The News Tribune from Tacoma, Washington • 1

The Weather Intermittent rains tonight and tomorrow Dotallod report tldre post I to Accept Poll Results in Sane Fashion (Llppmuin hn hn B) PRICE THREE CENTS TACOMA WASH FRIDAY NOVEMBER 8 1910 4 58TII YEAR A Exclusive News a June Photographs of Spectacular Crash of $6740000 Narrows Bridge -ft''' JtiJ-' 5 f-j '1Y f' "-X' 5 Center Span TornbyWind Falls to Water Plunge Of Big Span Pictured Seemed Like World Falling Apart Declares News Writer Who Saw It All Great Narrows Structure Twisted and Whipped by 40 Mile Gale Partly Disintegrates Catastrophe Blamed on Failure of Cables to Move in Unison By NELSON HONG When the giant middle span of the Narrows span fell into Puget Sound Thursday morning it seemed as though the world was falling apart That'a the way it felt to one who watched the whole drama of the elements against science from the bluff north of the bridge There were a dozen of us on a promontory about 400 feet north of the roadway The spot afforded a perfect side view of the whole center section It had been swaying for some time before and word was just beginning to spread around There were perhaps 50 persons on the Tacoma side of the bridge The traffic which later jammed 6th venue until cars were almost bumper to bumper was not so heavy that two state patrolmen who were there did not bother to slop cars from coming to the toll plaza or even to drive below the plaza Crash Unexpected It didn't appear as though those In charge expected the tragedy that was to follow by such a few minutes I walked from where I parked my car almost below the east section to a point about 200 feet away favorite spot for amateur cameramen for it afforded a chance to frame the center section of the bridge with branches and leaves Later I moved a couple of hundred feet to the north which afforded a wide sweep of the center span The bridge was swaying but frankly the general feeling was that as soen as the wind moderated the bridge would settle down with out great damage At the worst in (Continued on Page 6 Column S) By BRINTNALL The center span of the Tacoma Narrows bridge dropped into the cold waters of the Narrows at 11:08 Thursday morning No lives were lost For several hours the bridge had been whipping aide-wise in a 40 mile wind Sometimes the' deck stood nearly straight up and down so great was the twist Just before 10 a concrete slab of the bridge deck dropped out and a few minutes later the huge steel girder on the south side of the span started to buckle From then on it was only a matter of time until the disintegration would be complete The immediate cause of the catastrophe Clark Eldrldge chief engineer of the toll bridge authority in charge of the bridge construction declared was that the two cables did not swing together giving the deck a sidewise twist The bridge has stood higher winds but always before it has bucked straight up and down Holding Down Cables Break Shortly before 11 o'clock the holding down cables which had been strung from the shore span to heavy concrete blocks 300 feet out from the shore ends of the span in hopes they would help stop the bounce broke and the motion of the center span was taken up by the shoreward span In a few seconds the center span was gone Much of the concrete roadway had already dropped into the Sound each section with an explosion as It broke up The continued whip had twisted off the girders in the middle of the 2800 foot steel frame and the two long sections dropped down The one (Continued on Page 6 Column 1) News Tribune Man Last on the Bridge Leonard Coatsworth of News Tribune Editorial Staff Crawls on Hands and Knees Over Swaying Span Loses Dog and Car Leonard Coatsworth of The Tacoma News Tribune staff was probably the last man off the Narrows bridge before it fell He had to leave his car when the bridge started to buckle and crawled back to shore part of the way on his hands and knees His car went to the bottom of the Sound In the car was the family dog Here is dramatic and thrilling story of the collapse of the bridge By LEONARD COATSWORTH (Copyright 1940 by Tacoma News Tribune) I saw the Narrows bridge die today and only by the grace of God escaped dying with it I have been near death many times in my life but not even in my worst experiences in France did I experience the feeling of helpless horror that gripped me when I was trapped on the bridge this morning Before starting over the( bridge I had driven underneath (Continued oaPge Columa Before and After Collapse These pictures taken by Howard Clifford News Tribune photographer from directly under the coat tower show the Narrows bridge just before and at the time of its collapse The picture at the upper left was taken a few moments before the center span collapsed and shows the terrific roll of the roadway The picture at the upper right was taken at the exact moment of the breaking of the bridge in the middle and Is slightly blurred due to the vibration by the parting of the renter section The ear of Leonard Coatsworth News Tribune employe is shown In both pictures The ear was lout with the dropping of the center section The lower picture shows the span as the renter section gave way and parts of the roadway snapped high in the air before dropping Into the Sound Clifford was standing under the tower when the center section broke Absentee Vote Will Decide Governor Span Insured for $6740000 Bank Reports Cameraman Was On Cracking Span News Tribune Staff Member Saw Center Buckle in Camera Groundglass Pressed Trigger Turned and Ran By HOWIE CLIFFORD I was on the Narrows bridge when it broke in the middle and although 1 get a certain satisfaction out of thrilling happenings I nope that I never again go through such a nerve racking experience niiv mn nmnit hnunrini? nnd ing experience erally run amok bouncing and Ferries Are Promised Service at Once to Gig Harbor Says Commissioner The Narrows bridge is fully Insured for accidents such as occurred Thursday morning and there is no reason why any additional expense will be Incurred by taxpayers in its replacement officials at the Puget Sound National bank reported The bank is holder of copies of the policies which have been Issued jointly by a number of Insurance companies The policy is for $6740000 and provides for payment for destruction by any cause except merely falling apart without cause the bank officials said Destruction by windstorms such as occurred Thursday morning is Included in the pol Langlie 2111 Votes Ahead With 78 Precincts and 23000 Absentee Votes Yet to Be Tabulated SEATTLE Nov 7 JP Mayor Arthur margin over former Senator Dill in the state gubernatorial race dropped today to 2111 votes with only 44 of the state's precincts missing definitely leaving the contest undecided until absentee ballots are counted next week In 1974 of 3018 precincts Lang-f lie's vote was 371483 and Dill's 371372 A tabulation of the absentees will start Tuesday In the hitherto close fourth district congressional rare Rep Knute Hill took a commanding 2588 vote lead over Frnnk Miller Republican in 478 of 480 precincts His vole was 48487 to 45899 for Miller' One of the most spectacular election races in the slate's history saw Langlie rut down a heavy lead rolled up early Wednesday morning by Dill to go out in front at one point Inst night by 7000 vote Returns from 41 rural King (Continued on Fage Column 4) All was running like clockwork In The News Tribune Thursday morning when word was flashed that something was happening at the Narrows bridge I grabbed a camera and drove to the end of Ath avenue as fast as I could When I arrived the brldgo had lit twisting like a roller roaster My first instinct was to shoot a few shots of the bridge from vantage points on the ground After this I sent films in to the office and' waited camera in hand against the possibility thttt the structure might collapse Seeing a (Continued on jfass Column 4) Perry scrvlco between Point Donee and Gig Harbor was to be irted os soon as operators could up steam Thursday afternoon cording to John Schlarb Pierre unty commissioner in 'the third itrict While there was dispute as to ontinurd on Fage Column I) icy.