Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-05-14

all the recollection Of dead forms borne hastily away by
the hands Of sympahizng men, themselves haggard with
aweali these recolections, all that crowded into
few short minutes Of unutterabe agony transact
ed through that day and the following, each train
brought its crowd Of mouners and bore away the dead
in their coinsa is dream and not till the traces Of
the calamity removed and the public have half for
gotten it, shall be able to realize it in all its tremen
dous force, as real, an actual occurrence.
VERDICT OF THE coRoNER's JURY
FAIRFIELD County, ss / E.
NoRwALK, TUESDAY, MAY TO- 1858.
The undersigned jurors, being duly empanelled and
sworn according to law to inquire of the and
Of the death of Samuel Beach, John c. Gray Walter
French, Norman Parker Nathaniel Ring, jr Michael
Reardon, Mrs A. L. Desangue, Francis W. Sayes, T. M.
Hutchinson, Archibald Welch, Ann T. Greene, Butler
Wilmarth Samuel N. Hassard - Harley, a female in
fant aged about four months, Oliver Barr D. W. DIM
mock Emeine Sheppard Mary Tame, Ellen Gaps, Ellen
s. Bacon, Jacob Vandeventer Wm G. Dwight, tJos. Nj.
Marley Miss
Aiias caspissn. Sarah d n % [ ~ Femsroy.
Ne fsssa sssss NE s.. g y x.ss r:ss
Julia Anderson, David b Newell and 81 r. Lozier. the
death Of which said persons sudden and untimey
and the cause and manner Of which uuknown hay-
ing viewed the bode. Of the persons above named and
the evidence given to us, do, on our oaths say
cons,uv..- - -"mad were drowned in
that all the persons herein beIoru ....-.
the harbor of Norwalk the west opening of the
in the railroad bridge South Norwalk killed by in
ures there received Friday the 9th day of May AD
l653 in consequence Of the falling Of the engine and ten
der and baggage cars two passenger cars and part
of another of the o'clock A. NJ express train from New
York. into the harbor at that place. they and each of them
being passengers in said train.
Having thus found upon oaths the and man
of the deaths of the persons above named the duty
imposed upon by the law, under which act, may
perhaps be considered ut end. But event which
has thus suddenly launched many of innocent fell
low-beings into eternity, without moments warning,
and which has carried desolaon and anguish into
many households require that the details of
investigation be stated more at length We find, there
FORE the following facts:
The New York and New Haven railroad crosses the
harbor of Norwalk at South Norwalk thousand and
eighty feet east of the depot upon bridge. In the
bridge the channel of the harbor and hundred
and fftythree feet from the next abutmen there is
draw, which reyoyes horizontally upon central abut
ment and leaves when open passages o. sixty feet
each. This bridge was under the of William Har-
ford who in the employment of the company
bridge tender BY the regulations of the company it
his duty open the draw for the passage Of boats
and vessels when they desired to pass without reference
the time when trains due this being supposed
be in accordance with the paramount rights of those
in the legitimate of naygable waters and it
equally the duty Of those having the management Of
trains upon the road to ascertain, before attempting to
pass the bridge and before they approached that
the train could not be stopped whether the draw was in
condition for them to pass not.
To enable those who the management of trains to
ascertain this fact pole was erected upon the draw
about forty feet in height with cross piece upon the
top to which was hoised and kept red bali about
feet in diameter containing red light In the night
The regulations Of the company required this ball to De
kept up whenever the draw wasn condition to be passed
by the trains and lowered before the draw opened
or in case of accident the bridge that when the
trains approaching from the east west and those
having their management the bah in its place, they
would know that all right and, the other hand,
if they should see the ball in its place. they might
know that the bridge in condition to be passed
This ball is visible to those 1neing trains apd 49,
pr6 69 from the east all the time ter they hSe
rivSdwithin half mile more Of the brdge+he grade
descending the bridge at the rate Of from 40 to 80 feet
the mile But is not when the train is approach
ing from the west.
the east abutment Of the protecton-wa which is thirty
three hundred and feet west abut
of the railroad BRIDGE the ball is visible and can be
clearly for the distance Of three hundred eet 1t is
then partially obscured by intervening tree and can
not be again clearly from the train for the distance OF
about hundred feet it is then fairly in view for three
hundred feet further then IT is obcured by tree for
the distance Of hundred feet IL is then visible for
the further distance Of four hundred feet being twelve
hundred feet from the place where it is frs visible From
this point it remains obscured until the train has passed
the depot and come upon the highway, where 1t may be
seen again the distance of fifty feet This point is nine
hundred and ninety mine feet from the draw. The ball
does not again become visible until the train arrives at
point FIVE hundred and sixtyfour feet from the draw
If the draw open the north end of the draw be
seen some fifty feet sooher At the time of this occur
renee the draw open and the draw tender just
about to close it. Ii had been open about fifteen minutes
before fer the passage Of the steamer Pacific The ball
was lowered before the draw opened down when
the train emerged from the where its absence could
and should have been noted and remained down until the
train arrived and plunged in.
The train overdue the time Of the
about eight minutes but the draw tender was acting
pursuant his directions do not find that any blame
can attach to him and inasmuch as the regulations Of
the company in this respect in accordance with the
paramount. rights Of those engaged in navigation we do
not find that any blame attach to the company from
the fact that the draw open when train was
due The channel Of the harbor Of Norwak, where the
bridge it, about north and south The course
Of the railroad from the spoken Of to the depot and
past it. and to point Oh feet from the west abutmentof
the railroad bridge, is nearly northeast As the bridge
the channel right angle nearly So the ROAD
from that point the bridge necessarily curves very
much bng the line Of that there are buildings
which hide the bridge and ball from view as heretofore
The express train which this accident happened does
stop at Norwalk all the other trains do This tram
left New York at o'clock, its usual hour AT STAN
ford il about eight minutes behind the time Little II
any time could be gained between Stamford and Sorwak
account OF the grades and about the same num-
ber Of minutes behind time Mt Norwak. IL was under
the management of Charles H. Comsock as conductor,
and Ed,oard W. Tucker engineer. The rules and regu
lations of the company do not make IT the duty OF the
conductor to observe the signals look out for danger
upon the road but that responsibility rests upon the en-
Qinccr who has charge of the ecomotye The engineer
however subordinate the authority OF the conductor
in relation TO the time and in which the train
shall be run
When this train emerged from the cut aforesaid the ab
sence Of the ball from the pole Upon the bridge OBJ