The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1875-08-06

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MINNESOTA, FRIDAY. !. 4
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The Northern Pacific railroad bridge .oross,
the Nissiasippi river At Brainerd gave WY ,un-
der . passing freight train, on the 9Th nit. =;
precipitating fourteen cars into the river, aud
killing four persons outright, fatally iniuring
another and badly xpisipg many more. Tie
hled ~eis engineer nis,smm 81 0raa-
don and two half breed women. Min Abiae
Johnson has sinoe die from the injuries she re
oeived. IS e
: Al the ooeonee's inanept MosesT. Salisbury.
who Was the conductor Of the Trim. sa;d: ssThe
train was going at the rste Of between four and
six miles an hour: not over five certainly:
Company's rules are to 60 tour miles An honf
on tue bridge; to the bcst Of my judgment, train
va not going over six miles IN i.our: vas in
the ~ md Of The train, inside the caboose;
.beoee.when 6rat heard ths alarm: l.st heard
crashing Of timber; sounded 20 though it was
down river; looked that way to see what It
was; the first notice had that it was the bridpe
Kass s:when the oabooae was two car lengths
sthiei3de o.the bg;dge;;s looked ahead and saw
endsof stripping up; was looking out OF side
door; then jumped opt Of side door Of caboose;
bttdss ,wae lseskin9 from the west end, this
!sy; started toward the ferry to get boat;
jumped before caboose got, on bridge; didn't
torn to look At tain; cata't state exact number
9, f4oHR R.''eq&s''; 3Bs ;1 .:x no one ePe j%mp
don't know where the brakeman was at the
time; NO or was of tack when jumped !;
er the car was on or Of the track; there was no
jar. Don't think passengers could have
escaped from caboose had they been warned;
there was not time to warn them uAless they
jumped from the bridge; no brakes were set
on caboose There was no alarm from engine
no calling for brakes; couldn't SAY that the
s9snt; gs ~s. DON 9f of At :t vhsn d9s jumped
er speed was necessary to take the train up;
was two lengths this side OF the bridge when
Jumped of; in rear end Of caboose were three
If not tour men.
Q. Why did you not warn these meni
A. hadn't time.
Q. All that was necessary was to turn
a. well, yes: Don't know anything about
the loading of the cars that morning; the
usual load is ten tons; Jumped out of side door
on south aide about us or 5OU feet from where
the bridge is broken Of; when the caboose got
beyond me it went faster. think. Heard Mrs
acponald screaming just as / jumped; door
OF eae9oss s':: was open; the end door
minute from the time jumped OF OF before the
caboose went In.
John Waugh, brakeman, testified the at the
time he was midway on the top of box
car when the engine went on the bridge ;
there were % cars and = caboose: nine cars OF
iron, then box cal, then fiat car with fire ez,.
tat cars loaded with iron were next to the en-
gine; was on box car in rear of car with hose
cart; l looked ahead and saw timber flying
up which tooksto be a brace, and then the
bridge began TO 90 down this was midway be-
tween the west shore and the west pie-; the
engine and probably five or six cars were then
my drst ide. was to jump
into the river but checked myself and then
fell rather than jumped on the ties on top oi
second pier on east side and then ran hack
this way; the rules of the company were not
to run over the bridge At speed Of over four
miles; don't think we were going over three
bridge down; have passed over with heavier
load; had something more than usual weight
yesterday think no car was off track.
In regard to the cause of the accident, Edwd
White, = bridge builder Of nearly ffty years
experience, teseified a. follows "The first
l thought that if had been in charge should
have had the bolts tighter and more equalizcd;
l noticed nothing: further at that time Of a
serious nature; when l examined it In May
last thought the bridge very unsafe several
parts decayiBg-and found one OF the chords
in the upright span very rotten. almost di-
reot'y over that, in the upper chord, where
step iron was broke in two, and 80 had settled
into the end that the second piece Of the chord
across the end this was in the center span
the step irons to the braces have been broken
for some time, at least the larger portion o
them; and in the farther deck span, were
broken badly; would compel the brace to pass
irons would not weaken the bridge, unless the
braces should set past the
% though, in in May thss opfs sSe br,dss should e
tightened up; the center span was certainly
sagged below the line when it should have
been two inches crossing; | considered the
very fact Of this. center span being on line o.
to Mr.. Low, the first railroad man / met, .
not settled in the center have no idea
the bridges would have gone down, and thai
the decayed stick above described wca the cause
of sach sag in center span in part. This would
have no eject on the next adjoining pier o.
span; have informed Mr.. Wallace and Mr.
Kimberly Of this danger, and Of the condition
OF the bridge: have talked freely about ths
bridge, and several times remarked tina
# It was not repaired they would have .
train through it; remarked
to Mr: Wallace and several others; was a
this time At work in the st: Pau! machine
shops; MI: Wallace remarked that he was 60
time or he: would have train through it
the bridge; Mr.. Wallace, Mr.. Bradford and
Mr.. O'Brien were present at the time mad
this remark; it was my impression when
first heard OF the accident that it was causet
By the rotten timbers in the bridge.
The following Is the verdict OF the jury:
eBRAmERD, July 3l.-The Coroner's in
quest has bean concluded and tho followin,
verdict Was rendered, viz: That the abov
named persons -Peterkin and Grandson
came tc their deaths on the 9Th of Jul.
1876, by tho falling Of the railroad bridge owe
the Mississippi river At or near Brainerd, Mimi,
while freight train No. 8, drawn by engine Nc
45, Of which they were engineer and fireman
respectively, was passing over. And We furl
ther find that the above train, No. s, was pass
ing over the bridge At the usual speed of abou
tour miles per hour; that the west span Of til
bridge broke first, caused by it's being con
structed Of unsuitable and unsound timber
that il broke by the actual weigh
| of the train.: and that tn. who,