Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-08-14
The late Railroad Disaster-TcstinOny
Mt the Inquest.

|
gor.
i The first witness called was Col. A. w.
Wildes of Skowhegan, one of the State Rail
| road Commissioners. He was sworn and tes-
| tilted as follows:
| Am one of the Railroad Commissioners of
| the State, and with my associates examine
the tracks and bridges of the railroads in
Maine. ] passed over the Maine Central
| r abroad in June, 1871; Mr.. Gibson, the
bridge man employed by the Maine Central
Company. and Mr.. Terry, the road master,
were with me when the bridge over the Hamp-
den road was inspected We borrowed lad
der at a neighboring house, and all three of
us went up into the bridge. Iexamine bridges
by striking the timbers and probing with a
knife, sometimes by boring: did not bore in
this case. Always examine the joints. In
this bridge they showed no signs of opening
After we had examined the bridge, freight
train came along and stood by the bridge
and watched to see how it bore the weight. l
thought it sprung little too much and re-
marked to Gibson that it ought to be strength
cned by arches, as it was subjected to greater
strains than before. When | made record
of the repairs needed, / think l used this
language 1.-THE Bridge over the Hampden
Road near Bangor, is weak and needs
strengthening by the addition of arches to the
truss" / left one copy of my report with
Assistant Superintendent Lincoln at Augusta,
for Superintendent Noyes, and another copy
at Judge Rice's office.
l could see the inside of the chords of
the bridge and the bottom, the top was COW
cred by boarding. A perfect examination
could not be made except by uncovering.
The facts that the joints are tight is in
disputable evidence that bridge is not Civ
ing; but timhers may be rotten and the joints
still tight. The iron work appeared well.
saw what is called ''sap-rot" on the corners,
and probed it with my knife; it was not deep;
also examined the timbers by striking. Have
examined the bridge since the accident and
found decay did not discover when l in-
speeted the bridge in June. The cause of the
accident was that rot. One hard pine key
between the timbers of the chord was rotten
and the chord was rotten inside. 1t was the
west section of the upper chord and the west
piece was rotten. Did not see this rotten
place when l examined the bridge. When
we find defects in bridge that render it I'M
safe, we have no right to order a road to stop
running trains. The law is that we give the
company reasonable notice to make repairs,
then if they fail to make them, we must go to
the courts for an injunction, and have a hear
ing; meantime the road can run the trains if
they choose.
ton of this bridge as see it now, when the
timber is broken so as to expose the decay, |
should have notified the company that it was
not safe to run trains over it. The she'll of
the timber being broken now shows the rot in
the INTERIOR could not have seen the place
at our examination. l have, think, travel
ed over the bridge but once since my exami
nation. Should think two weeks after Motif
cation by the Commissioners, would be a
reasonable time in which the company could
ma Ike necessary repairs.
We we're up in the bridge three-quarters OF
an hour at our examination. I rode over the
bridge last Monday night and had no fears for
my personal safety.
The trains run no faster here than on other
parts Of the road, and no unusual strain comes
on the bridge. From what have seen since,
/ think that without boring, the rot could not
shave been detected in our examination. Ny
recollection of the deeayed timber is that it
had shell on the outside.
A copy of Col Wildes' report on the con-
dition of the bridges on this division of the
Maine Central railroad, was here submitted
to the Jury by Superintendent Moves, and
identified by Col. Wildes. The report con-
corning the bridge over the Hampden road is
as previously stated by Col Wildes. 1t is
dated July II, 1911
Examination resumed. June 9Th is writ
ten in my memorandum book as the date en-
which commenced an examination of the
further end of the Maine Central railroad.-
Cannot say exactly when l examined the
bridge over the Hampden road; think it was
between the Sth and 18th of June. Under
stand the repairs suggested in the Newport
bridge, the short bridge over the passage to
Crosby's ship yard, and the bridge over front
Brook near Burnham, are now being made.
l cannot say when | examined this bridge be-
fore 1t was inspected last year by Messrs.
Corser and Blake. Think that my statement
that this bridge needed strengthening, would
not give the officers of the road the impress
sion that the danger was imminent. Mr..
Noyes always Immediately looked after the
repairs / suggested, and l did not use so
strong language on this as should on other
roads, on this account. The examination
was made between June 9Th and 18th accord
ing to the date in my memorandum book, hut
/ may have inadvertently written June instead
of July, as my report is dated July 18th. and
| have been accustomed TO report at the close
of the examination of each division of the
road. l commenced at Kendalls Mills on
this division, and worked this way, but my
attention was called to points on the lower
road and | went down several times. If l
had discovered indications of rot sufficient to
render the bridge unsafe for travel, it was my
duty to notify the Superintendent at once.
The bridge man was with me through the
whole examination of this division. The man
in charge of the bridges always goes with u.s.
Milton T.. Gibson, sworn and testified =
My business is repairing and building bridges.
Have been employed by the Maine Central
Railroad Company for twelve years looking
after the woodwork of the bridges and sta
tons on their line. Was with Col. Wildes
when he inspected the bridges on this end OF
the road; it was, think, in the last days OF
June or the first of July-before the fourth OF
July. considered the bridge over the Hamp-
den road safe. There was some rot on one OF
the floor beams, and we talked it over
thought one should be taken up. discover
ed no rot in the chords; did not examine, per
haps, as thoroughly as Mr.. Wildes did,
Went up under the bridge to examine it in
April last. have examined it three or four
times this year. Col. Wildes said new floor
beam ought to be put into the bridge. The
second beam from the west was some sap-rot
ted, and we concluded a new one ought to be