The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-07-12
q,,,c Fatal BrtGgc--A Strange Freak
nr waite Pine the Cause Of the Eatc

Of waite Pine fRe 0RWse Oh the h"SS
Disaster.
,r.on, the Nashville Union and Americana
In order to ascertain with certainty the
tr,,Ih ct the many rump'ts that are alioal III
,.<r.rrnrc 10 the condition Of the bridge ut
.,r wreck ON The Nashville and Northwest
go, railroad. We got on train Yesterday
,,,,,rninc and went to tho scene Of the dis
a,tcr. We went without prejudice, and
Shall state honestly the results OF our Oh
>CrNatIon:
Wc fnuud about one hundred workmen
orsrsCcA in clearing away the debris and
,.pttinc up new structure which will be
ready this morning for tue passage Of trains.
The bridge is known as the "Howe
Truss" Of two spans. ninety-six feet each.
rbr centre pillar and the end abutments
are solid ASHER masonry, TO all appear
.rccs perfect and in good condition. There
/. no visible defect. The wooden super
Structure was built by the United states
military authorities in the summer OF 1864,
AMI i consequently about seven years OLD.
Tnc timber used. except the croSS-ties
IN tine track. was white pine, brought
ram Cleveland or Chicago. The east
rrn span was entirely destroyed by
tine recent accident ut the place,
While The western span still remains
and is in proper line, with the Gambler
>urh A bridge the invariable indication OF
.ev;nr way or decay is manifested in the
sinking OF the Gambler or arch, resulting
from The weakness or decay or the cords,
which arc The strongest timbCrS. and sup
rnrt Che rest of the SupcrStructurc. The
fir,er> OF this Standing span showed no
n;,;ward sign Of decay, except in one brace
3nd fcnnon. which were unimportant. We
examined il critically. cutting and probing,
which disclosed a perfectly sound exterior.
On reaching the point where the eastern
sp.u broke from the western, we tound the
timhcrS thus broken, though externally
sound. were in some cases filled with rot
tcn core. This observation applies also 10
o)I The large timherS Of the broken span
which we SAW and examined. Not one oil
them but was rotten IN the interior, yet
they have sound she'll Of from one to two
iut.hc- in thickness on the outside. We ac-
count for this singular phenomenon upon
the .uppoSition that the timber was cut IN
the spring when the sap was up, ana
wDiic the outside dried and seasoned,
the inner sap soured and caused the rapid
and premature rotten within. This is sus.
tanned by the fact that all the small timbers
used tor bruclng, with the exceptions men.
toned above were sound. That the decay
was premature and rapid in this case, we
have The fact that the ordinary life OF time
uuon which timber is free from dangerous
rot iS-in white pine. 10 years yellow pine,
T. wears, and oak $ wears. This bridge,
therefore, being but years old, had, in the
oruinury course of things, three years OF
reliable service.
but this was not really the case. The
bridge timbrrS proved to be rotten, rs we
have described, and did actually break aud
prccipitatc Il precious cargo of life to de-
etruction. 1t turned out TO be as the coro-
ncl', Jury stated: THAT the timberS com
posing said bridge We're so rotten as to be
unfit for the passage OF IN ordinary paSsen-
yer tram
Yet. while this is undoubtedly the fact,
we Observation-Disclosures careful and pa
trent examination, having bored with
IN augur into tmGers appearing sound
wIthin-and which gave no indica-
ton of unSoundness by percussion-ac-
Quit the officers OF the road OF AL blame.
They discharged in cur opinion; their
whole dutT, and used every diligence and
lfcraution required, by ordinary care and
prudence, 10 preserve the road against this
raElmtuu> accident. Less than three weeks
ago, MHjor Lands, general agent; Mr..
Smith, superintendent of bridges, an eX-
pert Who has spent bis life in tie bridge
business. ana Jo>. Z. Kelly, supervisor OF
Z,
every bridge and tre>tle from Chattanooga
10 Hickman. X. c. Morris, resident engi-
nccr. :, gentleman of large experience and
high character in his profession, having
been in charge OF railroads Tor more than
twenty years. passed over tue road about
one month since, and says he examined
carefully all the bridges constructed OF
white pine and found tAcm in good shape"
Supcraddcd 10 this, supervisor Kelly
travels over his division of the road,
from Nashville to Jacksonville, twice each
week. and who has spent twenty years
in the business. carefully examined
this bridge on Saturday evening last,
and found no stretch Of cords, and
the Gambler or arch perfect. The defect
w:l> a hidden one, and not suspected. The
bridge had sustained every strain that had
been put upon ii up TO the fatal moment OF
the catastrophe which has brought mourn
ing and sadness to so many hearts. only a
few hours previously it had safely passed a
loaded freight train with n thlrty-tiye-ton
locomotive, and was to the officers Of the
read who look alter such things, above
suspicion.