Celeron, NY Bridge Over Lake Collapses July 1905

FIFTY FALL WITH BRIDGE.

Struggling Throng Thrown Into Water at Jamestown, N. Y.

Jamestown, N. Y., July 4. -- In a rush to escape an impending storm fifty persons were thrown into the lake at Celeron at 10 o'clock to-night by the collapse of a bridge over which the crowd was hurrying. Ten of them were taken to the hospital. Others who suffered from minor injuries went to their homes.
An unusually large crowd was promenading when a sudden squall sent them scurrying to cover. The crowd, coming from both directions, converged upon the bridge leading from the main promenade, causing the structure to go down with a crash. More than two score persons, struggling and screaming, were piled among the broken timbers. Most of those injured were trampled upon or caught between broken beams and planks.
Fortunately the water in Lake Chautauqua is shallow at that point, there being a depth of only three or four feet beneath the bridge, so that the danger of drowning was small. Response to the cries for help came promptly, and men rushed into the water waist deep to release those caught by the broken timbers or unconscious from fright.

The New York Times New York 1905-04-05
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!