The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-03-10
THE ASHTABULA DISASTER.

VERDICT OF THE coRoNER's JURY-PoslTVE
cENsURE UPON THE RAILROAD COMPANY fon
THE FAULTY CONSTRUCTION OF THE BRIDGE.
CLEVELAND, Ohio March o. 1877.
In the matter OF tho Investigation into the causes Oh
the dstressngiy fatal occurrence at Ashtabua last
December the jury have ut length agreed upon Their
finding In prefacins their verdict they say
II is from careful consideration OF the evidence
elected IRON professionals and experts that ver-
dict Is made up the OF the BRIDGE and should
II seem severe on the railroad company upon any OF
rs past or present officials II is because the truth as
shown by the evidence, demands II nj our hands We
cannot do less and feel that have discharged our
duty.
BUILDERS MISTAKE
Mr. Amasa Stone, President OF tho company at the
years prominent and successful railroad contractor
and builder Of wooden Howe truss bridges With the
undoubted intention OF building strong, safe and
durable wrought IRON bridge upon tho Howe truss plan
he designed this structure dictated the drawing Of tho
plans and tho erection Of the bridge without the app
prova Of any competent engineer and against the pro-
test Of the man who made the drawings under Mr..
stones direction assuming the solo and entire respon.
siby himself Iron bridges were then IN their in
fancy, and this one an experiment which ought
never to been tried trusted to span broad
and deep chasm. This experiment has been at o
fearful cost OF human life and human suffering Un-
qucslionably Mr. Stone had great confidence hts
abilities and believed he could build, aud had built, a
structure which would prove tho GROWING glory Of an
active life and an enduring monument TO his name.
UNSATISFACTORY
The testimony OF competent and skilful engineers is
that subjocting iron bridge to severe strain, us
test before using 1t In carrying the tranc OF the
railroad, is Of no value showing its ability to bear
repeated strains 1t only shows that It bore the test
that time, aud 1t may have permanently crippled it, SO
tosl..~ .-cst nI,A
rule is to have large margin OF safety, shown
by careful computation and distribution OF the
strains That the officials Of the railroad regarded tho
bridge safe We have doubt, as two Of them were
the train that went down, anu all were more less
frequently passing over It.
THE VERDICT.
| The following is the formal verdict
| We, the undersigned jurors impaneled and sworn,
the Both day Of December, in the year 1876 at the
| OF OHIO, by Edward w. Richards Justice OF the Peace
In aud tor said township OF Ashabua acting as Coro-
Tor tho time being, inquire and true present.
mont make IN what manner and by what cause
Clarence N Gage ana NJ. p. Cogwell came 10 their
deaths, and others then unknown, who came to their
deaths at the same time and place, after visiting tho
OF the accident, viewing tho bodies and hearing
the testimony OF witnesses, DO lind as fOllOws:
First-That on the evening OF Friday, December 20,
1876 the iron bridge the railroad OF the Lake shore
| ana Michigan Southern Railroad Company spanning
Ashtabua Greek, near Ashtabula Station, did give way
under two locomotives aud express cur forming the
forward portion Of West bound passenger tram on
railroad and fell the leading locomotive passed
on the west abutmeai, leaving chusm OF about sixty
feet IN depth between the abutmcnls OF said bridge,
which the passenger and baggage cars IN said tram
following said express Cur were prec,pitated
Second-rhat IN their fall tho cars were partially de-
slroyod by crushing, and their destruction
petod by conaagration immediately following, kin
died by tire IRON their stoves
| DEFECTS IN THE DESIGN.
| Third--That the TALL oil tho bridge the result oil
detects and errors made In designing, constructing
aud erecting III that great defect and one which APP
stf In IN
pendence Oi every member Tor It's efficient action on
tho probability that all nearly all the others would
retain their position designed and do the duty Tor
when they designed Instead Of giving to each
member u positive connection with the rest, which
nothing but direct rupture could sever. the
Of each instead OF being fastened ther
raised upon the other, us illustrated by the follow
ing partcuars:-rhe deficient cross section OF por-
tions of chords, and some OF the nam braces,
and the insufficient strength and bad arrangement oil
both The horizontal and vertical transverse bracng in
the OF the anglo blocks nnally nodicd
without sufficient Tugs 1anges TO keep the ends oil
the main and counter braces from slipping out Oi
place; In the construction OF the packing and yokes
ut the points whore they crvssocha0 other; In tho
shiinnng OF tho TOP chords TO co,npcn safe the deU
length OF OF their members IN the placing,
during the process OF erection, OF thick beams where
The plan required thin ones, and thin where II
required thick ones
LACK or CAREFUL INSPECTION.
FoWH-That the railroad company used and con-
nued TO this bridge for about eleven years. during
all OF which time careful inspection by competent
engineer could not have Jailed 10 discover these defects
the 0cRiect oil careful the railroad
company alone Is responsible
Fiffh-The responsibility Of this fearful disaster and
Ito consequent loss Of lie upon the railroad COM
pany which, by It's chief executive officer planned aud
| erected this bridge
DANGER FROM sTovxs.
.Si1t-That the In which said deceased passen-
gers were carried said chasm heated by
heating apparatus 50 constructed that the fire in II
would be Immediately cxtinguishcd whenever the cars
are thrown from the track aud overturned that the
failure comply with that plain provision of the law
places the responsibility OF the origin Of the fire upon
the railroad company. lSee Act Of May 4, 1891
FIRE SHOULD HAVE BEEN EXTiNGUIsHED
SeoenU-That the responsibility Tor not putting out
the fro at the time II first made It's appearance IN the
wreck upon those who were first 10 arrive the
| scene OF the disaster, and who seem to have been
overwhelmed by fearful calamity that they
all presence Of mind and failed TO the at
hand, consisting of steam pump in The pumping
house and the tro. engine Lake Erie and hose,
which might have been attached 10 the steam pump In
time to save lie. The steamer belonging TO the fire
department and also Protection fire engine were
| hauled more than mile through u binding snow
storm and over roads rendered almost mpassable by
drifts OF and arrived on the ground too late 10
human lile. Nothing should havo prevented the
Chief Engineer from making all possible efforts to
tnguish what fire there remained. For his failure TO
do this he IS responsible.
| THE COMPANY RESPONSIBLE.
| EghM-That those persons deceased before men.
| toned whose bodies Identified, and those whose
budies and parts OF bodies unidentified, to
their deaths by the prec paton Aforesaid OF tho
In which they were riding INTO the chasm In the VAL
ley of Ashtabula Creek, lett ny the falling of the
bridge Aforesaid, the crushing ana burning Of said
aforesaid, for all OF which the railroad company
| is responsible
Gwen under our hands the time and place Of said
| inquisition above mentioned.
Il. l.. MORRISON,
HENRY II. PERRY
| I. d. FAULKNER, 1
GEORGE ". DICKENsoN, Jurors
| y. A. PErT1BONE,
| EDWARD G. PIERCE,
| EDWARD W. RICHARDS, Acting Coroner.
|
| II FORD ~ 90