Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1876-03-16
The Narrow Passage Disaster.
CoRsSER 81 INyEsrIGA r1os MIRO THE
CAUSES, OF THE ACCIDENT l'EsTI
MoNY OF WITNESSES. ss.. a

1 =
MoNY OF WITNESSES.
Upon a warrant issued by Justice
John IL. Grabill, acting coroner for
Shenandoah county, Va, March I,
1876, the sheriff, Peter Hoshour, sum-
moned jury of inquiry upon the view
OF the bodies Of i. Donnayan, J. Chap
man, G. II. Hodgson, William A,
Wightmar and others, then dying and
dead, whea, how and by what means
they came to their death VIM Dom
sldson, VIM. Supinger, Peter Supinger,
Lewis Kniesly, Charles Welsh and
VIM. Dosh were empannelled, and pro-
ceeded to view of the bodies and
surroundings at s o'clock A. M. ON the
9Th inst A view OF the bodies of VIM
\. Wightman and +. Donnavan was
had, as-also examination Of the timbers
Of Narrow Passage bridge, botn Of the
wrecks, remaining, as also Of other
SURROUNDINGS, was taken, the body of
VIM. A. Chapman, brakeman, still
remaining under the debris Of the
wreck at shutdown.
TIE TESTIMONY.
The coroner adjourned the iary to
Woodstock, to meet at o'clock p. NJ
March g. William Fansler being duly
sworn deposed as follows: Gle
| live short distance above Narrow
Passage bridge heard the crash Of
the train; could see the bridge from my
window; saw six or eight Of the cars as
they dashed into the wreck below:
went. there Immediately; several were
already out OF the wreck when | got
there; helped to take a BaltiInorean
out, supposed to be A. G, Bower; then
went to casap and helped to dress the
wounds Of the fireman, Cunning saw
Hammau and Noel taken out; thew
were dead ss5 81. .a,45 Id
Ihe jury proceeded, after concluding
Fansler's testimony, to the examination
OF Timothy Sullivan, the Waterman al
the bridge, who testified as follows: l
live about forty OF sixty feet from the
bridge; was on duty there last Monday
night; when the engine passed Mr..
Donnavan, the engineer, bid me good
bye, as was his custom, as also the fire.
mans. On going to the bridge l said
goodbye Florry; next heard the. steam
gong and thought be was drawing in
his train, sew the train so down i'm,
sediatelS after this. l went to the
camp near by and gave the alarm, and
was the frs man to get 10 the wreck;
heard same one say rs there any one
to relieve Billy Wightmap, Edinbafg;' :
saw the ireman, Tom Cunning; he
said: "Tm, relieve me, for .nercy' S
sake;" helped him out be. camp
boys then came up and helped. We
got all out we could Mr. Wight
man Was alive when / left him.
Questioned. by the Coroner. hat
was The condition Of the bridge at and
prior to this accident? Answer.-I
went over the bridge that day and
thought it as good and safe as it had
been for twelve months. r
Q-Is it your duty to examine the
entire bridge. Alt is as to fire not
as TO the strength of the timbers. The
part near the new pier was the strong~
estportion Of the bridge, lrw ,l.-r.i>-,
Lemuel Hoover testified that he went
10 Woodstock for surgeons; never ex
arifined any timbers of the bridge be-
fore the accident but since noticed
.o,,,a Of tho fanono ,.raro .,ox4 !
several timperss dotted, (dry rotten, J only
the heart being sound When the
bridge was built, in 1867, his father
furnished part Of the timber, about
81 200 worth; 1t was hewed pine tins
Der, and delivered in a few weeks after
cutting, and they commenced framing
the bridge before we finished deliver
ing go
Isaac Bowman testified live about
two or three hundred yards from the
bridge, and about twelve O'Clock on
Monday night heard the crash of the
train going over the bridge; did not
go there until daylight.
O. Did you examine the timbers of
the bridge prior TO this accident and
since? Al have thought for six
months that the timbers were rotten
and the track sunk on one side. Have
noticed since the accident that Tie
lemons OF some of the timbers were
rotten. A camp moved tothe bridge
last Saturday and proposed building a
new Howe truss bridge.
1F,1ronas Iieskett testified: live at
Sandy Hook, Nd, / am supeiinten~
dent of bridges Of the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad Narrow Passage bridge
is underway control; il is what we call
trestle biadge; ] tad 28-foot truss put
in that part .of the bridge which span
ned the new pier; in the last eighteen
months a great deal of new timber has
been put in this bridge and strengthen
ed up i regarded this bridge safe for
the time intended to remain, as, by the
first of August next we expected to re-
place it with new bridge, and
thought it sufficiently strong for the
engines we used to pass over it; / con
slider the weight Of the engine and cars
attached in making nay estimate Of
strength of bridges.
: Q.--What do you consider the cause
Iof this accident? Any impression
|is that it was broken wheel or axle
that fell through and came in contact
with one of the bents or trestles that
knocked it out of its proper position
Id caused the rail joists to give way,
Of course the engine had. to go
pugh. aw
lis this opinion from facts or
kly your theorys A.-From the
Yer IN which the engine fell form
rinion, and think The broken
AS Of the tender or first car