The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-01-05
The Inquest at AshtabuIn.

CLEVELAND, January Am Ashtabu
Ia special 10 the Leader, gives the accoun
0ithe tnquest proceedings: The Coroner
Jury commenced at 0 o'clock this morn
Ing. +. N, Lockwood was the frat wit.
ness: Was at the pump house near tn,
time OF the accident; James Manning en-.
glneer at the pump house, had Just been
telling him what he had; that they hac
the fGcllities for attaching the FIRE hose
Ia three or four places; did not saw any,
thing about attaching the village Gre hos,
a. the pump house; he left the pump
house at $50 o'clock to 20 home; on the
way ! met train No. s, which seemed ia
be oil right; did not hear the crash az the
bridge went down; as the night was
stormy he could not see the light OF the
burning wreck; did not 20 back until the
next morning, when he examined The track
and ties carefully, but saw no indications
Of the train having jumped the track,
there was no snow on the bridge when he
passed over.
The next witness was George Brake.
He testified that he resided in Ashtabula,
and that he heard the alarm OF fire on the
night Of the accident. Being foreman Of
the Protection Company, be hastened 10
the engine house. The team usually
employed could not be obtained, and
some delay was experienced in getting
started. was at the engine house q
quarter Of An hour before we arrived ut
The railroad crossing, | asked why the
engine already there was not at work,
and was told by Mr.. Strong that there
was no use, Rs the water could do no good.
Still, l made an endeavor to get the en-.
gine nto operation. asked Mr.. Culver
shortly after my arrival il we should
take the engiue down GU the track; he
said he had no authority in the matter.
! eramined and found no drag ropes or
any thing else to get the steamer down
With; finally abandoned the idea; neither
the orders Of Mr.. Strong nor any one else
had any influence on my action; thought
then NJ now that the tire could have been
checked better by the use OF buckets; re.
ceived an order from chief engineer not
10 set the engine; some twenty or thirty
buckets were being used in throwing
water; Mayor Hepburne gave him no
orders.
A. Hitchcock sworn.-Ia foreman Of
the steamer Nepture; hAs been connected
with the fire department for ~ years.
Met Mr.. Strong before reaching the
scene aud asked him II the FIRE department
WAS needed. He said, 81 don't think we
need any water" l then told the driver
that he had better not try to take the Gu.
gine down, as the snow was deep. Went
10 the wreck; wondered that they didn't
want water on the fire; hadn't seen
Chief Knapp or Foreman Brake
up 10 that time. lie met MIR. Strong
and said, is there any need OF the water
being thrown? He said he thought the
wafer was no use. This was his only
reason for not putting on ths water. Hi.
opinion il that by using the water Us
soon as might have been number
OF lives would have been saved. The
steamer was ready for Use soon after it
was on the ground. and il it had been
used he thinks the fire could have been
eKtinguished and more bodies idealified.
He would have proceeded to throw water
OH the fire if it had not been for the or
der Of Mr.. Strong.
The next witness, Capt. Geo. Fields,
who resides in Ashtabula, testified to the
co rrectness OF the conversation between
Hitchcock and Mr.. Strong, which he
overheard.
Four watches were found in The wreck
today, three Of them 80 badly burned
that they were mere masses Of gold. The
other one WAS marked ON the inside Of
the case "Willie II. Bradley" aud has
been forwarded to Mrs Bradley iu San
Francisco.