Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-08-22

running from 90 to % miles an hour; being
down grade. j shut off steam about one and
a-half miles beyond the bridge, little fur
ther back than usual, as we were a little be-
hind time and running fast" &c. Persons on
the river and looking on, think the train was
running faster than 20 miles an hour. The
train was heavy, with Pullman car in the
rear. The brakeman had begun to set the
brakes at the bridge" In this condition. of
things the train, upon down grade and at a
speed of % miles an hour, struck the bridge
and one truss fell, precipitating five cars of
the train off of the bridge and cmbankment,
causing the death of two persons and serious
injuries to others. Had the train been run
ming at ~ miles an hour over the bridge, the
rate of speed fixed by order of Assistant SUI
perintendent Lincoln of the l4th inst, since
the accident, it probably would have gone
over safely, as the freight train did just ahead
of it the same afternoon. But the bridge
ought to have been strong enough to easily
bear q speed of % miles an hour. or as Mr..
Noyes said before the inquest, "of 25; yes,
49," or, as we think, it ought to have been
strong enough to sustain the train in passing
over it safely at the greatest capacity of any
engine in use upon the road, even to 60 miles
an hour. For the lives of passengers should
not be liable to be jeopardzed by any speed
that the desire to make up time, or other
cause might necessitate.
The bridge was over public highway-the
chords were 67 #. in. in length--the width
of bridge seats #. 6 in.-the length of
bridge between bearings 50 #. 6 in. The
chords were composed of 3 strands-the
strands of the lower chords were centre one
Z by / in, outside ones, 8 by IL top chords
centre strand "a by9 outside ones 5 by 8.
The truss was feet high, braces by Z, and
counter braces by g.; iron truss rods Ii, II
and "a in diameter. The bridge was deck,
Howe truss, about 14ft. above the travelled
road.
The easterly truss broke at centre of pam
ell, a little past tine middle of the bridge, leav
ing the western truss standing. The falling
truss appears to have sided ever as if receiv-
ing lateral blow. The timbers as broken
disclose at the fracture internal dry rot, prin-
cipally in the centre strand. The outside of
the chord timbers give no indication OF the
concealed rot, that we can discover. But
the chords as now broken and exposed to the
eve, disclose the utter unfitness of the bridge
for the service required of it. 1t may be true
that the bridge was subjected to extraordina-
ry strain-the brakes may have been improp-
erly set up and thus dragged the train; or a
wheel may have slipped the rail, or some
extra jar or jolt" as suggested by Mr. Glib
son, the company's bridge-man, or other as
yet unknown cause may have been primary
or contributive to the disaster-but still the
fact remains that the bridge was not, as now
disclosed, in fit condition for the passage of
such train at such speed, whether other
causes originated or contributed to the casu-
atty or not.
And the fault for such deficiency was upon
the road. For it is the duty of the corpora
ton that the road, when trains are run upon
it, be at all places and at any cost in a con-
dition of absolute safety. And neither its
duty nor its liability is in any way lessened or
its responsibility avoided because others failed
to discover defect-that had no business to
be there. The duty was upon the corpora
ton and the whole duty and it could not d.
vide it with others, if it would. The fault in
fact, as in law, was upon the company from
the beginning and always, and though the Wis
itorial power of the State, established for this
and divers other purposes may have failed to
accomplish one of the objects of its creation,
it nevertheless leaves the burden and the
duty where it was before, and all liability for
neglect. The accident then. was occasioned
by defect in the road, and the fault and
blame are upon the company, whose duty it
was, that no defect should exist.
And it is for this purpose, that no defect
shall exist, that the company have a corps of
officers, assigned to the special duty of keep
ing the road in perfect condition. In the
present management of the road it appears
that the Superintendent, Mr.. Noyes, has the
entire charge of the repairs upon the read
and of new works, and is relieved of the
charge Of the trains, now assigned to Assist
ant Superintendent, Mr.. Lincoln !; that he,
Mr.. Noyes, may give his undivided attention
to the repairs and keeping up of the road
He is therefore primarily responsible for its
always being in condition of safety for such
trains as Mr.. Lincoln may see fit to pass over
it. And he, no more than the corporation,
can shift his duty upon others or divide its
responsibilities. And for this purpose too, il
is that he has under him men in whom he
sayes he has onfidence-roadm masters to see
that the track is in order, and bridge masters
to see that the bridges are always safe.
In November, 1870, when the gauge was
narrowed, two of his men examined this
| Hampden road bridge and reported it ''one OF
| the stiffest on the road,' and in April last Mr.
| Gibson examined it and reported it safe and
| all right. He had examined it three or foui
| times, he testifies, this year and discovered
no defect. Dea. Scammon, an expert in
bridges and of long experience, has recently
examined it, as Mr.. Noyes testifies, and he
too reported it safe. And Mr.. Noyes says in
his testimony that he believes both bridge
masters have fully done their duty. And
Mr.. Noyes himself, in May of this year, was
under the bridge when a heavy freight train
passed over it and could see no DETECTION, land
afterwards he came over with a q. ton engine
to test the bridges upon the road, this among
the others, and running the engine back and
forth over it, it betrayed, he says, no signs
| of weakness. Now this would seem to be
the ordinary and usual way of testing bridges
| the mode adopted by Scammon and Gibson
| and Mr.. Noyes, so far as he went, and from
other testimony of experts in bridge making
taken before us, it would seem to be the
only proper way when such tests indicate nc
| weakness. Mr.. l. A. Gordon, who built the
bridges upon the Grand Trunk and who has
| had twenty-one years experience in bridge
making and recently in railroad making, says
| under oath that:
SIN examining bridges we always look a
the keys and packing blocks to see that there
is no indication of its giving, or of joints
spreading, and by running an engine over
backwards and forwards and standing on the
bottom chords, and if the bridge appears
permanent, little or no lateral motion ant
merely slight DETECTION in running the
| engine over, we regard it all right; but II