available, nothing could have held it against the mad rush of the waters. The unfortunate men in the water attempted to seize sticks and portions of the abutments which had been broken loose, but not more than five or six were successful. The others were carried down stream, and were quickly lost to sight in the darkness.

Two men were able to swim ashore, but fell exhausted as soon as they reached land. John Barry, the foreman in charge of the old bridge, was extricated from the mass of wreckage and debris which collected where the bridge gave way, and was found to have been badly wounded. He and the other rescued men were taken to farmhouses nearby and cared for. The foreman was unable to give the names of the men who were on the bridge with him at the time.

As soon as the railroad officials were notified of the collapse a special train was sent out from East Hartford with two surgeons and another gang of wreckers. A gang of 20 men rigged impromptu rafts and scows, and began a search for the bodies. Others were sent down both sides of the river to see if anyone had been fortunate enough to reach the shore. At a late hour no more bodies were found, and it was the general opinion that the men had no chance of reaching the shore alive.

At midnight 11 persons were still among the missing. All are members of the construction gangs from Hartford and East Hartford, and were residents of those points.

The men were taking up iron rails on the old bridge when the accident happened, and were passing them across to the new structure.

A gang was working on each end, and by some misunderstanding, it is supposed, all of them were called to the center of the structure. Their weight, with the extraordinary rush of the current, is supposed to have directly caused the fall of the bridge.

Pequabuck river empties into Plainville pond, three miles below the bridge where the fatal accident occurred. It is expected that many of the bodies will be found there.
It is expected that the new bridge will be ready for travel in 48 hours. All trains are stalled on the New England road by many washouts west of Plainville.

North Adams Transcript, North Adams, MA 7 Feb 1896

THREE WERE DROWNED.

Carried Away by the Fall of a Bridge at Bristol, Conn.

Bristol, Conn., Feb. 7.--Three men were killed by the fall of the Pequabuck river bridge during the great storm last night. The bodies of the victims have been recovered. Their names and places of residence are: MARTIN CURRY, New Britain. DANIEL O'BRIEN, Hartford. NICHOLAS RICH, East Hartford. There were thirteen men on the bridge when it went down. The ten survivors sustained painful bruises, but none of them was seriously hurt. The men constituted a gang of engineers, mechanics and laborers who were strengthening the bridge, which had recently been condemned as unsafe. They were raising a derrick, which the wind toppled over, the fall of the derrick causing the bridge to give way. It was impossible, owing to the flood which was running in the river, to aid the men who fell into the stream with the bridge, and they were swept on into the pond which receives the Pequabuck.

The Fort Wayne Gazette, Fort Wayne, IN 8 Feb 1896

Three dead bodies recovered; eleven are known to be alive and seven are missing. Among those are Patrick McCarry and James Mack, both of New Britain. The officials feel confident that in Place Field pond there are several bodies, but there is a covering of ice several inches in thickness, and all efforts to ascertain the facts are futile. Chief of Police Arms, of this place, is conducting the search and it is expected that several bodies will be found before night fall.

The Fort Wayne Sentinel, Fort Wayne, IN 7 Feb 1896

Victims of the Bridge Horror.

Bristol, Conn., Feb. 8.--Thousands have visited the scene of last night's disaster at the New England railroad bridge over the Pequabuck river. Six bodies have thus far been recovered, and still a number of men are missing. It will probably be two or three days before it is known just how many went down with the ill fated bridge. The list of known dead this morning is: Daniel J. O'Brien, section foreman Martin Curry, section hand Nicolo Ricci, Italian laborer James Mack, Patrick McCarty and Charles Castelani, laborers.

The News, Frederick, MD 8 Feb 1896

Five Italians who lived at East Hartford are still unaccounted for, although several of the men who were rescued do not believe that they all went down with the wreck. The list thus far is: Daniel J. O'Brien, section foreman Martin Curry, section hand Nicolo Ricci, laborer James Mack, laborer Patrick McCarthy, laborer Charles Castelaim, laborer Foreman Barry, who was rescued from a mass of timbers and wreckage, is internally injured and is conscious only part of the time. The other three men injured are doing well.

The Italian, Ricci, whose body was recovered yesterday, lived at East Hartford in a boxcar with eight companions, all of whom are believed to have been working on both bridges. Of the eight, only three are accounted for, but there is a chance that they were saved. The bodies of the six men were sent to their homes yesterday afternoon, and will be buried Monday.

Williams Edwards, a boy about 15 years old, has been missing from his home here since Thursday night, and as he was seen about the New England railroad bridges, it is thought that possibly he was on the old bridge when it collapsed.

North Adams Transcript, North Adams, MA 8 Feb 1896

Articles transcribed by Linda Horton. Thanks, Linda!       

Search for more information on the Bristol Flood and other disasters in the  Historic Newspapers Collection.  The number of newspapers on line has recently doubled - search over 1000 different newspapers. Use this Free trial to search for your ancestors.

Search for ancestors in Bristol, CT among billions of names at ancestry.com. Use this Free trial to search for your ancestors.

Connecticut Birth Records pre-1870 searchable database at ancestry.com.