Collapsed July 24, 1926 while overloaded with people watching a carnival performance. The July 25, 1926 edition of The Charleston Gazette reports the incident in an article with headline "Half Hundred Hurt When Crowded Bridge Collapses at Whitesville, Five Dead, Three More May Die" and sub-headline "Span Fall Under Weight of Hundreds Assembled to Watch Fire Fighting Event on River Bank in Connection with Carnival Celebration; Governor Gore Accompanies Physicians and Nurses on Special Relief Train from Here."
AAJ cites an Engineering News-Record article from July 29, 1926: "Failure of the bridge was caused by the parting of the turnbuckle on the north end of the east cable. The bridge was built in 1913 and repaired in 1925."
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