New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-01-30
THE AsHTABULA DISASTER.


UNJUST CRITICISM OF THE LAKE SHORE ROAD
CovsCrRNcEs, INTERESTS. AND MONEY AT STAKE.
TO the EdttOr or fhe Tribune
SIR: In yOur reference to Gen. Carringtons article
on the Ashtabuia bridge you said by way OF severe
admontiOn that compliments TO the Lake shore
road were ont of place. Some of us do not quite
agree with you in this. We think if person Of far
character is charged with arocIou' crime, 1t Is
quite proper To refer to his previous good repute IN
fact that t is impossible to view the case justly
without considering the antecedents OF the acci'el,
But | accept the warning, and Will say nothing OIL
tie creditable history of this road from the time
when it was built until the 20th Of December.
Still beg for little OF your valuable space 10
suggest few considerations which yOu seem to
leave entirely out OF sight in your comments upon
this catastrophe The bridge was designed and built
IL years ago by one of the abest and most expert
eneed constructors in this country. His p ms were
carried out By the best assistants he could md Inc
bridge was finished and tested by the seyerest tests
ever applied to iron bridges, and it stood them per-
fectlv 1t was in constant Use from that time unth
the day Ii fell without doubt of its safety In any
mind Among the hundreds of thousands VINO have
passed it one, lay or professional ever re-
carried it az anything but 4 safe and solid bridge
tbouqh. of course. YOU will fnd hundreds who vii!
now say that they never believed in it. just If The
New-York Post Office should tomorrow sink into the
EARTH every third loafer on Broadway would say he
"neyer liked the location Well, az last, from some
accident or defect not yet ascertaned' Ihi' brlhge
gave way,with consequences TOO dreadful ahd dsaS-
trous 70 be regarded without horror and dsmay.
The plain duty which now devolves npOn the courts
and the press ~ well as upon the officers of the road
each in MS place. is TO do everything possible TO lind
ont the cause Of this disaster venture to suggest
that this d. sirable end will not be attained by such
frce-and-oasy methods as those which have been
thu, far employed.
II Is against common sense TO assume, IA many do,
that the builders Of this bridge did not take every
possiblc means to make it safe and strong. heir
consciences their interests, their money! their rep
ution all were involved in making the WORK strong
and successful. The evidence OF two discharged
employ Is is all that il relied upon 10 establish the
contrary. and the animus of their charges was evil
dent to the jury and the public. 1t Is against COM
mon sense h. tat the officers OF the road Gid
not do al! they could to keep the bridge III GOOD
Order Mr. Collins, whom everybody unltcs IN
praising now that lie has been gcadcd into madness
and death. was neither lax nor incapable. lie
Thought the bridge safe and constant Inspection r.
vealrd nothing TO awaken suspicion in his !ans
mind Yct, 10 hear some newspapers talE goa
would think that the Lridgo was left IN r.iuoas
condition by the officers of the road simply Tor tle
fun Of killing a hundred or two people and losiHg
million or 50 Ok money. Apd, rs If this occurrence
was intended to reveal how tar the crcdulty OF
maleyoence could 90 Il il grayely charged mat the
officers OF te road prevented water from beng used
10 extlYguish the burning cars, 80 as to prevent te
wounded from being sayed alive and in condition t"
bring suits AGAINST BE company. Car any one not
an IDIOT or butte believe such fantastic calumnIes
as This :
All this does not touch the ytall question OF the
causc Of she disaster. OF this l-nOw 10 more than
th.p,ople who are talking 50 gby about t-thati5
to cav nothing n ali. II matter IN which the OIL
GERS Of the road have interest IN arriving at the
exact truth far greater ghan any else. Any far
attempt to show how or where the bridge came to
oiye way will doubtless be more welcome to them
than 10 any LegislatHrc or any newspaper. But
nothing will b. gained Tor the present or future IN
CHARGING ignorance upon men al the head OF their
PROFESSIONS rcckie ,Snc-s upon men of lifelong eX-
nrrience. or negligence upon men whose lives ana
whose death show with equal clOquence their seS-
tive conscientousucss in the discharge Of every
duty. L. %
IshsaJula. Jan. -, 1877.