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The Municipal Bridge Vision: Difference between revisions

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[[Image:Tab30.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge as seen from Jeffersonville, with Louisville, Kentucky in the background]]
[[Image:Tab30.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge as seen from Jeffersonville, with Louisville, Kentucky in the background]]


 
=The Municipal Bridge Vision - did it fail?=


William Branham told a story that, if true, would be genuinely remarkable. As a young child, he claimed to have had a vision of a bridge spanning the Ohio River — and sixteen men falling to their deaths during its construction. Twenty-two years later, he said, the Louisville Municipal Bridge was built, and sixteen men died just as he'd seen.
William Branham told a story that, if true, would be genuinely remarkable. As a young child, he claimed to have had a vision of a bridge spanning the Ohio River — and sixteen men falling to their deaths during its construction. Twenty-two years later, he said, the Louisville Municipal Bridge was built, and sixteen men died just as he'd seen.


That's the story. Now let's look at what actually happened.
That's the story. Now let's look at what actually happened.
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== The Vision, In His Own Words ==
== The Vision, In His Own Words ==
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It wasn't fulfilled. Here's why.
It wasn't fulfilled. Here's why.
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{| style="width:200px; border:1px solid #E8B399;background-color:#F0DCC8;vertical-align:top; float:right; text-align:center; padding: 0.3em;margin-left:15px"
|'''[http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/French#La_v.C3.A9rit.C3.A9_pure_et_simple_sur_la_proph.C3.A9tie_du_pont En Francais]'''  <br> La vérité pure et simple sur la prophétie du pont.
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'''[http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Dutch#William_Branham.27s_visioen_van_Municipalbrug_in_Louisville Dutch]''' <br> William Branham's visioen van Municipalbrug in Louisville.
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== Problem #1: The Deaths Simply Didn't Happen ==
== Problem #1: The Deaths Simply Didn't Happen ==
Two men died building the Louisville Municipal Bridge. Two.
Two men died building the Louisville Municipal Bridge. Two.
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That's it. That's the entire death toll.
That's it. That's the entire death toll.


You might wonder: could records have been lost? Could sixteen deaths have gone unreported? It's a fair question — and researchers at ''Searching for Vindication'' actually went and checked. They traveled to the National Archives in Atlanta and photographed every page of the daily logs kept by Life Saving Station #10, the Coast Guard station located less than half a mile from the bridge. These logs documented every rescue and recovery operation on that stretch of river from 1881 to 1972. The researchers went through every entry from May 1928 through December 1939 — a full decade past the bridge's completion.
You might wonder: could records have been lost? Could sixteen deaths have gone unreported? It's a fair question — and researchers at [https://searchingforvindication.com/bridge.html ''Searching for Vindication''] actually went and checked. They traveled to the National Archives in Atlanta and photographed every page of the daily logs kept by Life Saving Station #10, the Coast Guard station located less than half a mile from the bridge. These logs documented every rescue and recovery operation on that stretch of river from 1881 to 1972. The researchers went through every entry from May 1928 through December 1939 — a full decade past the bridge's completion.


Nothing. No mass drowning. No construction catastrophe involving sixteen men. Not even close.
Nothing. No mass drowning. No construction catastrophe involving sixteen men. Not even close.
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== The Newspaper Deception ==
== The Newspaper Deception ==
[[Image:Masthead_North_Carolinian_1890_01_22.png|thumb|500px|right]]
[[Image:Pg_4_North_Carolinian_1890_01_22.png|thumb|250px|right]]
A January 22, 1890 article from the ''North Carolinian'' — headlined "Sixteen Men Killed" — reports on the caisson accident at the Big Four Bridge. Some Message followers started circulating this article on social media, claiming it was from the late 1920s and proved Branham's prophecy was fulfilled at the Municipal Bridge.
A January 22, 1890 article from the ''North Carolinian'' — headlined "Sixteen Men Killed" — reports on the caisson accident at the Big Four Bridge. Some Message followers started circulating this article on social media, claiming it was from the late 1920s and proved Branham's prophecy was fulfilled at the Municipal Bridge.


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== The Excuses (And Why They Don't Hold Up) ==
== The Excuses (And Why They Don't Hold Up) ==
[[Image:The Bridge Prophecy explained.jpg|thumb|250px|right]]
Over the years, Message followers have floated several alternative explanations. Here's why each one fails.
Over the years, Message followers have floated several alternative explanations. Here's why each one fails.


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William Branham often told of a vision he had as a young child of 16 men falling to their deaths while building a bridge across the Ohio river.


=Prophecy=
 
''I was playing marbles out with my little brothers, out in the front yard. And all at once I had a strange feeling come on me. And I stopped and set down aside of a tree. And we were right up on the bank from the Ohio River. And I looked down towards Jeffersonville, and I seen a bridge rise up and go across that, the river, span the river. And I seen '''sixteen men''' (I counted them) that '''dropped off''' of there and '''lost their lives on that bridge'''. I run in real quick and told my mother, and she thought I went to sleep. But they kept it in mind, and '''twenty-two years from then''' the Municipal Bridge now (that many of you cross when you cross there) crossed the river at the same place, and '''sixteen men lost their life building that bridge across the river.''' It's never failed to be perfectly true.''  (My Life Story, Los Angeles, April 19, 1959)


=About the Louisville Municipal Bridge=
=About the Louisville Municipal Bridge=
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It was during this time that William Branham was working as a cowhand in Arizona.  He returned to Jeffersonville after he received news that his brother Edward had passed away on June 20, 1929.  When he returned to Jeffersonville, the new bridge would have been opened or very close to completion. In 1949, the bridge was renamed in honor of George Rogers Clark. The bridge was rehabilitated in 1958, and is still in use today.
It was during this time that William Branham was working as a cowhand in Arizona.  He returned to Jeffersonville after he received news that his brother Edward had passed away on June 20, 1929.  When he returned to Jeffersonville, the new bridge would have been opened or very close to completion. In 1949, the bridge was renamed in honor of George Rogers Clark. The bridge was rehabilitated in 1958, and is still in use today.


=Problems with the Prophecy=
{| style="width:200px; border:1px solid #E8B399;background-color:#F0DCC8;vertical-align:top; float:right; text-align:center; padding: 0.3em;margin-left:15px"
|'''[http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/French#La_v.C3.A9rit.C3.A9_pure_et_simple_sur_la_proph.C3.A9tie_du_pont En Francais]'''  <br> La vérité pure et simple sur la prophétie du pont.
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'''[http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Dutch#William_Branham.27s_visioen_van_Municipalbrug_in_Louisville Dutch]''' <br> William Branham's visioen van Municipalbrug in Louisville.
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==Problem 1: No evidence of 16 fatalities==
There are no historic documents or evidence supporting the statement that 16 men died during the construction of the Louisville Municipal Bridge.  '''In a telephone conversation between the editor of this website and George Smith, William Branham's son-in-law, George Smith admitted that this vision was not fulfilled.'''
Additionally, it is clear that William Branham stated that the 16 men died by drowning:
:''Here at the municipal bridge. Sister, no doubt you know where the municipal bridge is, don't you, cross from Jeffersonville to Louisville?''
:''Twenty-two years, when I was a little boy, just a little bitty lad about five years old, or six years old, when the Angel of the Lord appeared in the bush... You've heard me tell that haven't you, when I was packing water?''
:''Well, about two weeks after that, I was playing marbles with my little brother. And I thought I'd got sick, some real funny feeling came on me. And I went and set down by the side of a tree. And I looked down at the river, and there went a bridge, a big, great big bridge going across the river. '''And I counted sixteen men that fell off of that bridge and drowned.''' And I went and told mother. And I told her I seen it. And they thought I was crazy or something. They thought I was just at a little nervous hysterical child.''
:''And twenty-two years from that time, on the same ground went the municipal bridge across, and sixteen men lost their lives on it. See? Wasn't nothing that... It's--it's God sent it. Your prayers brought it. See?''<ref>William Branham, EXPERIENCES, Phoenix, AZ, 48-0302</ref>
Based on research done by [[Searching for Vindication]], there were only 2 fatalities in the construction of the bridge:
*On Wednesday, June 19, 1929, Richard Pilton died after being hit in the temple with an iron crank.  He did not drown.
*On September 10, 1929. Lloyd McEwen lost his footing and fell, landing on a barge below the bridge. He did not drown, but rather died from the injuries caused by his fall.
Additionally,  Life Saving Station #10 on the river at Louisville, KY was in service from 1881 until 1972.  This station was located near the falls of the Ohio River because it was considered the most dangerous section of the river. The station was manned around the clock and operated as a bonafide Coast Guard Station. Over the years, there were three different vessels that served as the Life Saving Station. The last vessel was put into service in 1929.
Life Saving Station #10 maintained dailiy logs containing the daily records of the station, including records of every rescue and recovery operation that the Coast Guard participated in from 1881 until 1972. The station was located less than a half-mile from the municipal bridge, the Coast Guard would be the first responders to any event on the bridge where someone fell into the river. The people at Searching for Vindication traveled to the offices of the National Archives and Records Administration in Atlanta to examine the logs. They photographed every page of the log books from from May 1, 1928 through December 31, 1939 to determine whether there was a significant drowning event related to the bridge.  They extended it to 10 years after the completion of the bridge to ensure that they would find any incidents that happened during the construction of the bridge or in any of the maintenance of the municipal bridge in the 10 years after the bridge was completed. 
There were no events from the logs that included anyone drowning related to the construction or maintenance of the bridge from 1928 to 1939.
The research documented on the Searching for Vindication website refutes any claim that the records in 1929 were inaccurate, and that the 16 fatalities were simply not recorded. 


We would highly recommend those interested in this issue to read the research performed by [[Searching for Vindication]].
We would highly recommend those interested in this issue to read the research performed by [[Searching for Vindication]].


==Problem 2: Similar fatalities on another bridge==
[[Image:Masthead_North_Carolinian_1890_01_22.png|thumb|500px|right]]
[[Image:Pg_4_North_Carolinian_1890_01_22.png|thumb|250px|right]]
Our research indicates that many deaths occurred during the construction of the Big Four Bridge, which is a railroad bridge a half-mile upstream from the Municipal Bridge that opened to the public in 1895. 


Construction of the Big Four bridge began on October 10, 1888.  A summary of the fatalities during the construction is as follows:
 
#12 people died working on a pier foundation when a caisson flooded (about a year after construction started);
#4 people died when a wooden beam broke in a different pier caisson (several months after the first accident); and
#On December 15, 1893, a construction crane was dislodged by wind causing the supporting truss to collapse which resulted 41 workers falling into the Ohio river.  21 workers died as a result.<ref>Kleber, John E. (2000). Encyclopedia of Louisville. University Press of Kentucky. p. 89. ISBN 0-8131-2100-0. Retrieved April 8, 2014.</ref>
In William Branham's vision, 16 people died when they fell off the bridge.  With the Big Four Bridge, 37 people died in the construction of the bridge.  All of these fatalities occurred before William Branham was born.
Was this the reason that William Branham did not tell the story in his home town, Jeffersonville, until 1960?  Did he simply make up the story knowing that no one would be able to check the facts?  People would have remembered a lot of people being killed in the construction of a bridge many years in the past but would have been unable to differentiate between the Big Four bridge and the Municipal Bridge.
===Deception by message followers===


An article from page 4 of the North Carolinian newspaper on January 22, 1890, is contained on the right-hand side of this page.  The article is entitled "Sixteen Men Killed" and tells the story of 16 men who fell to their death in the construction of the Big Four bridge in Louisville, Kentucky in 1890.  It incorrectly reports a death toll of 16 people when other newspaper reports listed only 12 men as dying in the accident (4 men died several months later).
An article from page 4 of the North Carolinian newspaper on January 22, 1890, is contained on the right-hand side of this page.  The article is entitled "Sixteen Men Killed" and tells the story of 16 men who fell to their death in the construction of the Big Four bridge in Louisville, Kentucky in 1890.  It incorrectly reports a death toll of 16 people when other newspaper reports listed only 12 men as dying in the accident (4 men died several months later).
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:''The most plausible theory as to the cause of the accident is thus given by one of the survivors, Louis Crouch, and his story receives not a little credence from the Superintendent of the work.  Knox, the foreman, had been seen near the key which controls the air supply, and it is believed that he cut off the air more than he really intended to, causing the caisson to sink into the sand.''
:''The most plausible theory as to the cause of the accident is thus given by one of the survivors, Louis Crouch, and his story receives not a little credence from the Superintendent of the work.  Knox, the foreman, had been seen near the key which controls the air supply, and it is believed that he cut off the air more than he really intended to, causing the caisson to sink into the sand.''


==Problem 3: The timing of the vision==
The Louisville Municipal Bridge opened on October 31, 1929.  William Branham said that he had the vision twenty-two years prior to the accident.  This places the vision in 1907, which is before he was born.  However, William Branham also said he had this prophecy when he was either five or six years old (approx. 1914) while playing marbles with his brother.  The only things that happened in 1936, which is twenty-two years from 1914, was that the toll on the Louisvill Municipal Bridge changed from 35 cents to 25 cents and the ''Louisville'', a lifeboat anchored near the Municipal Bridge, was relocated downstream.  As a result, the fulfillment of this prophecy has nothing to do with twenty-two years from the date of the vision.


==Problem 4: William Branham's Reference was to the Municipal Bridge==
==Problem 4: William Branham's Reference was to the Municipal Bridge==
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The problem is not in Pearry Green's retelling of the story - he did not grow up in Jeffersonville and had no reason to doubt William Branham.  The problem lies with William Branham's prophecy and the story that he used to prove its fulfillment.  There is no historic indication that any section or portion of the Municipal Bridge fell into the Ohio river or that anyone died in its construction, other than the two men whose deaths were reported in the newspapers.
The problem is not in Pearry Green's retelling of the story - he did not grow up in Jeffersonville and had no reason to doubt William Branham.  The problem lies with William Branham's prophecy and the story that he used to prove its fulfillment.  There is no historic indication that any section or portion of the Municipal Bridge fell into the Ohio river or that anyone died in its construction, other than the two men whose deaths were reported in the newspapers.


==Problem 5: William Branham refers to the Municipal Bridge as being unimportant==
=never happened).


One would think that William Branham would have been very interested in the municipal bridge because of his vision, but he appears not to have been:
=Excuses for the failed vision=
 
:''That's the way a person that's been redeemed and understands it, you get emotionally. You can't help it when you're... The story was told that he could have--he could live because the perfect lamb died in his place, the little fellow could rejoice, under a... That's the way I felt the day that the story come to my heart. I... Knowing that I was a sinner, I couldn't even find a church that made an altar call. I went from one to the other. No one made an altar call; no one invited. '''They was all talking about flowers, and the new bridge that went across the river. And I--I wasn't interested in that. You read that in newspaper.''' I wanted to hear the Bible, the Word.''  55-1119 REDEEMER.REDEMPTION_ SAN.FERNANDO.CA
 
==Problem 6: Why did William Branham not tell the story in Jeffersonville until 1960?==


We received the following question on our [http://www.facebook.com/BelieveTheSign discussion page] - "''If what the telling of the bridge is true, that there were not 16 victims, how about the local people living in that time? They must have known about the bridge, and why would Bro. Branham tell such story to the local people? They would know if he had made it up, he would be a bad liar''".
Take a look at the quotes below.  Is it just a bit curious that the first time he related the story in Jeffersonville was in 1960, over 30 years after the fact?
30 years after the fact people may remember that there was a big accident on a bridge where a bunch of people died.  But 30 years after the fact, they won't remember when it happened or even how many people died.
But these people in Branham Tabernacle trusted William Branham.  If they did have a bit of a question, would they easily be able to go back and look?  Remember this was prior to Google.  It would have been a fair amount of work, even if they had a bit of doubt, so they would have given William Branham the benefit of the doubt, because they trusted him implicitly.
Please see the reference to the Big Four Bridge above. It is an interesting coincidence that 15+ years before William Branham was born, there was an accident in which a number of people were killed in a bridge accident one half mile upstream from the municipal bridge.  It is likely that any locals might have thought he made a simple mistake and was referring to the wrong bridge.
Also, the municipal bridge was renamed in 1949 to the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge.  The local simply call it the Second Street Bridge.  If you look at the "Generation" book by Angel Smith, you will notice that it doesn't appear that any one in that book lived in Jeffersonville in 1929.  Those in the book that were locals (very few) were born after 1930 or would have been small children at the time.  Also, it appears that a lot of the people in Branham Tabernacle had moved into the area to specifically be close to WMB and so would not have resided in Jeffersonville in 1929.
So in 1960, 30 years after the fact, William Branham told the story and no one noticed.  As that was the first time on record that he told it in Jeffersonville, it is really not surprising that no one would have questioned him on it.
==Problem 7: Why didn't William Branham warn anyone?==
If William Branham knew that people were going to die in the construction of the bridge, why didn't he attempt to warn anyone?
Put yourself in William Branham's shoes.  What would you have done if you had a vision of 16 men dying in a construction accident on a bridge that they then started building years later.  Wouldn't you have warned everyone?
This vision is suspect simply because William Branham never attempted to warn anyone.  In fact, he seemed quite proud of the fact that he foretold their deaths (which in fact never happened).
=Excuses for the failed vision=
[[Image:The Bridge Prophecy explained.jpg|thumb|250px|right]]


Are you looking for a simple and easy way to ignore the facts above?  If so, this is called [[Cognitive Dissonance|cognitive dissonance]].  It is a term that explains why intelligent people will often settle for answers that are not reasonable, in order to ignore the real issue.
Are you looking for a simple and easy way to ignore the facts above?  If so, this is called [[Cognitive Dissonance|cognitive dissonance]].  It is a term that explains why intelligent people will often settle for answers that are not reasonable, in order to ignore the real issue.
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We talked on the phone with Jack Vissing and he confirmed that that Voice of God Recordings was a client of his law firm.  Would you trust the testimony of a man who was getting paid by the people he was testifying for?  This is clearly a conflict of interest.
We talked on the phone with Jack Vissing and he confirmed that that Voice of God Recordings was a client of his law firm.  Would you trust the testimony of a man who was getting paid by the people he was testifying for?  This is clearly a conflict of interest.


=A Big Question=
William Branham said he was living in Arizona, not Jeffersonville, when the Municipal Bridge was built.  When he returned to Jeffersonville on the news of his brother's passing in 1929, the new bridge would have been a significant new landmark.  Perhaps he recalled hearing stories of accidents on the Big Four bridge as a child, and confused them with the new bridge that had been built.  However, William Branham repeats that he remembered the vision, and that his mother wrote it down - which means he should have been accurate in retelling the vision. 
This should raise serious concerns about William Branham's credibility as a prophet, such as:
*If this vision was fabricated, were any other visions fabricated as well? 
*If this was a false prophecy (claimed to be accurate) are there other false prophecies? 


If you are interested in further detailed research on this vision, you should go to the [[Searching for Vindication]] website.   
If you are interested in further detailed research on this vision, you should go to the [[Searching for Vindication]] website.   
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