Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-03-09
THE VERDICT
OF the coroner's Jury.

To Z W. Richards. Actiag Coroner:
The Coroner's Jury, which for more than
two months past have under your direction
been engaged in investigating the late R.
R. disaster, which occurred on the evening
Of the 29th of Dec, 1876, have deemed it
best, under all the circumstances surround
ing the case, to prepare a short predatory
statement designed to accompany their
verdict, and herewith you will find both
statement and verdict duly signed by all
the members of the jury.
Ashtabula, March SLh, 1877.
In entering upon the duty of ascertain
ing the cause, and the manner of death, OF
the victims of the late railroad disaster at
Ashtabula, the jury found themselves at
the very outset, embarrassed by the limited
powers conferred on the eorOner's juries by
the law. As the law stands it was only
made our duty to inquire into the manner
and cause of death. This could at ence
have been decided and verdict rendered
in few words-''They came to their deaths
by the falling of the bridge" Would the
public mind have been satisfied with such
a verdict? Would the safety and lives OF
passengers been any better assured by such
an investigation and finding? Would the
means and measures necessary to prevent
future loss Of life been at all furthered by
an examination eliciting no evidence be-
yond the facts necessary to determine that
the bridge fell and caused the deaths OF
those unfortunates? Or, should the in
quest take broader scope and inquire
whether the failure of the bridge was due
to any defect, either in plan, construction
or care; whether any, and if any, what
means and appliances were at hand and
available to extinguish the flames; whether
laundering stupidity or selfish carelessness
had sacrificed human lives and caused hu-
man suffering which might and ought to
have been prevented; and if so. to place the
responsibility where it belonged. 1t seem
ed to us that the appalling nature of the dis
aster, the fearful cost of human life, the
widespread desolation of hearts and homes,
together with the earnest appeals made fol
the adoption of some measures to prevent
the recurrence of similar accidents, demand
ed thorough and exhaustive investiga-
tion, having all the scope that could be
reasonably given to it, and embracing al
matters touching the safety and sacred.
ness of human life. With this end il
view, we have as far as lay within oul
power, endeavored to ascertain all the
facts having any bearing upon these points
Without power under the law to compe
the attendance of unwilling witnesses mol
authority to enforce the production of pa
pers, it will be seen that the jury labored
under serious difficulties IN the prosecution
of what they deemed their duty, and We
desire to return our thanks to the officers ot
the railway company who so cheerfully aid
ed US in securing the attendance of witness
es, and also to those gentlemen, who, as civ
il engineers and experts Of high standing
in their profession, travelled long distances
and spent days and weeks in making &
thorough and critical examination of the
wrecked bridge at the joint request Of the
jury and railway company. The writer
reports and testimony of these gentlemen
have been of great service to us and viii
well repay careful perusal, as on them i:
based our verdict in regard to the bridge.
Among the witnesses examined, are the
following:
ofrailroad ofncials and employees. Charles
Paine, Gen, Sup't; Geo. NJ Reid, Sup't O
Bridges; Harvey Tilden, Sup't of Water
Works, A. A, Strong, Station Agent; John
Manning, ]. G. Burton and @. B. Leek, tele
graph operators at the railroad station; A. L
Rogers, under whose supervision the bridge
was erected; James Doran, track master; Jas
Manning, engineer of pump house; Daniel
Mcclure, engineer on the locomotive Socra-
ties; Mr.. Burnhart Hem, conductor, and A
L. Stone, rear brakeman on the ill-fated
train; N. W. Simons, night ticket agent; h
Apthorp, Sup't of Telegraph Repairs; Charles
Philbrook, painter; Geo. H. Carpenter. John
Sohlinger, Augustus Wentworth and Albert
H. Congdon.
OF members of the city fire department, G
A. Knapp, chief engineer, George Break, fore
man Of Protection Co, No. l; Michael Tinley
foreman of Lake Erie Co. No. 2; E. a. Hitch
cock, captain of the steamer Neptune, and c
L. scoville, engineer George W. Culley
Theodore H. SEWERS, D. H. Dubois, Levi A
Ensign.
OF citizens, A. C. Toombes, James K. Steb.
bins, Mrs Lettie Bancroft. George Field, Ri
ley W. Hillyer, E. W. Lockwood, James L
Porter, H P. Hepburn, C. E., Mayor Of Ashta
bula, and F. D. Case, NJ. D.
Ofpersons on the train, Capt. g. H. Tyler
of st. Louis, Mo-; Henry A. White, of Conn
F. E. Swift of Mass; F. Osborn, of Teeumseh
Mich; and Edward Truworthy and ]. A
Thompson, Oakland, Cal.
Of civil engineers and practical briagt
builders. Albert H. Howland, C. E., of Boston
Mass; Job Abbott, e. E., and Vice President
of Canton Bridge Co., Canton, o.; A. Gottleib
C. E, and sup't of the Western Department
ofthe Keystone Bridge Co., headquarters Chi
cago: f. N. Beebout, c.. E., in employ of the
Canton Bridge Co., Canton, Ohio; Joseph
Tom1inson, who, under the direction of Mr.
Stone, drew the plans for sthis bridge, and
who is at present in the employ OF the Cana
dian Government as General Superintendent
of Light Houses; J. D. Crehore, C. E, of Cleve-
land, Ohio; Budlong Morton, C. E, OF New Ha-
ven, Conn, and Chas Hilton, C. F.. in charge
of terminal facilities and Goth Street improve
ments for New York Central, Hudson River
and Harlem Railroads, New York City.
There was, as might have been expected, some
minor difference of opinion among the profes
sional engineers, but they substantially agree il
a disapproYsl of the Howe truss plan for wrought
iron bridges for long spans, and Of the manner in
which this bridge was constructed as being de
fective in section in the top chords snd main
braces, especially in the end panels; and also as
to the inadequate provision made to secure. unity
of action among their different members. They
alsoagree in a disapproval Of the sl stem of later
al bracirgas being Of little value and especially
the vertical sway bracing as being defective in
the mlnner Of fastening to. the angle blocks and
deficient in number to secure the bridge against
destruction from the severe LATERAL strains to
which 1t was liable from oscillations Of trains and
the force of strong " inds. Mr.. A. L. Rodgers,
Mr. Albert Congdon, and Mr.. George d. Carpen-
ter, all testify that the bridge, as first erected in